VERSAILLES, Ky. — The Kentucky Department of Education has reported a teacher turnover rate of 25% in 2023, indicating ongoing challenges in Kentucky.

What You Need To Know

  • The Kentucky Teacher Shortage Summit brought educators accross the state to Versasilles 

  • Superintendents, HR managers workshopped solutions to addressing a lack of teachers in Kentucky 

  • Some districts touted their success with RankUp Kentucky, grow your own programs and option 6 programs 

  • Kentucky had a nearly 25% turnover rate in 2023

School leaders across Kentucky, gathered at The Kentucky Castle for a Bloomboard summit aimed at finding solutions to addressing the state’s teacher shortage. Bloomboard is a national development provider that offers programs to move educators forward.

Gretchen Wetzel, executive director of the West Kentucky Education Cooperative, moderated a panel on recruiting and keeping talent.

“It’s a tough profession and we need to think about ways that we can reward teachers and help train them so they have more success in the classroom and feel like it’s a career they can have for the duration of their lives,” Wetzel said.

Wetzel said districts in her area of the state and statewide are seeing fewer applicants for open teaching positions. The goal is recruiting and retaining staff by making them feel supported.

“We’re launching ‘RankUp Kentucky’ which will help our teachers undergo rank changes which obviously will mean their pay will increase but even more importantly it’s going to provide a rigorous training for them, so they feel more comfortable and confident in their classrooms,” Wetzel said.

Some districts, including Clark County Schools in Winchester, are seeing success in growing your own programs. Grow your own programs offer graduates of the district pursing a teaching career a monetary incentive to come back to their district and teach.

“We’re still not seeing as many teachers entering the teacher prep programs, that’s why I think the school districts that are creating career pathways for students to become teachers is exceptional,” said State Rep. Killian Timoney, R-Nicholasville.

Rep. Timoney, also an employee of Fayette County Public Schools, said he knew he wanted to teach when he was a freshman in high school. He hopes to see future general assemblies allot money to public schools that catches up with inflation.

“(This year’s SEEK funding) It is a record amount, record amount for transportation costs freeing districts up for their general fund monies to be used in other places and that provides a lot of flexibility for them but I think we still need to show our school districts that we’re here to support you,” Timoney said.

The budget passed this past session had a 9% increase to SEEK per-pupil funding over the next two years.

The West Kentucky Education Cooperative supports 26 rural school districts in far western Kentucky.

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