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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing a task force to identify strategies 1
for retaining, recruiting, and building respect for certified public school educators in the 2
Commonwealth. 3
WHEREAS, in Kentucky, and across the nation, there are growing concerns about 4
the increasing shortage of certified education professionals; and 5
WHEREAS, between March 2021 and May 2021, the Commonwealth Education 6
Continuum collected stakeholder feedback from across the Commonwealth; and 7
WHEREAS, the stakeholder feedback indicated that the public, students, and 8
families see the increasing responsibilities and expectations of teachers and do not view 9
teaching as a viable career because the pay does not reflect the demand of the position 10
and teachers have limited opportunities for advancement; and 11
WHEREAS, the perception that teaching is not a viable career is detrimental to 12
Kentucky's ability and efforts to address the shortage of certified education professionals 13
in the Commonwealth; and 14
WHEREAS, the stakeholder feedback also indicated that the admissions criteria and 15
cost of postsecondary education preparation programs create barriers for many students; 16
and 17
WHEREAS, improving access to the field of education by reducing barriers to 18
training and certification is critical to addressing the shortage of certified education 19
professionals in the Commonwealth; and 20
WHEREAS, the feedback the Commonwealth Education Continuum received from 21
teachers indicated that teachers are not viewed as collaborative partners in policy and 22
administrative decisions because major education policies and decision-making are 23
driven by individuals outside of the classroom; and 24
WHEREAS, empowering teachers by engaging them in educational policy and 25
decision-making is critical for many reasons, not the least of which is that current 26
teachers are in the best position to drive meaningful solutions to the shortage of certified 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 2360
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education professionals by prioritizing teacher recruitment and retention; and 1
WHEREAS, the future of the Commonwealth's public education system, and thus 2
the future of the Commonwealth, are too important to exclude those in the best position 3
to drive meaningful solutions; 4
NOW, THEREFORE, 5
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 6
Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein: 7
Section 1. The Legislative Research Commission shall establish the Educator 8
Retention and Recruitment Task Force of the Legislative Research Commission to: 9
(1) Identify strategies to enhance recruitment and retention of certified public school 10
educators in the Commonwealth, especially in rural and inner-city areas, and to 11
build respect for public school educators in the Commonwealth; 12
(2) Identify strategies to reverse the growing shortage of certified public school 13
educators, especially in rural and inner-city areas; 14
(3) Identify strategies to increase the number of individuals choosing a career in 15
education, including the creation and expansion of scholarships; 16
(4) Identify strategies for the uniform collection of data from school districts to gauge 17
public school employment needs and to plan for education and training; 18
(5) Identify strategies to ensure the thorough distribution of certified public school 19
educators throughout the Commonwealth so that public school students in each 20
county have access to a quality public school education; 21
(6) Identify best practice retention models that have been successfully implemented to 22
increase the employment rates of certified public school employees; and 23
(7) Gather information on work completed by other groups, states, and the federal 24
government related to the shortage of certified public school educators. 25
Section 2. The Educator Retention and Recruitment Task Force shall have the 26
following members, with final membership of the task force being subject to the 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 2360
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consideration and approval of the Legislative Research Commission: 1
(1) Three members of the House of Representatives chosen by the Speaker of the 2
House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated as co-chair; 3
(2) One member of the House of Representatives chosen by the House Minority Floor 4
Leader; 5
(3) Three members of the Senate chosen by the President of the Senate, one of whom 6
shall be designated as co-chair; 7
(4) One member of the Senate chosen by the Senate Minority Floor Leader; 8
(5) The president or designee of the Council on Postsecondary Education; 9
(6) The commissioner of the Department of Education or designee; and 10
(7) One active, certified teacher from each of the seven Supreme Court districts, 11
selected from a list of three names per Supreme Court district submitted by the 12
Department of Education, with four members to be selected by the Speaker of the 13
House and three to be selected by the President of the Senate. 14
Section 3. The task force shall meet at least three times during the 2022 Interim 15
and shall submit its findings, legislative recommendations, or a memorandum to the 16
Legislative Research Commission no later than December 1, 2022. If legislative 17
recommendations are submitted, the Legislative Research Commission may refer the 18
recommendations to the appropriate committee or committees of jurisdiction in advance 19
of the 2023 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly. 20
Section 4. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 21
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the 22
issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof and to 23
designate a study completion date. 24