Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball recently released an audit of the Kentucky Department of Education.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Widespread improvements are needed at the Kentucky Department of Education, according to an audit performed by Kentucky’s Auditor of Public Accounts Allison Ball.
“Kentucky’s children deserve to receive the education they need to be competitive in the real world,” Ball said. “This examination provides a clear path forward for student success, parent accessibility, and teacher support in all of Kentucky’s schools. It can serve as a guiding document for Commissioner Fletcher as he continues his work to improve the state of public education across our Commonwealth.”
As dictated by 2024’s Kentucky House Bill 825, which became law without the governor’s signature, Ball’s office conducted “an audit of [the department] to review the consistent underperformance of the body governing Kentucky’s public education.” Working alongside PCG Consulting Group, the audit listed numerous “notable findings and observations” for the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2024.
Notable Findings and Observations Include:
- KDE erroneously allowed over $250 million in SEEK funds to lapse instead of reallocating the funds to cover alleged funding shortfalls, including the most recently complained of shortfall this past January. (Finding 2.1)
- KDE’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts have been a waste of money, and there has been no noticeable difference in student outcomes. (Finding 9.1)
- KDE’s preschool funding mechanism violates the U.S. Constitution as recently reaffirmed by the United States Supreme Court. (Finding 12.1)
- KDE’s method of rating preschools is misleading for parents. A high preschool rating from the state does not correlate to kindergarten readiness. KDE’s current preschool oversight processes do not promote strong kindergarten readiness. (Findings 12.2 and 12.4)
- Governor Beshear’s state-level education executives lack a unified vision for student success in K-12 education, postsecondary education, and careers. (Observation 3.4)
- KDE permits the three-cueing model for reading instruction, despite that model being banned in other states because it hinders reading proficiency. (Observation 5.10)
- KDE and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association are not mitigating the risk of sexual harassment and abuse of student-athletes. (Findings and Observations 16.1 through 16.3)
- KDE, only upon this audit, created resources related to sexual assault prevention and raising awareness in schools. (Observation 8.8)
- Students with disabilities have not demonstrated meaningful academic outcomes over time due to KDE’s ineffective special education tracking. (Finding 10.1)
- KDE neglects to provide meaningful support of the Kentucky School for the Blind and the Kentucky School for the Deaf. (Findings and Observations 11.1 through 11.4)
- KDE’s curriculum resources for teachers are difficult to access and use, making it harder for teachers to do their job. (Findings 1.6, 5.1, 5.3 and Observation 6.5)
Importantly, several Findings and Observations also address the lack of measurable benchmarks or oversight by KDE. Some of these include:
- KDE’s plan for improving education lacks measurable benchmarks for gauging student success. (Observation 3.1)
- The Kentucky Board of Education lacks measurable benchmarks for student success and is failing to critically oversee KDE. (Findings 4.2 and 4.8, Observations 4.3 through 4.7)
- KDE fails to track implementation of its model curriculum framework and accordingly cannot determine the effect of that framework on teaching quality and student outcomes. (Finding 5.2)
- Kentucky does not meet student-to-counselor ratios recommended in KRS 158.4416. (Finding 8.4)
- KDE is not ensuring that Individualized Learning Plans are helping students prepare for careers and college. (Observation 8.5)
- KDE lacks a dedicated staff and a comprehensive plan to support school districts in educating English Learners (EL), despite a growing EL population across Kentucky. (Findings 5.12, 5.13)
- KDE lacks a comprehensive strategy that shapes its approach to school improvement. (Finding 6.4)
- KDE has only completed comprehensive, onsite assessments of about half of all districts in the last 10 years. (Finding 7.1)
- KDE fails to monitor school districts in a way that leads to effective district improvement. (Findings and Observations 7.2 through 7.10)
- KDE’s 2024-2029 strategic plan does not specifically mention Career and Technical Education or postsecondary and career readiness. (Observation 13.3)
- Area Technology Centers need to be given more autonomy and flexibility for the sake of their students, teachers, and staff. (Findings and Observations 14.1 through 14.11)
Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher issued a response to the $1.2-million audit, commenting that the department looks forward to using the findings and observations to improve and accomplish the audit’s recommendations.
“In every section, the report highlights the good work agency staff have been doing to support the students and educators of Kentucky,” Fletcher said. “The audit showed that morale at [the department] is high, our staff members truly believe in the agency’s work and that superintendents believe they can rely on [the department] to provide them with high-quality resources.”
“[The Kentucky Department of Education] is an organization focused on continuous improvement. We look forward to utilizing the APA’s final report to identify opportunities for future growth and plans for continued improvement in service of Kentucky’s public school students,” he added.
The full 556-page audit can be viewed here.
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