SENATE LEGISLATION WOULD ADDRESS TEACHER SHORTAGE IN KENTUCKY

SENATE LEGISLATION WOULD ADDRESS TEACHER SHORTAGE IN KENTUCKY

FRANKFORT, KY (February 15, 2023) – Yesterday, Senator Matt Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, presented Senate Bill 49, a measure to help address the teacher shortage. The measure passed the Senate unanimously.

Newly elected Senator Deneen considers the bill his priority legislation for the 2023 30-day General Session. 

SB 49 will address workforce shortages and alternative teacher certifications under what is known as “Option 6” certification. This bill will extend the current program from three to five years. This legislative reform will benefit over 1,600 teachers currently enrolled in the program across our commonwealth.

Kentucky, like all states, faces a workforce shortage in various industries, and education is not immune. According to recent reporting by the Louisville Courier Journal using figures from the Kentucky Department of Education, the state is short approximately 1,700 classroom educators. This is vastly lower than the 11,000 figure oft-cited by Governor Andy Beshear but is nonetheless an issue Deneen and lawmakers are poised to address.

SB 49 will help alleviate the teacher shortage by extending how long a provisional teacher certificate lasts, providing more time for candidates with baccalaureate degrees to complete alternate teacher certification. For those with baccalaureate degrees who seek Alternative teacher certification through Options 6 and 7, this bill revises the provisional certification period from a maximum of three to five years.

“Before retiring, I spent most of my career as a public school educator and administrator, so this legislation is particularly important to me,” Deneen said. “We do not have a silver bullet to address this workforce shortage or all others. Nevertheless, I hope this bill will remove red tape for folks who are more than qualified through professional experience but may not have the traditional education background. This will give them more time to complete their certifications.”

SB 49 will now head to the House of Representatives for consideration. It carries an emergency designation, meaning it would go into effect upon filing with the Secretary of State’s Office. Find the bill in its entirety at Legislature.ky.gov.

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Senator Matt Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, represents the 10th Senate District, including Hardin County and part of Jefferson County. He serves as the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee vice chair and is chair of the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education. Deneen is also a Senate Agriculture, Appropriations and Revenue, and Judiciary committee member. Additionally, he serves as a Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Statutory Committee member.

Please visit https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate110.jpg for a high-resolution .jpeg of Deneen.

Please visit Legislature.ky.gov for more information on Senate Majority Caucus members and the ongoing 2023 30-day Legislative Session, such as committee schedules and membership.

Live legislative coverage is available at ket.org/legislature and via the Legislative Research Commission YouTube channel. Access archived footage of 2022 Interim legislative meetings and 2023 Regular Session legislative activity at ket.org/legislature/archives.

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