* Boone Co. -- Barb Hollar, Ockerman Elementary teacher
* Bourbon Co. -- Sharon Rankin, instructional supervisor and director of Federal Programs
* Bullitt Co. -- Lee Ann Mik, Old Mill & Mt. Washington Elementaries curriculum specialist
* Campbellsville Ind. -- Linda Handley, Campbellsville Elementary principal
* Clay Co. -- Valerie Cole, Big Creek Elementary teacher
* Corbin Ind. -- Amon Couch, Central Primary principal
* Fayette Co. -- Tara Isaacs, Tates Creek Elementary professional staff assistant
* Fleming Co. -- Julia Rawlings, curriculum resource specialist
* Jefferson Co. -- Wendy Brown, Thomas Jefferson Middle instructional coach/school support
* Jefferson Co. -- Dawn Tarquinio, H.B. Slaughter Elementary
* Lincoln Co. -- Kelly Sirginnis, Lloyd B. McGuffey 6th-Grade Center teacher/assessment coordinator
* Mercer Co. -- Kim Lake, Mercer County Elementary district literacy coach
* Owensboro Ind. -- Gale McClure, Estes Elementary curriculum facilitator
* Trigg Co. -- Pebbles Lancaster, Trigg County Primary teacher
* Warren Co. -- Nancy Wilson, Warren East Middle curriculum coordinator
To become Highly Skilled Educators, applicants meet the following criteria:
· Kentucky certification as an educator
· a minimum of five years of successful experience as a teacher or educational administrator
· involvement in teaching or administration within the last three years
While serving, HSEs remain employees of their home districts. The Kentucky Department of Education signs a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the HSEs' home districts on an annual basis. MOAs are renewable for a second year and may be renewable for a third year.
HSEs continue to receive their salaries, with no loss of benefits, through their home school districts. HSEs receive 135 percent of their current daily salaries for 235 days of employment. The additional 35 percent is not calculated into retirement benefits. Currently, beginning salaries for HSEs are capped at $100,000.
Since 1990, the Highly Skilled Educators program (known as the Distinguished Educator program until 1998) has identified and trained more than 350 educators to work with schools identified by the state assessment and accountability program as being in need of assistance.
The HSEs provide a number of services to schools:
- assessing the needs of the school/district, including analysis of test data and the Kentucky Scholastic Audit Report
- leading the School Improvement Team in amending the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan
- assuring a focused use of Commonwealth School Improvement Funds within the school's budget
- providing professional development
Approximately 95 percent of schools served by Distinguished or Highly Skilled Educators have risen out of the assistance category by the end of two years of support.
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