Education

Kentucky education commissioner Terry Holliday says the first 57 school districts that raise their dropout age from 16 to 18 will be given a $10,000 state grant.

Holliday made the announcement Wednesday during a state Board of Education meeting in Frankfort. Just before the announcement, board members voted unanimously to adopt a resolution urging Kentucky's 174 school districts to raise the dropout age as soon as possible.

The board has for years been urging state lawmakers to raise Kentucky's legal dropout age to 18.

A compromise reached during this year's legislative session allows local districts to make their own decision on raising the age, but with a provision that once 55 percent of districts have done so, the change will be made statewide within four years.

The WKU Herald reports that WKU Provost Gordon Emslie is a candidate for the same position at the University of Alabama.

Emslie previously worked at the University of Alabama-Hunstville. Emslie took the WKU Provost position July 1, 2010.

The Herald report says Emslie refused to comment about his candidacy, but WKU President Gary Ransdell told the paper Emslie informed him of his interest in the Alabama job last week.

A proposal meant to put more armed guards in Tennessee schools has begun moving forward in the General Assembly. It offers money for schools to hire retired police officers and allows teachers with law enforcement backgrounds to carry a gun to class.

Whether a retired officer hired part-time as a security guard or a teacher already on the payroll, both would have to go through at least 40 hours of special training.

The legislation has the backing of Governor Bill Haslam and has trumped other proposals aimed at more broadly allowing teachers to go armed to class.

Some Republicans still want to mandate armed guards in every school, but others say the only reason they support this bill is because it doesn’t. Rep. Ryan Haynes of Knoxville says schools aren’t as dangerous as they’re made out to be.

For-profit charter schools have been trying to make inroads in Tennessee. But a bill allowing investor-owned firms to manage day-to-day operations has been rejected in the Senate Education Committee.

The Volunteer State has required charter schools to be run by non-profits, even though the legislature has been friendly to for-profits in other fields such as virtual education.

Republican Joey Hensley of Hohenwald says the state is already moving to increase the number of charter schools.

“Then turning around and opening it up to for-profit companies to begin coming in, I don’t know if it’s good or bad but it’s a little bit concerning to me,” said Hensley.

The bill failed, with most of the committee’s GOP members refusing to vote.