Education

WKU employees impacted by departmental consolidations should know by Wednesday if they are affected by the moves.

For weeks, WKU President Gary Ransdell has been warning that the school was going to have to cut personnel in light of an expected $2.1 million dollar budget cut next fiscal year. But this week Dr. Ransdell said the school's vice-presidents were able to find ways to consolidate certain operations and departments without costing any jobs.

Dr. Ransdell says the school has been notifying those workers impacted by the changes this week. The WKU president said he will send an email to all faculty and staff either Wednesday or Thursday detailing the moves the school has made regarding consolidations.

Ransdell added he is happy the school has found a way to deal with the budget cut that didn't involve personnel or salary reductions.

WKU President Gary Ransdell says there will be no job losses next year related to the school’s upcoming budget cut. Dr. Ransdell had been warning that personnel reductions were likely following the Council on Postsecondary Education’s decision to allow a 3% in-state undergraduate tuition increase next year, instead of the 5% hike WKU had requested.

But in an email to WKU faculty and staff yesterday, Dr. Ransdell said “no one will lose their employment at WKU" despite the school having to cut $2.1 million from its budget.

The WKU president said some employees might be relocated to other departments during the next academic year. He also said some 200 faculty members will receive market-salary adjustments worth a total of $500,000.

Education experts will soon be examining applications from public schools districts across Kentucky that want to become “Districts of Innovation.”

The Kentucky Education Department says the designation allows the districts to seek exemption from some rules and regulations to try to improve student learning.

The idea is to let school districts change the way they teach and students learn with initiatives such as competency-based learning and a modified school schedule.

Seventeen districts submitted applications for the designation. Staff from the Education Department, the Education Professional Standards Board and the Regional Education Laboratory that serves Kentucky will review the applications in May and make recommendations to the Kentucky Board of Education. The board will select the districts June 5.

Districts could begin implementing plans as early as the coming school year.