Education

Listen in as students and faculty at Eastern Kentucky University exercise their 1st Amendment Rights.  This stream comes this afternoon from the Powell Building on the Main Campus in Richmond.  It's a demonstration of the power and fragility of America's Right to speak freely.  Be warned, these citizens could say anything.

The University of Kentucky violated the state Open Records Act by refusing to release documents about surgeries at Kentucky Children's Hospital, the state attorney general's office has ruled. The attorney general's opinion carries the weight of law in open records cases, although it can be appealed to circuit court. UK spokesman Jay Blanton said Monday that the university was reviewing its legal options.

Officials with the agency overseeing Kentucky’s college financial aid expect to figure out how many students will be receiving benefits in the next week.The state doles out around $100 million in financial aid annually, but that money is on a first come first served basis. Erin Klarer is with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority. She says more people are understanding the importance of higher education.

Like the rest of the nation, more of Kentucky’s grandparents have become a child’s primary care giver.  Looking for support, many of the older parents gathered recently in Lexington.  Nearly a quarter of America’s children live with a single parent.  Nearly five-million live in their grandparent’s home.  It’s nothing new to Lexington resident Sandy Flynn.  21 years ago, Flynn and her husband adopted their grandson.  Then a couple years ago, Flynn took a set of two-year-old twins, plus three granddaughters into her home.  She says that’s a pretty typical situation these days.

Less than four months after the Eastern Kentucky University Center for the Arts opened in Richmond, university employees were assigned to take over business operations of the center and address concerns including mishandling of cash, irregular student employment practices and improper handling of customer credit card numbers that potentially compromised security and threatened the university's overall ability to accept charge cards.

A Lexington attorney who has represented former Governor Ernie Fletcher has filed a open meetings complaint against Murray State's Board of Regents. In a letter mailed to board chairman Dr. Constantine Curris Thursday, attorney Jim Deckard alleges the board held an illegal meeting during a social gathering at regent Sharon Green's home the night before voting against offering president Randy Dunn a new 4 year contract.

The University of Kentucky will raise tuition 3 percent for in-state undergraduate and graduate students in the next school year, the smallest increase since 1997 at a school where tuition has jumped 154 percent since 2002. The average in-state undergraduate student will pay $10,110 in the 2013-14 school year, the first time annual tuition has topped $10,000.

Kentucky follows the national trend of allocating less funding for higher education since the recession, according to the latest education report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. The report released Tuesday says Kentucky has cut higher education since 2008 by 26 percent—or $2,663 per student—when adjusted for inflation. That’s only slightly better than the national average of 28 percent, the report says.

Before layoffs begin at Eastern Kentucky University, its Board of Regents will promote early retirements.  A plan approved this morning by the regents offer incentives to professors willing to work part-time.  Chairman Craig Turner says they’ll also offer incentives to staff members who qualify for early retirement.

Three finalists in the search for a new president at Eastern Kentucky University were unveiled today.   They are political scientist Michael Benson of Southern Utah University, Alan Shao, who's dean of the business school at the College of Charleston and Lamar University administrator Gregg Lasson.  The chairman of Eastern’s Board of Regents calls the finalists an “outstanding group” with “demonstrated proven leadership.” The finalists will now undergo a series of public forums at EKU.   The Richmond-based university hopes to have a new president before summer. He’ll replace President Doug Whitlock, who’s retiring.  

By next month, the top candidates for provost of the University of Kentucky should be on campus for interviews in the most-watched job search since President Eli Capilouto came on board in 2011. UK's top academic officer will be in charge of improving educational offerings in an uncertain and underfunded future. But observers say the hire could also be important in creating more diversity in UK's top leadership group, which is dominated by white men.

Kentucky's public school districts are gearing up for a new state regulation that specifies how and when educators can restrain or isolate students who are unruly. The regulation, which went into effect Feb. 1, allows students to be physically restrained — preventing students from moving torso, arms, legs or head — or placed in a secluded area away from classmates only to protect them from hurting themselves or others. It also bans the use of physical restraint or seclusion as student punishment. Students can be restrained for intentionally destroying property. Advocates have been calling for such rules for years.

A high ranking federal education official has gotten an up-close view of programs offered at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.    A full community and technical college experience awaited Doctor Brenda Dann-Messier in central Kentucky.  The Assistant Secretary of Education was briefed at the community college’s new Leestown Road campus.  Dann-Messier then toured Toyota’s Advanced Manufacturing Center.

After more than three years of unsuccessful attempts to raise Kentucky's high school dropout age from 16 to 18, House and Senate leaders have struck a compromise that appears poised to pass. The compromise plan would allow school districts to voluntarily raise the dropout age from 16 to 18 beginning in 2014. Once 55 percent of the state's school districts raise the age, remaining school districts across the state would have four years to make the change.