Education

Stewart County, Tennessee schools are closing due to student illness for the second time this year. Transportation Director Eric Watkins says because a large number of students are out sick, the district will not hold classes tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.

A new report says teacher pensions across the country have an unfunded liability of nearly $325 billion. The National Council on Teacher Quality issued its findings today. Council Vice President Sandi Jacobs says one problem is retirement eligibility. In Kentucky, teachers can retire with full lifetime benefits after 27 years of service, regardless of age.

The GED is set to undergo drastic changes in 2014. Most pressing is that the cost of taking the exam will double from $60 to $120 beginning in January.  ACE2 Adult Education Direct Cris Crowley tells The Madisonville Messenger although Madisonville Community College currently covers $40 of the fee he’s concerned since more than 90 percent of adult education students in Hopkins County are at or below the poverty level.

A western Kentucky teacher is among the three chosen for the Gov. Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame. Juanita Park began teaching in Ohio County in 1944 and worked with student teachers from Western Kentucky University until 2012.

Forty million dollars in Race to the Top federal funding is going to help western and central Kentucky students take more responsibility for their learning.

Green River Regional Education Cooperative, or GRREC, is a consortium of Kentucky school districts. GRREC district Race to the Top winners announced this week include Owensboro Independent, Daviess County, and Union County.