{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-157.197","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 157.197","heading":"Kentucky Special Education Mentor Program -- Criteria.","body":"(1) The Kentucky Board of Education shall promulgate administrative regulations to\nestablish the criteria for the Kentucky Special Education Mentor Program that shall\nbe implemented by July 1, 1999. The designation of \"Kentucky Special Education\nMentor\" shall be given to the state's most outstanding and highly skilled persons\nwho are certified to teach or administer special education and who are willing to\naccept assignments in districts whose special education programs are found to be\nnoncompliant with state o r federal requirements. The assignments shall require the\nmentor to:\n(a) Work in a district or school on a full -time or part-time basis for a designated\nperiod of time to assist the staff with creating and implementing its special\neducation improvement pla n as required in KRS 157.224. The mentor shall\nhave the authority to review and amend decisions previously made by the\ndistrict or school staff. If a highly skilled educator under KRS 158.782 is\nassigned to the same site as the mentor, they shall share res ponsibilities under\npolicy of the Department of Education;\n(b) Help to increase the effectiveness of the staff, parents, the civic and business\ncommunity, and government and private agencies in improving the school's\nperformance with exceptional students a nd other students at risk of school\nfailure;\n(c) Evaluate and make recommendations on the retention, dismissal, or transfer of\ncertified staff in a noncompliant district or school;\n(d) Recommend up to ten (10) additional work days annually to be paid for by the\nDepartment of Education for personnel in affected schools who work with\nexceptional students for planning, working with parents and guardians,\ncurriculum development, or other activities that will help the district or school\nmeet the goals of its improvement plan; and\n(e) Complete an intensive training program, provided by the Department of\nEducation and approved by the Kentucky Board of Education, prior to being\nassigned to assist a district's or school's staff with creating and implementing\nits district or school improvement plan. The training program shall include but\nnot be limited to instruction in the methods of personnel evaluation, district or\nschool organization, curriculum, and assessment. The training shall be made\navailable to local district personnel on a cost recovery basis.\n(2) The Kentucky Special Education Mentor Program criteria shall include:\n(a) A selection process that shall allow for self nomination, provide for a broad\nspectrum of instructional positions, and generate statewide re presentation.\nNominations of qualified special educators who have retired since July 1,\n1994, shall be considered. Special education professionals and representatives\nof various advocacy and constituent groups shall be included in the\ndevelopment of the selection process and the review of applicants;\n(b) Each recipient shall receive a monetary award of two hundred fifty dollars\n($250) when selected and shall also be paid in accordance with his or her\ncurrent salary for other program requirements requiring a dditional days of\nemployment under subsection (1) of this section. The Department of\nEducation shall be responsible for all expenses incurred as a result of the\nKentucky Special Education Mentor Program, except those expenses\nassociated with the funding of  the position of the person who replaces the\nKentucky Special Education Mentor when that person is assigned to a\nnoncompliant school or district;\n(c) The Kentucky Special Education Mentor assigned to a noncompliant district\nor school shall receive a salary  supplement of thirty -five percent (35%) of\ntheir base annual salary for each year of service in that capacity. Retired\nmentors shall be paid for their rank and experience on the district's salary\nschedule plus the salary supplement. The state board shall determine if\nreimbursement for vehicle mileage shall be allowed. If the assigned school\nachieves the threshold level in the next biennial review, the mentor shall\nreceive his or her portion of the reward due to the entire staff calculated on his\nor her base salary regardless of decisions made by the school staff under KRS\n158.6455;\n(d) The Kentucky Special Education Mentor shall be granted professional leave\nunder KRS 161.770 for up to two (2) years if determined by the state board to\nbe necessary. Kentucky  Special Education Mentors shall not lose any\nemployee benefits as a result of their special assignments to a school or\ndistrict; and\n(e) A Kentucky Special Education Mentor shall not be assigned to a school or to a\ndistrict assignment in the district in which the educator is employed.","path":["KRS Chapter 157"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=3290","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:02Z","sha256":"91094c79c9afd32e5629759434a2dc5274ab575b8ecea8714bf92fb54f7c2f77","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-157.196","next":"us-ky/krs-157.198"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}