by Edna Schack
Imagine a program where optometry students provide free eye exams to students. That’s happening at Olive Hill and Prichard Elementary Schools in Carter County with the help of the University of Pikeville. Sixty-two young students were identified as needing further vision assistance, and 43 received new glasses—improving learning access while giving optometry students hands-on clinical experience.
No imagination is needed – unless Congress cuts funding for that partnership and dozens of others that are yielding positive results across the state. Last month, a Congressional vote called a rescission clawed back federal money that had already been budgeted to various organizations across the country, including Kentucky Educational Television (KET). A recent interview with Office of Budget and Management Director Russell Vought indicated that another rescission – this one targeting schools – could occur in September. I urge Congressman Hal Rogers and the entire Kentucky Congressional delegation to preserve the existing vital funding for Kentucky Community Schools in the same way it fought to unfreeze summer school, after school and other critical school funding in July. The Kentucky Community Schools Initiative is achieving real results. But its funding, which includes more than $30 million directly to local school districts, could be in jeopardy.
In the 5th Congressional District alone, the Prichard Committee partners with Rowan, Rockcastle and Carter County schools with an investment of $4.5 million.
The initiative in Kentucky is fairly new, but community involvement in schools has bipartisan support from presidents and Congress that goes back decades. This public-private partnership in Kentucky, where businesses and organizations are working with local school students, already is yielding strong results. This work is about individual communities meeting their own unique education and workforce needs without unnecessary bureaucracy—which aligns with the current administration’s goal of giving decision-making power back to local districts.
The Prichard Committee, a private, non-partisan organization, is working to evaluate the effectiveness of the efforts. Here are just some of the early results:
- Chronic absenteeism dropped by nearly 8.24 percentage points across Kentucky Community School Districts in just one year
- Math proficiency increased by an average of 10.79 percentage points and reading by 9.24 percentage points across KCSI schools.
- In total, 23 schools showed gains in math and 22 improved in reading during the 2024-25 school year.
Districts, community and business leaders, parents, and the Prichard Committee are reimagining how education works—by building deep, local partnerships with families, communities, and organizations. The results are real: better engagement, fewer barriers and stronger student outcomes.It’s transforming 20 districts that are leading the way through collaboration and action that leads to better students, stronger communities and a well-prepared work force.
The Kentucky Community Schools Initiative is one of the federal grants helping communities meet the needs of students and families at the local level. Overall, there are five active Full-Service Community School grants, including the Partners for Rural Impact and Wilderness Education Project, which attract more than $100 million to our commonwealth.
Kentucky’s unique strength lies in working together and that same collaborative energy is key to transforming education. Through our policies and priorities, let’s continue to support and encourage these strong community-school partnerships, which are leading to measurable and transformational results for students.
Edna Schack is a City of Morehead Council Member and a Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence member.
