Allen County teachers sign on for rank change program, pledge four years to district

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - As Kentucky continues to grapple with the ongoing teacher shortage, many school districts are working on initiatives to help retain teachers as well as encourage new teachers to join.

Among them is Allen County Schools, which helped 10 teachers afford to sign onto BloomBoard Tuesday afternoon, “a talent development provider” meant to help educators move up the rank system.

BloomBoard is just one of the rank programs the district has partnered with. The programs allow Kentucky educators to better improve their teaching and increase their salaries through hands-on learning and classroom engagement.

“So the district is providing that tuition subsidy in the amount of $4,000 for the BloomBoard program, but we’re also offering support for the GRREC ED program and a university based degree program,” said Allen County Schools superintendent Travis Hamby. “Now in exchange for that we are asking the educators to commit to working in the district for four years.”

Leslie Stovall, a Business and Marketing teacher with Allen County - Scottsville High School, said she signed onto the program to bolster her career but still keep time for her five-year-old and 19-month-old at home.

“I wanted to be able to get this done quickly, so I can enjoy it while they’re growing up. So my plan is to get it done within a year. I love that they have coaches and mentors, and it’s just really hands on to help me be successful.”

With her husband who also works with Allen County Schools signing on .. Stovall said the grant will be a huge help to her family.

“Had we paid out of pocket, it would have been $16,000 for both of us. That was just not something that we could really manage to do at this point. So being able to receive this grant essentially, was really just relieving, you know? It provided a lot of joy and a lot of happiness. We’re like, okay we can do this now, like let’s do it. Let’s get it done.”

As well as working for teachers, Hamby said he hopes the program will showcase the district’s dedication to their educators and students.

“We know that as they grow professionally, their teaching is improved. Ultimately, our students reap the reward of that in the classroom. Also, we believe it’s important for as we invest in our teachers, that sends a message that we value them as professionals, and we want them to have the ability to pursue that rank change, which leads to increased salary for them.”

Hamby said all teachers should be finished with their respective rank change programs within one to four years.