# Kentucky opens nominations for education support staff awards **Published:** 2026-09-01T14:32:55.000Z **Source:** [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/09/nominate-outstanding-kentucky-education-support-staff-for-the-2026-rise-award/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-opens-nominations-for-education-support-staff-awards The Kentucky Department of Education and Governor Andy Beshear's Office have opened the nomination period for the 2026-2027 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award, according to an announcement published in [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/09/nominate-outstanding-kentucky-education-support-staff-for-the-2026-rise-award/). Nominations close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 9. [The Kentucky award recognizes the state's more than 46,000 classified school employees](https://www.education.ky.gov/awards/EduRecog/Pages/Kentucky-Education-Support-Staff-Professional-Awards-and-National-RISE-Awards.aspx) who work in roles often essential but frequently overlooked. [The top two state nominees will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education for consideration for the national 2027 Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) Award](https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/recognition-programs/recognizing-inspiring-school-employees-rise-award). Classified employees serve in vital capacities, from driving students to school and preparing meals to working with partner agencies to meet crucial student needs, according to the education department. [The state award was established in 2020 by Governor Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman](https://www.education.ky.gov/awards/EduRecog/Pages/Kentucky-Education-Support-Staff-Professional-Awards-and-National-RISE-Awards.aspx). "Our schools simply could not function without our classified employees," said Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. "These employees often are the unsung heroes of our school system." [The RISE Award was enacted by Congress in 2019 and is overseen by the U.S. Department of Education](https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/recognition-programs/recognizing-inspiring-school-employees-rise-award). [The national award recognizes full- or part-time classified school employees who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school](https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/programs/rise/documents/rise-award-factsheet.pdf). [Nominations may be submitted by public school districts, private schools, educational cooperatives, education organizations, professional organizations, labor organizations, nonprofit entities, parents and students](https://www.education.ky.gov/awards/EduRecog/Pages/Kentucky-Education-Support-Staff-Professional-Awards-and-National-RISE-Awards.aspx). Each nominator can submit up to two candidates via the 2026-2027 KESSP Award Nomination Form. Taylor County Schools' Vanessa Lyons, a reading intervention teacher for students in grades 3-5, and Spencer County Schools' Kala Marshall, an instructional assistant and girls basketball coach, received the 2025-2026 Kentucky Education Support Staff Professional Award. Lyons was also a finalist for the national RISE Award. ## Sources - [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/09/nominate-outstanding-kentucky-education-support-staff-for-the-2026-rise-award/) - [Kentucky Department of Education KESSP Awards and National RISE nominations page](https://www.education.ky.gov/awards/EduRecog/Pages/Kentucky-Education-Support-Staff-Professional-Awards-and-National-RISE-Awards.aspx) - [U.S. Department of Education Recognizing Inspiring School Employees RISE Award](https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/recognition-programs/recognizing-inspiring-school-employees-rise-award) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Teacher, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/09/nominate-outstanding-kentucky-education-support-staff-for-the-2026-rise-award/.