and terms for renewal.
(1) (a) No person shall be eligible to hold the position of superintendent, principal,
teacher, supervisor, director of pupil personnel, or other public school position
for which certificates may be issued, or receive salary for services rendered in
the position, unless he or she holds a certificate of legal qualifications for the
position, issued by the Education Professional Standards Board.
(b) No person seeking initial employment as a school finance officer on or after
July 1, 2015, shall be eligible to hold the position of school finance officer
unless the person holds a certificate of legal qualification for the position,
issued by the Kentucky Department of Education.
(2) No person shall enter upon the duties of a position requiring certification
qualifications until his or her certificate has been filed or credentials registered with
the local district employer.
(3) The validity and terms for the renewal of any certificate shall be determined by the
laws and regulations in effect at the time the certificate was issued.
Effective: July 15, 2014
History: Amended 2014 Ky. Acts ch. 136, sec. 4, effective July 15, 2014. -- Amended
2001 Ky. Acts ch. 137, sec. 6, effective June 21, 2001. -- Amended 1990 Ky. Acts
ch. 476, Pt. II, sec. 55, effective July 13, 1990. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 56,
sec. 1, effective June 17, 1978. -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective
October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. secs. 4502-6, 4502-10, 4502-11, 4503-2.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
12
cases (
3 in the last 5 years), 1957–2025 · leading case:
Young v. Hammond, 139 S.W.3d 895 (Ky. 2004).
Young v. Hammond, 139 S.W.3d 895 (Ky. 2004).
· cites it 8× “Applicants subsequently employed shall provide evidence that they are certified prior to assuming the duties of a position in accordance with KRS 161.020. The superintendent shall provide additional applicants upon request when qualified applicants are available.”
Spalding v. Marion Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 452 S.W.3d 611 (Ky. Ct. App. 2014).
· cites it 5× “011(l)(a) defines a “classified employee” as “an employee of a local district who is not required to have certification for his position as provided in KRS 161.020[.]” Further, “[IJocal school districts shall enter into written contracts with classified employees.”
Fankhauser v. Cobb, 163 S.W.3d 389 (Ky. 2005).
“020(1) ("No person shall be eligible to hold the position of superintendent, principal, teacher, supervisor, director of pupil personnel, or other public school position for which certificates may be issued, or receive salary for services rendered in the position, unless he or…”
Napier v. Breathitt Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 31 F. Supp. 3d 901 (E.D. Ky. 2014).
“However, in his position as Director of Pupil Personnel, Napier is required by statute to hold the “general qualifications of teachers and, in addition, shall hold a valid certificate issued in accordance with the administrative regulations of the Education Professional…”
Gullett v. Sparks, 444 S.W.2d 901 (Ky. Ct. App. 1969).
“See KRS 161.020(3). In 1954, when the Minimum Foundation Law was first enacted, teachers were classified according to training, and minimum salary schedules were prescribed for the various classes.”
Qiu v. Anderson Cnty. High Sch. (E.D. Ky. 2023).
· cites it 4× “100 authorizes the Education Professional Standards Board to establish qualifications for granting emergency certificates if qualified teachers are not available for specific positions.”
Matthews v. Holland, 912 S.W.2d 459 (Ky. Ct. App. 1995).
“KRS 161.020(a), (c) and (f). Matthews’ interpretation of the statute would deny the Professional Standards Board the information it must have to carry out its duties.”
Greenup Cnty. Bd. of Educ. v. Luther Grizzle (Ky. Ct. App. 2022).
“011(1)(a), it “means an employee of a local district who is not required to have certification for his position as provided in KRS 161.020[.]” Likewise, a “classified employee” has statutory rights.”
Bd. of Educ. of Paris, Kentucky v. Jason Earlywine (Ky. 2025).
““No person shall be eligible to hold the position of superintendent, principal, teacher, supervisor, director of pupil personnel, or other public school position . . . unless he or she holds a 21 certificate of legal qualifications for the position, issued by the Education…”
Springer v. Bullitt Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 196 S.W.3d 528 (Ky. Ct. App. 2006).
“” 5 Furthermore, KRS 161.020 provides that (1) No person shall be eligible to hold the position of superintendent, principal, teacher, supervisor, director of pupil personnel, or other public school position for which certificates may be issued, or receive salary for services…”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 161.020(1) — 4 cases
Young v. Hammond, 139 S.W.3d 895 (Ky. 2004).
“Applicants subsequently employed shall provide evidence that they are certified prior to assuming the duties of a position in accordance with KRS 161.020. The superintendent shall provide additional applicants upon request when qualified applicants are available.”
Fankhauser v. Cobb, 163 S.W.3d 389 (Ky. 2005).
“020(1) ("No person shall be eligible to hold the position of superintendent, principal, teacher, supervisor, director of pupil personnel, or other public school position for which certificates may be issued, or receive salary for services rendered in the position, unless he or…”
Spalding v. Marion Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 452 S.W.3d 611 (Ky. Ct. App. 2014).
“011(l)(a) defines a “classified employee” as “an employee of a local district who is not required to have certification for his position as provided in KRS 161.020[.]” Further, “[IJocal school districts shall enter into written contracts with classified employees.”
Bd. of Educ. of Paris, Kentucky v. Jason Earlywine (Ky. 2025).
““No person shall be eligible to hold the position of superintendent, principal, teacher, supervisor, director of pupil personnel, or other public school position . . . unless he or she holds a 21 certificate of legal qualifications for the position, issued by the Education…”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 161.020(1)(a) — 1 case
Qiu v. Anderson Cnty. High Sch. (E.D. Ky. 2023).
“100 authorizes the Education Professional Standards Board to establish qualifications for granting emergency certificates if qualified teachers are not available for specific positions.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 161.020(3) — 1 case
Gullett v. Sparks, 444 S.W.2d 901 (Ky. Ct. App. 1969).
“See KRS 161.020(3). In 1954, when the Minimum Foundation Law was first enacted, teachers were classified according to training, and minimum salary schedules were prescribed for the various classes.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 161.020(a) — 1 case
Matthews v. Holland, 912 S.W.2d 459 (Ky. Ct. App. 1995).
“KRS 161.020(a), (c) and (f). Matthews’ interpretation of the statute would deny the Professional Standards Board the information it must have to carry out its duties.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the
Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and
treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.