Christian County Public Schools is participating in a military-to-education workforce program aimed at connecting veterans and military spouses with careers in education and school support roles, including teaching, transportation, and instructional assistance.
Despite its name, Patriots to Education is not a standalone Kentucky state agency program with a centralized governing office. Instead, it functions as a larger military-to-education workforce project implemented locally through participating school districts. The effort serves as a recruitment pipeline designed to connect veterans and military spouses—particularly in Fort Campbell–adjacent communities—to job opportunities in public schools experiencing ongoing staffing needs.
Christian County Public Schools Teacher Recruiter Beverly Fort said that it helps bridge military experience with education workforce needs.
“This is Patriots to Education,” Fort said. “This is a program dedicated to helping veterans and their spouses transition from what they’ve been doing if they’ve moved here into a new meaningful new type of work maybe in the school district.”
Fort said CCPS will host a virtual career fair May 12 from 3 to 4:30 p.m., allowing veterans and military spouses to explore job opportunities and connect directly with district representatives.
“We’re going to be hosting a virtual career fair and I would love to have the opportunity to connect and talk with our veterans and their spouses, find out their skill set and maybe connect them with our schools or departments and find a new career for them in that meaningful work,” she said.
Registration information is available through the district’s website and Facebook page.
Fort said that the program is not limited to certified teaching positions and includes a range of classified and support roles.
“If it’s not in the teaching position we have other opportunities,” Fort said. “We have school bus drivers is an opportunity that some enjoy to do as well as just maybe being an instructional assistant.”
She said the goal is to match applicants with positions that align with their skills, including leadership, logistics, training, and organizational experience commonly gained in military service.
The career fair will be conducted virtually, with participants joining online through a provided link and engaging in live chat sessions with district staff.
Fort said the process is designed to move applicants from initial contact through follow-up interviews and onboarding as appropriate positions become available.
Christian County’s participation in Patriots-to-Education is closely tied to Fort Campbell, one of the region’s largest military installations and a consistent source of transitioning service members and military families.
Fort said that connection helped position the district as one of the early participants in the program in Kentucky.
“We are one of the first in the state of Kentucky of school systems to join in the Patriots to Education,” she said.
Education officials and district recruiters note that military spouses often bring prior professional or educational experience but may face employment challenges due to frequent relocations. The program will streamline access to local school employment opportunities and certification pathways where applicable.
Programs like Patriots to Education is part of a growing national effort to address school staffing shortages by recruiting veterans and military families into education careers. Many districts view military experience as a strong foundation for classroom management, leadership, and support roles.
In Kentucky, educator recruitment is also supported through state systems such as the Kentucky Educator Placement Service, which connects applicants with certified vacancies across the state.
Fort also noted that the district’s broader hiring efforts continue alongside the program, including staffing for the new Christian County High School scheduled to open next year.
She said prospective employees are already touring the facility and meeting with administrators as onboarding preparations continue ahead of the upcoming school year.
“It is an exciting time and we just welcome anyone who has that interest to make those connections,” Fort said.
She added that most hiring and onboarding activities take place during the summer months as the district finalizes staffing assignments, benefits, and school placements.
