West Kentucky Educational Cooperative

What West Kentucky Educational Cooperative does

West Kentucky Educational Cooperative (WKEC) is a non-profit, member-owned educational service agency that supports 26 K-12 school districts across western Kentucky, reaching 70,000 students and 4,500 educators. The cooperative delivers a broad portfolio of services that includes professional development programs (LETRS, Numeracy Counts CEO II, Learning Sprints), specialized supports such as SERTAC for special education and an Occupational Therapy Resource Center, adult education through a dedicated division, food service network support, immunization education, and a suite of federal and state grant initiatives (GEARUP, ABCD STOP, STOP & Connect, NEEW). WKEC also convenes more than 20 educator and administrator networks — including the Superintendent, Principal, Math, ELA, ELL, SLP, School Psychologist, PBIS, CIO, and DPP networks — that form the connective tissue of its member-driven model.

Core operating technology consists of collaborative service-delivery infrastructure rather than a unified software product. The organization uses BloomBoard as the platform for its WKEC Rank Up educator advancement program and Learning Stream to host its professional learning calendar and registration. It also maintains mobile applications distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play. WKEC is headquartered in the Hogancamp General Services Building on the campus of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, and operates the WKEC Conference Center in Eddyville, Kentucky, as a physical facility for in-person training.

WKEC's business model is a cooperative funded primarily through member district dues and supplemented by federal and state grant revenue that supports targeted programming. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and billing is structured as annual membership contributions from the 26 member districts. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors composed of representatives from member districts and is led by an Executive Director (Gretchen Wetzel) with a small internal staff of 18 employees, supplemented by program-specific directors covering adult education, special education, professional learning, and public relations. There is no venture, private equity, or parent-company ownership; the cooperative is owned and operated by its member districts.

Name

West Kentucky Educational Cooperative

Legal name

West Kentucky Educational Cooperative

Website

https://wkec.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

West Kentucky Educational Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit educational service agency that delivers professional development, special education, adult education, and grant-funded programs to 26 K-12 school districts across western Kentucky, reaching 70,000 students and 4,500 educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Cooperative Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• K-12 professional development
• Special education services
• Adult education programs
• Educational cooperative services
• Grant management support

Headquarters

HQ city

Murray

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member District Fees: Funding from member school districts through cooperative membership contributions for shared educational services, professional development, and support programs.
2. Grant Funding: Federal and state grants including GEARUP, STOP & Connect Grant, ABCD STOP Grant, NEEW Grant, CRRSA, and other educational funding programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

West Kentucky Educational Cooperative is a nonprofit regional educational service agency that provides shared professional development, special education services, adult education, instructional resources, and grant management support to its 26 K-12 member school districts across western Kentucky. WKEC operates through departments such as SERTAC, the Adult Education Division, and the CIE Program, and sustains more than 20 educator networks (Superintendent, Principal, Math, ELA, ELL, School Counselor, etc.) for collaborative learning. Services are delivered through direct staff support, online platforms (Learning Stream, BloomBoard), and the WKEC Conference Center in Eddyville, KY.

Product overview

West Kentucky Educational Cooperative is a regional educational service agency serving 26 school districts across western Kentucky. The cooperative provides a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs including special education services (SERTAC, ASD Network, SLP Network, School Psychologist Network), professional development programs (LETRS, Numeracy Counts CEO II, Learning Sprints, PBIS/ISF Resource Center, Occupational Therapy Resource Center), grant programs (ABCD STOP Grant, STOP & Connect Grant), food service support, adult education, and various educator networks (Superintendent, Principal, Math, ELA, ELL, Health & PE, Instruction, Gifted and Talented, School Counselor, New Teacher, and others). The cooperative also operates a conference center facility for member district events. Services are delivered through specialized departments and programs rather than a unified software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WKEC SERTAC (Special Education Resource and Training Center) Specialized education consulting, resources, and training provided to member districts for students with disabilities and diverse learning needs.
• LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) Professional development program for educators focused on evidence-based literacy instruction, delivered as a Rank Change option for member district teachers.
• Numeracy Counts CEO II Rank change professional development program for educators focused on mathematics instruction and numeracy development.
• Learning Sprints Short-duration professional learning sessions for educators focused on specific instructional strategies.
• Adult Education Division Adult education programs offering GED preparation, literacy, and workforce development services to adults across western Kentucky via mywestkyged.com.
• WKEC CIE Program Coordinated Immunization Education program providing health-related educational services to member districts.
• WKEC Food Service Network Food service network program supporting school nutrition operations across member districts.
• PBIS/ISF Resource Center Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports resource center providing Integrated Supports Framework materials for member districts.
• WKEC Occupational Therapy Resource Center Resource center providing occupational therapy resources and consortium services for member districts.
• Professional Learning Networks Suite of 20+ educator collaborative networks including Superintendent Network, Principal Network, Math Network, ELA Network, ELL Network, ASD Network, SLP Network, School Counselor Network, School Psychologist Network, Gifted and Talented Network, New Teacher Network, School Nutrition Network, Health & PE Network, PBIS Network, CIO Network, DoSE Network, DPP Network, Instruction Network, and PR Network connecting educators across the 26 member districts for shared professional learning.
• WKEC ABCD STOP Grant Grant program focused on student wellness and prevention initiatives across member districts.
• WKEC STOP & Connect Grant Grant program supporting student support and outreach initiatives for member districts.
• WKEC Partner & Connect Partnership coordination and connectivity program linking member districts with grant resources and external partners.
• WKEC Conference Center Conference facility in Eddyville, KY available for member district events, professional development, and training sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 70,000 students across 26 districts and 4,500 educators
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Murray State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWKEC headquarters is located in the 201 Hogancamp General Services Building on Murray State University's campus. This colocation facilitates collaboration between the cooperative and the university for educational initiatives and professional development programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC): Kentucky regional educational cooperative serving southeastern Kentucky districts with similar shared services, PD networks, and grant-funded programming — directly comparable structure and target customers to WKEC.
• Green River Area Educational Cooperative (GRAEC): Another Kentucky educational cooperative providing shared professional development, special education, and instructional services to its member districts. Directly comparable in mission, funding model, and service mix to WKEC.
• Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC): Kentucky cooperative providing cooperative purchasing, professional development, and instructional support to school districts statewide. Operates the same cooperative-membership model for Kentucky K-12 districts as WKEC.
• Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative: Regional Kentucky educational cooperative providing shared PD and instructional support to member districts; structurally and functionally comparable to WKEC.
• Erie 1 BOCES: New York Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) organization providing shared instructional, special education, and PD services to component school districts — the closest functional equivalent to WKEC's cooperative model in another state.
• Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services (NKCES): Educational cooperative serving northern Kentucky districts with shared services including special education, professional learning, and grant programs — directly analogous to WKEC's role in western Kentucky.

Emerging players

• Battelle for Kids: Nonprofit that partners with K-12 districts and state agencies on educator effectiveness, leadership, and student-success initiatives — overlapping PD and district-support services offered by WKEC.

Broad incumbents

• Kentucky Department of Education: State education agency that funds, regulates, and provides statewide PD and accountability frameworks for all Kentucky districts including WKEC's members; broadly incumbent in the same space as the cooperative.

Regional players

• Education Service Center Region 13: Texas Education Service Center providing PD, instructional resources, and shared services to school districts in central Texas. Comparable cooperative/regional service-agency model applied in a different state.
• Education Service Center Region 4: Texas ESC serving the Houston region with K-12 professional development, special education, and shared services; offers the same regional-service-agency model in a different geography than WKEC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WKECKY
• Facebookfacebook.com/WKECKY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-kentucky-educational-cooperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Kentucky Educational Cooperative