WILSON’S PRIORITY LEGISLATION SENATE BILL 8
PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE
Legislation Would Shake Up the Kentucky Board of Education
FRANKFORT, KY (Feb. 28, 2024) – Today, Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, presented Senate Bill 8 (SB 8) to the State and Local Government Committee, which passed 9-2. SB 8 would change the selection of Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) members from a unilateral appointment by the governor with confirmation by the Senate to an election by voters across all seven Supreme Court districts.
The governor currently appoints the 11-member board directly. Gov. Andy Beshear disbanded the entire board as his first official act as governor and appointed a new board comprised of all Democrats.
“The education of our students across the commonwealth is too important to simply allow a governor, any governor no matter the political party affiliation, to appoint a board made up of his personal friends and campaign donors,” said Wilson. “Kentucky needs a board of education that is elected by parents across the commonwealth just like the Senate Is.”
Kentucky uses a unique formula to fund public schools. Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) was implemented by the General Assembly in 1990. The Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) was first implemented in the 1990s and is a function of the KBE as outlined in KRS 156.029.
The Kentucky Board of Education’s primary purpose is to develop and adopt policies and administrative regulations, with the advice of the local Superintendents Advisory Council, through which the Department of Education operates Kentucky schools.
“Some might say the Kentucky Board of Education has as much power as any organization in the commonwealth,” said Wilson. “With that power comes a responsibility. SB 8 will empower Kentuckians who will be elected to serve and hold them accountable for the largest single funded program in Kentucky, our public schools.”
The bill retains the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education and the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet as ex-officio non-voting members. A non-voting teacher and student member will be elected by the board from the state's six congressional districts on a rotating basis from different districts. The public high school student will be a junior at the time of the appointment, and the teacher and student members will serve a one-year term.
Two KBE members will be elected from each of the seven Supreme Court districts across Kentucky, as established in KRS 21A.010. Each board member will serve a four-year term, must be 30 years old, have earned at least an associate's degree, and have been a resident for at least three years.
Board members cannot be members of the General Assembly, hold another elected position, or have a material interest in educational material production. They also cannot be related to anyone in the department or have served on the local school board within the previous four years.
A new power given to the board includes the ability to, by a vote of at least five other members, refer a member for misconduct, incapacity, or willful neglect. The member will have the right to a full public hearing and require a yes vote from 8 members to be removed.
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Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, represents the 32nd Senate District, including Logan, Simpson, and Todd Counties and southern Warren County. He serves as the Senate majority whip and, as a Senate majority leadership member, serves on the Legislative Research Commission, the Committee on Committees, and the Rules Committee. Wilson is a member of the Senate Agriculture; Economic Development, Tourism and Labor; Education; Transportation; and Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection committees. He also serves as Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee and Public Pension Oversight Board member. Wilson recently served as a 2022 Interim Early Childhood Education Task Force member.