SENATE MAJORITY CAUCUS CORRECTS
MISINFORMATION REGARDING SENATE BILL 4
Kentucky Education Association provides half-truths
and misinformation to its members
FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 20, 2026)—The following is a response from a Kentucky Senate Majority Caucus spokesperson following an erroneous Kentucky Education Association (KEA) social media post about Senate Bill 4, currently being heard on the Kentucky House floor.
KEA's recent posts on Senate Bill 4 leave out important facts and give the public a distorted picture of what the bill actually does.
First, Senate Bill 4 did not begin as a school board restructuring bill. It left the Senate as a school leadership measure focused on principal development. The board-related language was added later in the House committee substitute. That context matters because that fact makes it clear this bill was not introduced as a sweeping governance overhaul, but evolved during the legislative process.
Second, KEA’s claim that the bill would “shift boards from elected to appointed positions” is misleading. Under the current House committee substitute, a “large school district” is defined as one with a population of 300,000 or more. In those districts, the bill creates a board structure with five elected members from those school district divisions as outlined in statute, and two at-large members appointed by the State Treasurer. That is not the same as replacing elected school boards with appointed boards. Elected members would still make up the majority. At no point does the bill eliminate elections or place control of a school board entirely in the hands of appointed officials.
Third, this is not a sweeping statewide change to every school district in Kentucky. The House committee substitute applies its “large school district” board provisions only to districts above the 300,000-population threshold, and it specifically creates election divisions currently for the Jefferson and Fayette County school boards.
Fourth, KEA overstates the provision related to school district employees’ service as school board members. The current House version makes a person ineligible to serve on a board of education if he or she is a board of education employee in the commonwealth whose position requires more than 100 days of work per year. Committee testimony made clear this provision is tied to cross-district employment and potential conflicts of interest. This is far different from behaving in good faith and honestly telling the public the bill broadly “bans public school educators” while also implying that all elected boards are being wiped away.
Notably, even those who raised concerns during committee testimony, including current and former education leaders, did not describe the bill in the sweeping terms KEA is using. Instead, they acknowledged the proposal contains substantive ideas while calling for refinement, a far more measured assessment than what is now being circulated publicly.
Kentuckians deserve a real explanation, not scare tactics, and the KEA should issue a correction. As the bill now stands, Senate Bill 4 does not abolish elected school boards, does not convert school boards across Kentucky into appointed bodies and does not remove voters from the process altogether. In large school districts, it creates a hybrid board with five elected members and two appointed members, while also tightening eligibility rules for board service. That is a targeted governance change, not a wholesale restructuring.
KEA can make its claims about what is good policy, but that debate should be based on what the bill actually says, not on rhetoric designed to inflame educators and parents with an incomplete and exaggerated description. Kentuckians should expect accuracy in public discourse, especially on issues impacting their local schools.