Republican bill would see voters, not governor, decide on KY Board of Education members

Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson on Tuesday introduced legislation to change the selection of Kentucky Board of Education members from a unilateral appointment by the governor to an election by voters in the state’s seven Supreme Court districts.

Kentucky’s governor currently appoints the 15 member board and the Senate approves the members.

Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, did not immediately comment on the bill Tuesday. Kentucky Department of Education officials said they had no comment at this time.

Oversight of KDE and the state board has been a source of contention between Beshear and Republican lawmakers.

“It’s time we allow the citizens of this state the authority to elect real representatives who have the greatest control over almost half of the state budget,” Wilson said about Senate Bill 8 in a news release. “Doing so will create a board that truly has the educational best interest of Kentucky kids in mind.”

The Kentucky Board of Education adopts policies and administrative regulations that govern school districts.

“Each governor since (the Kentucky Education Reform Act) was implemented over three decades ago has leveraged, and some might say abused, their gubernatorial power with the Kentucky Board of Education,” said Wilson, R-Bowling Green. “It’s time we returned the power to the residents of the commonwealth.”

Senate Bill 8 keeps the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education and the secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet as “ex-officio” non-voting members, the news release said.

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 on the board will be a junior at the time of the appointment, and the teacher and student members will serve a one-year term, according to the release.

Two state school board members would be elected from each of the seven Supreme Court districts across Kentucky under the bill. 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 could not be members of the General Assembly, hold another elected position, or have a material interest in educational materials production. They also cannot be related to anyone in the department or have previously served on the local school board within the last four years.

The board by a vote of at least five other members could remove a member for misconduct, incapacity or willful neglect. They would be given the right to a full public hearing and require a two-thirds vote to be removed.

The governor appoints 11 voting members, seven representing the Supreme Court districts and four representing the state at large. The additional members, the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, the Secretary of the Education and Labor Cabinet and a high school student and active elementary or secondary school teacher, serve as non-voting members.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 4:25 PM.