Lexington, Louisville school boards would be appointed, not elected, under new bill

Fayette and Jefferson County school boards would become appointed, not elected, under a new Republican bill filed Thursday. The mayors of both Lexington and Louisville would appoint a larger school board, and the city council would approve those appointments.

David Givens, R-Greensburg, said Senate Bill 114 has been in policy planning for more than a year.

“The recent budget shortfalls, leadership challenges and poor academic performance of our state’s two largest districts magnified the need to change the school board in Jefferson and Fayette from elected to appointed,” Givens told the Herald-Leader Friday morning.

Under SB 114, each county would first add four at-large board members, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. Existing elected board members would be allowed to complete their current terms, to ensure continuity and avoid disruption.

At the same time, both counties would establish seven population-balanced geographic divisions. As current elected terms expire, those seats would be filled through the new appointment process tied to the divisions. Once the transition is complete, each district would have one member from each of the seven divisions plus four at-large members, for a total of 11.

Because Jefferson County currently has seven elected members, it would move right from seven members to 11. Fayette County currently has five elected members, so it would move to nine members, and eventually 11.

Because Fayette currently has five board members, two of the seven new geographic divisions would initially be vacant and filled through appointment as part of the transition

The appointments would have to reflect proportional representation of the two leading political parties, even though currently school board elections are non-partisan.

The bill would also allow the mayor to remove school board members for cause, “including but not limited to misfeasance, incompetence, or gross neglect of duty.”

“Our goal should always be clear, responsible governance that puts students and families first,” Givens said in a news release. “SB 114 provides a straightforward framework that promotes transparency, ensures balanced representation, and strengthens public confidence in school board decision-making.”

The bill, if approved, would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, allowing current elected board members to complete their existing terms.

Fayette County Public Schools was in the throes of budget problems for most of 2025, marked by a failed attempt at an occupational tax increase and a projected $16 million shortfall that Superintendent Demetrus Liggins says has been resolved.

The bill would apply only to districts with more than 25,000 students. Boone County is the next largest after Fayette and Jefferson, with 21,000 students.

Response to bill

“It’s legislative season, so we’re hearing a lot of ideas and talk from Frankfort,” said Fayette school board chair Tyler Murphy.

“Of course, we’re closely monitoring the conversation and will continue to offer honest, open dialogue with our legislators. At the same time, we’re remaining focused on the success of our students. That focus has led to extraordinary academic gains, thousands of hours in college credits for our students, and higher graduation rates,” Murphy said. “Our community knows the value and quality of our public schools, and we will continue to protect and defend them.”

Jefferson County Public Schools officials declined to comment.

Brenna Kelly, a spokesperson for the Kentucky School Boards Association, said Senate Bill 114, “as written, would take the decision to elect their board members out of the hands of voters in Kentucky’s two largest school districts, which serve a combined 135,000 students.”

“Anyone who supports direct representation, honoring parents’ voices in their children’s schools, and holding school districts accountable should be concerned about the consequences of SB 114, “ Kelly said.

“Mandating that school board appointments meet proportional political party representation introduces unnecessary partisanship into local school governance,” she said. “An overwhelming majority of school board members throughout Kentucky believe there is already too much partisan politics in public education. Qualifications for a school board seat should not include party affiliation.”

While KSBA has significant concerns about the legislation, “we do not believe it raises constitutional issues,” she said.

KY120 AFT, a teacher’s union in Kentucky, said in a statement members have many concerns with SB 114 as “written; namely that it removes the public’s ability to vote for and hold their public school board accountable, and leaves them without a voice or representation in the two largest school districts in the state.”

“ In addition to destroying what remains of KERA, which made Kentucky a national model for public education when it was first passed, it further consolidates power in too few hands to ensure accountability. Board members appointed by a Mayor or judge executive would be accountable to the Mayor or judge executive, and not to the public or students they serve, KY120 officials said.

“While there may be room for discussion in the benefits of expanding the current number of board members to provide better representation to the public, doing so in a way that removes that choice from the public entirely is undemocratic to its core,” members said.

Members of the Kentucky Student Voice Team issued a statement Friday saying they strongly opposed the bill.

“SB 114 would strip over a million Kentuckians in Fayette and Jefferson Counties of the right to vote for school board representatives,” a statement said.”

“We believe that the right to elect a Board of Education is a cornerstone of a system that is meant to keep the public in public schools,” the statement said.

“ Under SB 114, Kentucky’s two largest school districts would be controlled by unelected, partisan bureaucrats selected by Frankfort politicians. For this reason, SB 114 is not just anti-democratic; it is at odds with how Kentucky schools have operated for decades,” the student voice team members said.

This is a developing story.

This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 9:26 AM.