School decision-making councils forever changed KY education. Bill eliminates them

Despite significant opposition, the Senate Education Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would eliminate school-based decision-making councils in Kentucky.

SBDM councils, as they are commonly called, would be replaced with advisory councils under Senate Bill 152, sponsored by Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville.

The bill, approved in a 10-2 committee vote and now headed to the full Senate, shifts final decision-making from a council consisting of the principal, three teacher members, two parent members and in some cases one ex-officio classified member — such as a custodian or teacher’s aide — to the principal alone.

An advisory council including teachers and parents and the principal would exist under Senate Bill 152, but all school policies will be established by the principal.

As the governing body for a school, the SBDM council currently adopts policy on staffing, discipline, scheduling, teaching practices, extracurricular activities, and other matters of the school’s operation. Parent and teacher representatives are elected by their constituent groups.

The council charge is to enhance student achievement and help the school reach its accountability goals.

During the 1990 legislative session, the Kentucky General Assembly passed HB 940, also known as the Kentucky Education Reform Act, or KERA.

”Essentially, this legislation altered the face of education in Kentucky,” the Kentucky Department of Education and some Kentucky school districts say on their websites.

School-based decision-making councils were created to decentralize school authority, including depoliticizing staffing decisions and to put decision-making with some of the people closest to students — parents and teachers.

Reed said at Thursday’s meeting that the bill modernizes Kentucky’s approach to school governance by replacing school-based decision-making councils with school-based advisory councils.

Reed said the decision-making councils have had varying results in improving student achievement. Simply adjusting governance structure alone does not consistently drive improved outcomes, or provide the level of accountability that many districts are seeking, he said.

“Senate Bill 152 does not eliminate parent or teacher input,” Reed said. “What it does is it clarifies responsibility. The advisory councils will continue to provide feedback and recommendations.“

“However, final authority over hiring curriculum decisions and school leadership will rest with the principal and the superintendent, the individuals who are ultimately accountable for student performance,” he said.

Three people, including teacher Ed Hendrick, representing the Kentucky Education Association; Liz Erwin, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Councils; and Autumn Neagle, from the Kentucky PTA, all spoke against the bill.

“Deconstructing school-based decision-making is not the solution. It will not benefit our schools to revert to a system where school decisions are politicized and made from the top down,” Erwin said.

They are also called site-based decision-making councils.

Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, asked Reed if he had “any evidence that you can present to us today to demonstrate that, that (school)-based decision-making councils don’t work?”

“I’m not aware of, of any evidence that shows that SBDM’s don’t work in schools. I mean, we, we have all kind of schools that exist in Kentucky. Some do extremely well, some not so well,” said Thomas. “ But I’ve never heard any indication in my discussions that the reason why the schools don’t do well is because of the existence of site-based decision-making councils.

“On the other hand I am aware that those high performing schools have a lot of parental involvement,” he said.

Reed said he didn’t immediately have that evidence, but he had heard concerns.

Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, who voted for the bill, said whether the bill is needed or not needed, it is time “to take a look under the hood to take a deep dive on (school)-based decision-making councils.“

Senate Education Committee Chairman Steve West, R-Paris, who voted for SB 152 confirmed with Reed that nothing in the bill prevented families from being engaged and involved in their school building or from working with the school principal.

Sen. Gerald Neal, D-Louisville, who was a lawmaker in the 1990s and voted for KERA and the creation of the councils, asked if there had been any studies that would warrant the proposed changes in SB 152.

Reed said there had not.

Neal said he had heard “nothing but praise for that mechanism that we created in the beginning” — the school-based decision-making councils.

“I’m not sure this is the way to go,” Neal said.

This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM.