Recent legislation has already brought significant changes to Kentucky public schools. Senate Bill 19 instituted a mandatory moment of silence, and Senate Bill 150 implemented restrictions on teacher-student communication. Now, Senate Bill 152 threatens to silence the valuable voices of teachers and parents by removing the authority of school councils.
In Kentucky, School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Councils, made up of parents, teachers, and administrators, collaborate to make important decisions and policy changes. SB 152 would remove the ability of the SBDM to create policy, transferring full decision-making authority to the principal.
On February 19th, SB 152 passed the Kentucky Senate, and it will now move to the House of Representatives before heading to the Governor’s desk. All seven sponsors of the bill are Republicans.
School councils are inherently diverse, bringing together individuals from every area of education, from parents at home to teachers in the classroom. But SB 152 aims to sideline the people who work most closely with students from critical decisions.
In 1990, SBDM councils were first established in Kentucky. Since then, student achievement has greatly improved, according to the Kentucky Association of Student Councils, and the Kentucky education system has risen significantly in the national rankings.
Evidence shows that family involvement in student education is connected to higher test scores, grades, attendance, and graduation rates. Additionally, these effects were seen across ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses, demonstrating their usefulness in diverse schools like Dunbar.
In fact, when the Kentucky Senate Committee on Education advanced SB 152, dissenting member Senator Gerald Neal argued that there had been “no fundamental research, evaluation, or indication” demonstrating a systemic failure of SBDMs across the state.
If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Diminishing these councils to an “advisory” role is a slap in the face to an invaluable platform for meaningful input and directly dismisses the firsthand insights of those who understand students best. Decisions about everything from budgets and academics to new clubs and field trips will be left solely to the principal.
Additionally, Republicans have taken steps under the Trump Administration to reduce the power of the Department of Education and send it back to the states.
But if the goal is to return responsibility to local leaders and parents, “legislation like SB 152 contradicts that principle,” argues Senior Avneesh Kudrimoti, who has spoken in front of Dunbar’s SBDM.
Similarly, teachers agree that SB 152 is not only unnecessary but a step backward. Mrs. Keia Scott-Newsome, a science teacher at Dunbar and member of the school’s SBDM, says that parent and student engagement drives positive growth in students, both academically and socially.
“As a member [of the SBDM], I feel that my opinions and approaches change based on the parent input. We form a partnership,” she says. “[SB 152] invalidates some of the internal and external stakeholders in the school and the community, making it negatively impactful.”
For more than three decades, SBDM councils have given parents and teachers a direct role in shaping Kentucky’s schools. As SB 152 moves forward, lawmakers must grapple with a serious question: Does consolidating power truly serve students and families, or does it silence them instead? Based on the evidence and the voices of the people affected, the answer is clearly the latter.
To leave a message for your state legislators and voice your opposition to SB 152, call the Legislative Research Commission Message Line at (800) 372-7181.
