During its Dec. 5 regular meeting in Frankfort, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) voted unanimously to adopt the department’s legislative agenda as its own. During the 2019 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, the KDE will support legislation which accomplishes the following:

  • Organizational efficiency and stability
  • Greater flexibility for leaders to meet new accountability demands
  • Parental empowerment
  • Early learning
  • Transition readiness

Lewis said a high priority will be supporting legislation to ratify the governor’s executive orders setting forth revised membership on state education boards and commissions, reorganization of the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB), and establishment of the Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness within the Kentucky Department of Education. Another priority will be to streamline the application processes for the Districts of Innovation (DOI) program, and to permit schools to apply as schools of innovation.

OTHER ACTION TAKEN
The board unanimously voted to accept the second reading of an amendment to 703 KAR 5:270, Kentucky’s accountability system. The regulation will now be filed, and a public comment period will be held in January.  Any comments received will be considered and responded to in a statement of consideration before the regulation is finalized.

The Kentucky Board of Education also approved the following first readings of regulation amendments:

  • 704 KAR 3:303, Kentucky Academic Standards
  • Amendment to 704 KAR 8:060, Academic Standards for Social Studies
  • 704 KAR 7:081, Repeal of 704 KAR 7:080, Ride to the Center for the Arts Program Fund
  • Amendment to 702 KAR 1:160, School Health Services

Also approved was the Carl D. Perkins Consolidated Annual Report of 2017 and the following actions based on recommendations by the finance committee:

  • New District Facility Plans: Gallatin County, Glasgow Independent, Lawrence County, Owensboro Independent and Owsley County School Districts
  • District Facility Plan Amendments: Jefferson County Public Schools and Covington Independent Schools
  • 2018 Local District Working Budgets
  • 2018 Local District Tax Rates Levied

The board also unanimously approved the statements of consideration for the following regulations, making no changes to the regulations as passed by the board in October:

  • 701 KAR 5:150, Nontraditional Instruction Program
  • 704 KAR 3:365, complaint procedures for programs under the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965
  • 704 KAR 3:292, Education of migratory children
  • 704 KAR 3:303, Required Academic Standards

These regulation items will now move to the legislative process. The next KBE meeting will be Feb. 6 at the Kentucky Department of Education, 300 Sower Blvd., in Frankfort.