Thread by @oliviakrauth

Someone asked if I could explain what Senate Bill 1 — the school council bill of #KYGA22 — means as if they are five.

Yes, I would be honored to do so. A thread.

https://twitter.com/oliviakrauth/status/1478439533435834376

Basically, Kentuckians love local control.

So, several major school decisions — curriculum, textbooks, teachers — are made by school-level councils of teachers, parents and a school leader.

These are SBDM councils, with the "s" standing for site or school.

In the last few legislative sessions, bills have been filed to change the makeup of these councils to align the voting power of teachers and parents. (Teachers get 3 seats, parents get 2)

There has also been a push to give superintendents the authority to hire school principals — removing this power from the school councils.

These changes have not gone over well, getting some opposition before eventually fizzling out prior to passage.

SB 1 is another attempt to change the SBDM council system, but it leaves the teacher-parent power dynamic as-is despite that being a persistent request in the past.

Hmm? What's up?

SB 1 calls for moving the principal hiring authority to superintendents, so that's still there.

But the bill leans way more heavily into the moving power away from the councils concept than in the past.

SB 1, as it stands, effectively guts SBDMs of any real power.

Curriculum decisions, textbooks, that kind of stuff that used to be decided by the parents and teachers at the school — that would all be left up to the superintendent.

Councils would be required to align any of their decisions with school board policy, too.

SB 1 says they would act in an advisory role, but how much advising can they do if it falls outside the school board's advice?

Who would be opposed to this?

Maybe teachers, but they retain their voting majority.
Maybe parents, because they have less voting power than teachers.

Maybe both, because their voting power would mean substantially less.

The gameplan seems to go like this:

Shift power to superintendent --> which is shifting power to the school board, the superintendent's boss --> which is shifting power to the voters, the school board's boss.

Fueled by mask fights and fear over "CRT," there has been a conservative push to run for school board seats.

It is probably easier to get a seat on a SBDM council, but it is easier to make major changes if you control the school board and the school board has the power.

The bill's sponsor made a passing remark last year that shifting power to the district would give taxpayers more say in their schools.

In Louisville, that is often code for my only connection to the public schools is my money and not my kids.

All that to say, making the big ask of a SBDM bill to not be a change in voting dynamics but a complete power shift to another entity is ... something.

And given it is the Senate's top priority bill this year, it is 👀something👀

I'll add: There was some talk between JCPS leaders at a school board meeting many months ago about how it is difficult to fully implement some of the district's racial equity initiatives because some SBDMs wouldn't buy in.

SB 1 would make that equity work much easier.

For any night owls interested, the full bill is available here:

apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/22rs/sb…