(FRANKFORT, KY) – Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff members presented a series of proposed policies and administrative regulation changes to members of the Local Superintendents Advisory Council (LSAC) during the LSAC meeting on July 29.
As mandated by KRS 156.007, LSAC is charged to “advise the chief state school officer and the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) concerning the development of administrative regulations and education policy.” This includes reviewing and recommending certain action items for the KBE.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said following what he’s heard from school leaders and legislators, there’s a desire to remove excessive reporting requirements and other outdated regulations. He said KDE is actively working with legislators and the KBE to review areas that can be improved.
“We’re going through a process to see what can we remove to remove some of the burden on some of the reporting,” he said. “I know we had House Bill 48. I know we’ve talked about red tape reduction. We’re trying to take that to another level.”
Many of the new or amended regulations discussed and recommended for approval during the July 29 meeting came about as the result of legislation passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2025. Members of KDE’s Office of Legal Services presented several changes to the waiver process, 701 KAR 5:170 and 701 KAR 5:170E, brought on by Senate Bill (SB) 207.
SB 207 provides a new process for requesting waivers from the KBE. Local school boards may request waivers from the requirements of an administrative regulation promulgated by the KBE or from a statute over which the KBE has enforcement authority. KDE staff also went over what can’t be waived, which includes any statue or regulation relating to health and safety, civil rights, compulsory attendance or anything required by federal law.
The new regulations outline four major types of waiver requests – new applications, renewals, amendment applications and special education maximum class size waiver applications. KDE staff dedicated time to explaining each one, how to submit applications and the review process. LSAC members recommended approval of the proposed updates.
School Improvement
LSAC members also recommended approval of amendments to 703 KAR 5:280, school improvement procedures, based on House Bill 298.
The legislation affects what happens when a school is identified as a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 and KRS 160.346. House Bill 298 requires KDE to identify CSI schools annually.
Staff members in KDE’s Office of Continuous Improvement and Support went over the changes, including updates necessary to facilitate the transition to annual CSI school identification, to ensure that schools meet the new statutory requirements related to professional learning and high-quality instructional materials, and changes to bring the regulation into alignment with current best practices for managing school turnaround.
The measure LSAC members recommended approval of also clarifies some of the language around advisory leadership teams – which are made up of stakeholders such as teachers, parents and other school leaders – that replace the school-based decision making councils when schools are identified for CSI.
In other business, LSAC members also recommended approval of:
- Annual amendments to Area Technology Center Policies and Procedures and the Kentucky Tech Student Handbook;
- Annual policy adoptions and amendments to the Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf;
- Amendments to 704 KAR 3:440, primary school program guidelines; and
- Amendments to the Kentucky Minimum Specifications for School Buses.
All recommendations made by LSAC move to the KBE for consideration and final approval. The board’s next meeting is Aug. 6-7.
Leave A Comment