SBDM councils were the product of sweeping school reforms in 1990 known as the Kentucky Education Reform Act, or KERA. Their goal was to spread out decision-making responsibilities, bringing in groups of parents and teachers to help craft policy on issues ranging from discipline to extracurricular activities.
But the three-decade-old experiment may soon be coming to an end, with many lawmakers leaning toward a shift back to a more centralized model.
Senate Bill 152 effectively eliminates SBDMs in favor of advisory-only groups and concentrates more power with principals.
Bill sponsor Sen. Aaron Reed said the system is currently too fractured, producing confusion when it comes to where the buck stops.
"Right now, in many cases, authority is shared in ways that blur responsibility," he told colleagues. "When decision-making is fragmented, it becomes difficult to know who is ultimately responsible for outcomes."
But moving away from SBDMs has Lexington Democratic Sen. Reggie Thomas worried the commonwealth is taking a step backward, and sending mixed messages when it comes to parental involvement in education.
"Let's not say that we want parents involved in schools, we want parents to be responsible for their children, and yet when it comes to the most important thing parents do with their children — that is, monitor them in schools and make sure they're learning and behaving — we want to say 'parents, you're out of here.'"
The bill now has the stamp of approval from the Kentucky Senate and is awaiting consideration in the House.