School boards as charter school authorizers are required to have annual training, according to the revised regulations approved by the state Board of Education last month, to become final after legislative action in early 2018. This applies to all authorizers, whether or not they expect to receive charter applications.
The regulations require authorizers with zero to eight years of experience to complete 12 hours of training or competency-based training in charter-related topics. Authorizers with more than eight years of experience have a reduced training requirement of eight hours or competency-based training in the same topics. Training must be approved by the state education commissioner. The competency-based option will have more of an impact long-term, as authorizers become more knowledgeable on the subject, since this is a new area for Kentucky.
KSBA staff attorney Whitney Crowe talks with Shelby County school board member Will Barnett after her
clinic session – An Introduction to Kentucky’s Charter School Laws – during KSBA’s Winter Symposium.
Some of the required charter school training may count toward already required board member training hours to the extent that the content overlaps.