Board Training Requirements
Local school board members are the community leaders of education. They serve an important role in ensuring students in their communities receive the education they deserve and need to compete in the world. To meet these goals, school board members must meet the following training requirements.
Kentucky law requires annual in-service training requirements for all members of local boards of education. KSBA offers a variety of ways for members to earn their state-mandated training hours - from conferences and webinars to in-district trainings and self-study curriculum. If you have questions about school board training requirements, contact the KSBA office of Board Team Development at (800) 372-2962 or
by email.
Below is a summary of those state-mandated training requirements as taken directly from KRS 160.180.
(5) The annual in-service training requirements for all members of boards of education in office as of December 31, 2014, shall be as follows:
(a) Twelve (12) hours for members with zero to three (3) years of experience;
(b) Eight (8) hours for members with four (4) to seven (7) years of experience; and
(c) Four (4) hours for members with eight (8) or more years of experience.
The Kentucky Board of Education shall identify the criteria for fulfilling this requirement.
(6) (a) For all members of boards of education who begin their initial service on or after January 1, 2015, the in-service training requirements shall be:
1. Twelve (12) hours for members with zero to eight (8) years of experience each year, which shall include a minimum of:
a. One (1) hour of ethics training each year; and
b. One (1) hour of open meetings and open records training within the first twelve (12) months of initial service and at least once every four (4) years thereafter; and
2. Eight (8) hours for members with more than eight (8) years of experience each year, which shall include a minimum of:
a. One (1) hour of ethics training each year; and
b. One (1) hour of open meetings and open records training at least once every four (4) years.
(b) Training topics for members under this subsection with less than two (2) years of consecutive service shall include three (3) hours of finance and one (1) hour of superintendent evaluation within the first two (2) years of service. The Kentucky Board of Education shall identify criteria for fulfilling this requirement.
A local school board may also be subject to charter school authorizer training, should the district receive a charter application.
All Kentucky school boards are charter school authorizers by law, and are required under KRS 160.1594 to “solicit, invite, and evaluate applications from applicants.” If a board receives a charter application, it should be prepared to review and act on it.
Pursuant to Senate Bill 158, enacted during the 2020 Regular Session, board members must receive charter authorizer training only after a charter application has been submitted to them. Once a board receives an application, any member who has not completed this training within the prior 12 months must receive six hours of charter training at that time.
Therefore, upon receipt of a charter application, a school board should immediately contact the KSBA office of Board Team Development to initiate charter authorizer training. Call 800-372-2962.