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.
Board Training Requirements
School board members in Kentucky are required to earn a minimum number of training hours each year. The KSBA Annual Conference offers many clinic sessions that help board members meet that requirement.
Here are the requirements for board members serving prior to Jan. 1, 2015, based on years of service:
- 0-3 years | 12 hours of annual training
- 4-7 years | 8 hours of annual training
- 8-plus years | 4 hours of annual training
For members seated on or after Jan. 1, 2015:
- 0-7 years | 12 hours of annual training
- 8-plus years | 8 hours of annual training
The Kentucky Board of Education also requires a set number of mandated training hours. Based on years of service, board members must meet the following annual training requirements:
- 0-3 years | 3 hours of school finance; 1 hour of ethics; 1 hour of superintendent evaluation
- 4-7 years | 2 hours of school finance; 1 hour of ethics; 1 hour of superintendent evaluation
- 8-plus years | 1 hour of school finance; 1 hour of ethics; 1 hour of superintendent evaluation every other year
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.