Kentucky School Advocate
June 2023
Staff report
With May comes the Kentucky Derby, school graduations and the end of another school year. For KSBA, it also means the release of the much-anticipated annual policy update. With the addition of Oldham County this year, all 171 Kentucky school districts now use KSBA’s Policy Service for model board policy language and annual updates resulting from recent legislation and case law developments. Following weeks of tedious review by KSBA Policy staff and legal experts, this year’s updates, issued to districts on May 19, represented approximately 9,200 policy and procedural changes.
The 2023 update also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Policy Service.
“The fact that all districts now use our Policy Service is a testament to the quality of our team,” said KSBA Director of Policy and eMeeting Services Katrina Kinman. “The fact that we hit 100% district participation during our 40th anniversary year just makes it extra special for us.”
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond the core Policy Service, KSBA works with a number of districts on online manuals, employee handbooks, substitute teacher handbooks, coaches’ handbooks and even facilitates top-to-bottom policy audits.
“A lot has changed in 40 years, but I think the level of expertise and year-round support districts receive from KSBA’s Policy consultants have remained constant,” Kinman said.