Election Tips!
Elections for the 2024-2025 school year will be beginning soon! The majority of information to assist council member constituent groups with their election processes can be found within the SBDM Handbook.
Schools having 8% or greater minority membership in their student population based on the Superintendent's Annual Attendance Report (SAAR) are required to have minority membership on their School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) council (KRS 160.345(2)(b)(2)). Because the 2024 SAAR Minority Membership report will not be released until August 2024, schools are encouraged to consult their Infinite Campus (IC) report from Oct. 1, 2023, to determine whether the school will require minority representation. Once complete, the 2024 report will be available on the SBDM Technical Documents webpage.
Please keep the reminders below in mind when hosting special elections for minority councilmembers.
- Does your school have 8% or more minority students as of Oct. 1, 2023?
- No; there is no need for a special election.
- Yes; a school’s council will need minority representation. The below steps will assist you with this process. You may also consult the SBDM Minority Election Flowchart.
- Host your regular election for your six-member council first. Your school may elect someone who is a minority during the regular election. If they do, then no special election is needed.
- If, and only if, your regular election did not result in either a minority parent or minority teacher being elected and your principal is not a minority principal, then you will have to host a special election.
Just a reminder that minority is defined by KRS 160.345(1)(a) to mean American Indian; Alaskan native; African-American; Hispanic, including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Central or South American origin; Pacific islander; or other ethnic group underrepresented in the school.
More election tips will follow in the months to come leading up to the election season, so stay tuned! In the meantime, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) encourages you to review the SBDM Election Guidance resource for additional assistance with council elections.
Alternative Model Applications
Pursuant to 701 KAR 5:100, school councils can add voting members, such as students and classified staff, to their membership through an alternative SBDM application. Schools interested in adding voting student members are encouraged to consult their local board attorney prior to submitting an application.
Beginning Jan. 1 through Feb. 29, a school may submit an application for an alternative model for its school-based decision making council. An application is not required for schools that wish to add non-voting members or changes that maintain the parent, teacher and administrator voting membership ratio as established in KRS 160.345.
The application and KDE guidance can be found at the bottom of KDE's SBDM Technical Documents webpage.
Updated SBDM Model Policies
House Bill 331 was signed into law in March 2023 and may require councils to modify their emergency plan policies, as well as adopt a Portable Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Use Policy.
The bill modified KRS 158.162, which outlines the requirements for the emergency plan. The changes are as follows:
- The emergency plan is to include procedures for a medical emergency and a written cardiac emergency response plan;
- The emergency plan is to be provided to first responders and all school staff; and
- The emergency plan is to be reviewed annually by the school nurse.
House Bill 331 also created an additional subsection of KRS 158.162, which requires councils to adopt policies regarding the training, maintenance, notification and communication with the local emergency medical services system of a portable AED.
Due to these changes, the Kentucky Department of Education has updated the sample Adoption of an Emergency Plan Policy, as well as added a Portable Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Use Policy. You can find the updated policies within the SBDM Handbook.
Mark your calendar!
The Kentucky Department of Education's SBDM office is planning and preparing for SBDM trainings, including the endorsement training for coordinators. Please look at the training options and dates and mark them on your calendar.
Register for the endorsement training sessions using this form. A link to the meeting will be emailed to you immediately after registering.
If you have specific topics that you would like to have addressed during the annual endorsement training, email those ideas to Mia Morales.
SBDM Coordinator/Trainer Endorsement Training (webinar)
- April 18 at 9 a.m. ET
- April 23 at 1 p.m. ET
- April 25 at 10 a.m. ET
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