Last month, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) hosted a virtual training for experienced council members on "Rise to Proficiency: Council and Family and Community Partnerships." We had more than 300 experienced members participate!

During that training, council members learned about the difference between involvement and engagement and reviewed sample policies and their own comprehensive school improvement plan (CSIP) for engagement policies and practices. Thank you for sharing this learning opportunity with your council members!

Most of Kentucky’s schools align their council terms with the beginning of each academic year. With the 2025-2026 academic year right around the corner, school-based decision making council members should have been elected for each school and its first meeting scheduled. At those initial meetings, there are some important documents to review to ensure the council runs efficiently.

Every school council member should have copies of these basic documents governing the school’s work. These can be placed in a binder, with room to add others as needed, or on a thumb drive or cloud drive. The following items are a place to start: 

• School council policies: Policies are the written guidelines and procedures for the school to follow. These policies are developed and adopted by the school council. Include with the policies a checklist of the required policy areas and the date in which they were last reviewed and/or revised. Policies need to be reviewed annually. You can find sample policies, including an updated Advanced Coursework Policy, within the SBDM Handbook.
• School council bylaws: Bylaws are the operating procedures of the school council. These bylaws will help to effectively and efficiently conduct meetings. Include the last date of review and/or revision with the bylaws. Bylaws need to be reviewed annually.
• Comprehensive School Improvement Plan: Comprehensive school improvement plans define the school’s goals for the future. The plan includes a needs assessment that points out the priority needs of the school. It lays out the strategies and activities that are implemented to address these priority needs, including the staff’s professional learning requirements.
• Monthly Agenda Item Topics: To assist in planning the monthly meeting agendas, there is a Monthly Agenda Item Topics suggestion guidance document. The topics and reminders listed below are suggestions for consideration when planning agendas for monthly SBDM meetings. Please be mindful that some topics are associated with specific due dates and should be planned for accordingly.

We also recommend that councils use their first meeting to:

• Determine regular meeting dates, times and locations and share the meeting schedule with the public.
• Collect dates of completed/anticipated council member trainings.
• Approve final master schedule.
• Allow new council members the opportunity to review the previous year’s comprehensive school improvement plan.
• Begin revisions of the SBDM curriculum and consultation policies
• Review/revise the school’s safety and emergency plan

As always, please remind council members that the goal of their work is to increase student achievement and that this should be at the forefront of every discussion, policy and decision. 

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Cognia invite you to a two-day event designed to elevate your impact in education. Registration is now open the 2025 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit on Sept. 22-23 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington.

This year’s keynote speaker is Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year. She teaches English as a second language to students from kindergarten through 8th grade and is a passionate advocate for her students, their families and fellow teachers. A Tennessee native and first-generation college graduate, Testerman takes pride in her former students’ success and is dedicated to ensuring the next generation receives a broadened education while living in a rural setting. She emphasizes the importance of teachers holding high expectations for all students from the moment they step into the classroom.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your professional learning, strengthen existing relationships or tackle unique challenges with fresh strategies, this conference is for you. Don’t miss this opportunity to spark new ideas, gain insights from KDE leaders and join Kentucky’s continuous improvement movement! Visit the 2025 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit registration webpage to register.

In partnership with KDE, KET offered the online self-paced and facilitated SBDM 101 course free to the first 210 participants. Free registrations was on a first come, first-served basis. All of those seats have been used by new council members. Thank you for sharing this opportunity with your council members!  

The self-paced SBDM 101 course is still available for use at a fee of $95 that will need to be organized between the district or school and the council member.