Election Tips!

Elections for the 2026-2027 school year will start soon  – if they haven’t already! The majority of information to assist council member constituent groups with their election processes can be found within the SBDM Handbook. 

The Kentucky Department of Education and the Office of Education Accountability (OEA) recommend that school councils remove election procedures for teachers and parents from a council’s bylaws. Teachers and parents should establish their own written election procedures. The following topics should be considered by parents and teachers and documented in the election procedures: 

• When and how candidates are nominated;
• Who prepares the ballot;
• When, where and how parents and teachers can vote;
• Voting schedule and process; and
• When and where runoffs will be held.

Although the parent and teacher groups host the election, the school can advertise the parent and teacher representative positions. Please share the Parent SBDM Council Member flyer and Teacher SBDM Council Member flyer with those schools seeking to raise awareness of those positions and the upcoming election.  

We will not be hosting an April SBDM webinar as this month will be reserved for updating SBDM trainings and hosting the annual endorsement training.  

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has compiled a list of topics and reminders for planning monthly SBDM agendas. Below are suggested topics for consideration at your April SBDM meetings.  

• The Professional Development Plan for Schools diagnostic is due in the Continuous Improvement Platform by May 1. 

• Councils should progress monitor the comprehensive school improvement plan and adjust course as needed. 

• Constituent groups may review/revise teacher and parent election procedures in preparation for the upcoming elections. 

• Final staffing allocations are due to councils by May 1. 

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. 

Tentative staffing allocations should have been sent to school councils by March 1, with a final allocation date of May 1. If a district plans to revise its staffing formula for the 2026-2027 school year, it will need to send its updated staffing allocation worksheet to KDE for approval. These updates can be emailed to Mia Morales.

A sample staffing allocation worksheet can be found on the SBDM Technical Documents webpage on the KDE website under “SBDM Staffing Allocations.” Please allow time for KDE to review the allocations prior to May 1. 

Staffing allocations for certified staffing positions are determined based on projected full-time equivalent enrollment. Section 4 of 702 KAR 3:246 states that, "a board staffing policy or guidelines shall be established to determine the number of allocated positions for certified staff for each school. To determine the allocation to school councils for certified staff, the district shall provide sufficient funds: (a) To meet class size caps and pupil contact hours established in KRS 157.360 based on the projected full-time equivalent enrollment for the upcoming school year. …”  

Section 6 (Other Minimum Allocations) and Section 7 (Distribution of the Balance) of the regulation is articulated differently and specifically references average daily attendance (ADA) when determining allocation amounts under those sections. When determining Section 6 and 7 allocations for the 2026-2027 school year, districts should use the 2025-2026 ADA.