Required Annual Documents
Pursuant to KRS 158.186, SBDM council members should receive copies of the two statutes linked below:
The attorney general's office requires that the below documents be distributed to council members within 60 days of the beginning of the council's term.
- “The Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings Acts” explains the provisions of the Acts.
- “Managing Government Records” provides guidance on how to manage public records and how to keep them organized and accessible.
- “Proof of Receipt” (on the last page of the “The Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings Acts” document) must be signed by all council members to verify that they have received copies of “The Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings Acts” and “Managing Government Records.” This signed form is kept on file at the school office.
Superintendents verify distribution of the resources by completing the Certificate of Distribution form (also on the last page of the “The Kentucky Open Records and Open Meetings” document).
These documents can also be found on KDE’s SBDM Technical Documents webpage. Please ensure SBDM council members receive these documents and sign the Proof of Receipt signature page. Pursuant to KRS 160.395, the distribution may be by an electronic means.
Comprehensive Improvement Planning for Schools
Comprehensive school improvement plans (CSIPs) are developed by school councils with the input of parents, faculty and staff based on a review of data. Councils may not have access to the platform to input the CSIP, but councils must be involved in the CSIP development.
An updated Cognia Improvement Platform launched in August. The process for improvement planning will be changing, but most plan elements and the timeline remain the same. You can find the timeline for comprehensive school improvement planning outlined in 703 KAR 5:225. Additional information regarding the 2026-2027 planning phases can be found on KDE's Comprehensive Improvement Planning webpage. More information regarding the planning process for 2026-2027 will be shared at the 2026 Continuous Improvement Summit.
Please note that for schools operating a Title I Schoolwide Program, this comprehensive school improvement plan meets the requirements of Section 1114 of the Every Student Succeeds Act as well as state requirements under 703 KAR 5:225. No separate Schoolwide Program Plan is required.
SAAR Minority Report
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 council (KRS 160.345(2)(b)(2)).
To determine whether a school must have at least one minority member on its council, consult the summary sheet in the current SAAR document. Schools also may reference their own Infinite Campus (IC) data from the preceding Oct. 1. For the 2026-2027 school year, the school would look at their IC data from Oct. 1, 2025. If IC data is used, documentation must be archived on site for five years.
If the council does not have a minority member after the general election and is subsequently required to add a minority parent and a minority teacher member in a special election, the principal must work with parent and teacher organizations to elect minority parent and teacher representatives. Traditional six-member council membership will increase to eight (one administrator, three parents and four teachers). For further guidance on the minority election process, reference the SBDM Handbook, Chapter 7.
Those schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement (the list can be found on the current SAAR document) are required by KRS 160.346 to create an advisory leadership team (ALT) after its audit has occurred. When forming the ALT, the principal must collaborate with the turnaround team to establish an advisory leadership team representing school stakeholders, including other school leaders, teachers and parents. When establishing the advisory leadership team, the principal must ensure that schools having 8% or more minority students enrolled, as determined by the enrollment on the preceding Oct. 1, must also have at least one minority member serving on the advisory leadership team.
The ALT has several statutory and regulatory responsibilities and must contribute to the three-year turnaround plan. Likewise, all meetings of the advisory leadership team must be open to the public. The duties of the team must include:
- Serving as a representative voice of the school community during the turnaround process;
- Providing support for systems that seek to build capacity and school leadership;
- Promoting a positive school culture focused on distributed leadership, continuous improvement and high expectations for all students;
- Supporting the continual use of evidence-based decision-making to support school improvement;
- Supporting transparent communication with stakeholders by reviewing progress data and helping disseminate key information; and
- Retaining institutional knowledge and supporting continuity of improvement practices after the departure of the turnaround team.
SBDM Implications for Schools Identified for Comprehensive and Targeted Support
Schools are identified annually for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) and targeted support and improvement (TSI). While SBDM councils will continue to operate in schools that are identified for TSI, school council authority in schools identified for CSI are suspended and transferred to the superintendent following the release of audit findings. The SBDM Implications for CSI and TSI document provides some additional information for consideration for identified schools and their councils.
As discussed during the endorsement training, the regulation that outlines the SBDM reinstatement process, Section 16 of 703 KAR 5:280, was updated. The process is as follows:
- The local board of education will consider whether the school’s council should be reinstated within 60 days from the date of eligibility on the CSI exit letter.
- If the school board reinstates council’s authority, the council’s parent and teacher constituent groups will host elections to establish council.
- If the school board does not reinstate council’s authority, the school board must provide the following:
- A rationale for declining to reinstate council's authority;
- A list of criteria the school must meet in order to seek reconsideration of the decision; and
- A date which the school may seek reconsideration.
- If the board declines to reinstate, the school’s advisory leadership team remains in place until council’s authority is reinstated.
Please note that advisory leadership team information must be reported in the SBDM verification database.
See additional details regarding member verification and minority membership in this newsletter in the “Council Verification Data” and “SAAR Minority Report” sections.
Kentucky School Profile Report and Collection Reminders
The School Profile Report is an annual requirement of KRS 158.6453 Section 20(b); each school must make its annual School Profile Report available in the local board office by Oct. 1.
The School Profile Report provides schools with the opportunity to showcase their career studies (including essential workplace ethics), health education and physical education, visual and performing arts, and world languages programs. Collection items that are entered into these domains of the collection tool and the course offering detail loaded by the Kentucky Department of Education populate the School Profile Report and the Educational Opportunity/General Education Coursework domain of the School Report Card Dashboard. Only A1, A2, A3, A5, A8, B1 and D1 classified schools need to complete the School Profile Report.
Schools should begin entering data into the School Report Card (SRC) Portal Collection/ Submit Collection Data tool now. The School Profile Collection Tool Guidance can help guide this work. The Submit Collection Data and the Submit Messages User Guides provide step by step details on how to enter data into the Collection Tool. The Collection tool closes Sept. 25.
Once all data is entered, schools can print the School Profile Report from the School Collection Status page under the Actions column heading. The red document icon is for downloading the School Profile Report. The report can also be downloaded from the preview landing page for each school. Schools are responsible for verification of all data on their School Profile Report before gathering signatures.
Completing the School Profile Report early allows time to gather signatures of principals, school-based decision making committee members and superintendents, as applicable, to meet the Oct. 1 due date. The School Profile Report is also available on the School Report Card Dashboard landing page and will be part of the mid-October public release of 2025-2026 data.
The School Report Card Resources webpage is the central repository for communications and resources. Contact Caryn Davidson with any questions regarding the School Profile Report or the SRC help desk with any issues printing the School Profile Report.
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