Representative Patrick Flannery
Education remains the General Assembly’s top priority this session. Last session, we provided our K-12 education system with historic investments included in HB 1 and HB 6 and provided schools with stronger strategies to improve student performance in mathematics through the Numeracy Counts Act (HB 162, 2024). This session, there has been no shortage of bills filed related to our education system ranging from efforts to help schools recover from the severe weather we have faced this winter to legislation addressing the administrative burdens our teachers face in the classroom.
Several education-related measures have cleared committee and/or the full House this week, including:
Addressing the healthcare workforce shortage through scholarships: HB 305 aims to address the healthcare worker shortage in the commonwealth by extending healthcare training scholarships funded by the Kentucky healthcare workforce investment fund, established in HB 200 from the 2023 Regular Session, to physician assistants, dietitians, and nutritionists. HB 305 passed the House of Representatives 92-0 and is on its way to the Senate for consideration.
Establishing college credit transfer pathways for high-demand degrees: HB 427 would establish college credit transfer pathways for high-demand degree pathways between KCTCS and 4-year institutions ensuring that college credits earned are applied to a student’s degree. This legislation passed the House 93-0 and is on its way to the Senate for considerations.
Establishing performance standards for higher education educators: HB 424 would establish a performance and productivity evaluation for employees at public higher education institutions, administered at least every four years. This legislation would permit universities to remove employees who do not meet performance or productivity standards.
Improving school safety: HB 14 continues the work the General Assembly has done to improve school safety. It would allow school districts to employ an enhanced security system that includes a wearable alert alarm system and direct the Center for School Safety to establish the Wearable Panic Alert Grant Program to support districts as they seek access to these devices.
Reducing red tape in education: HB 48 removes administrative burdens placed on teachers, schools, and school districts that do not improve their ability to educate students.
Promoting advanced coursework in schools: HB 190 would require school districts to establish an advanced coursework pathway policy with automatic enrollment for high potential students who are distinguished for grades 4-12.
Supporting school districts through severe weather: would allow school districts to shift their calendar model from 170 instructional days to 1,062 instructional hours. This would allow schools to extend school days to offset lost instructional time due to school closures. Additionally, this legislation would allow the Commissioner of Education to grant up to five disaster relief days for alterative student instruction and waive up to five student attendance days to school districts that would be unable to achieve 1,062 instructional hours with an extended schedule by June 4, 2025. HB 421 passed the House 82-7 and will move on to the Senate for consideration.
Identifying and supporting low performing schools: HB 298 would require the Department of Education to annually review schools to determine CSI status. This would allow KDE to provide support to more school districts. Federal law requires CSI identification every three years.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via email at Patrick.Flannery@kylegislature.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.ky.gov.
