SB 8 waiting to be heard in the House, changing the way seats work on Kentucky Board of Education

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – With 50 days left in the legislative session for 2024, Senate Bill 8 is making it’s way through and raising some concerns in Frankfort.

Senate Bill 8 at large aims to give the power to the people, allowing them to vote in who they think should sit on the Kentucky Board of Education, the body that presides over how K-12 operates in the state. The bill was filed by Sen. Mike Wilson, who said it is placing the responsibility back where it needs to be.

News 40 spoke to Wilson, who said in previous administrations, governors have often stacked the board to better align with the governor’s views or to make good on favors. He said the most recent event was Gov. Andy Beshear dissolving the then current board and reappointing all democrats to the body. The senator believes that the state level should be handled like the local level, where those races are also ran but in a nonpartisan way.

Under the bill, the race for the state board would be partisan, to which Wilson said it’s to give more transparency. The senator said he’s found that people really care about party affiliation and where people stand on issues when taking any kind of office.

News 40 spoke to State Rep. Kevin Jackson as well, who has some reservations about the bill. Jackson said he’s not a fan of having politics too close to anything, especially school considering him being a former educator. The representative said with the addition of parties and running campaigns, things could get hairy. Jackson said he hasn’t heard the bill just yet, but right now, he’s leaning towards voting no unless some things can be re-racked.