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Senate committee clears School Innovation Act creating voluntary waivers for schools
Summary
Senate Bill 207 would allow districts to contract three-year "schools of innovation" with waivers from specified state regulations; the committee passed the bill 11-0 after debate about eligibility, fiscal impact and safeguards to prevent student "cherry-picking."
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Senate Education Committee on Monday unanimously approved Senate Bill 207, the "School Innovation Act," which would create a voluntary waiver process for public schools to operate as three-year "schools of innovation" under contracts approved by the Kentucky Board of Education.
Sponsor Senator West said the option is intended to give districts a tool to try new approaches at underperforming schools or to provide flexibility for high-performing campuses. "This bill allows district leadership to say, this school in its current form is failing our kids and parents, and we need to try something different," West said during the committee presentation.
Under the bill, districts may apply to the state board for waivers from listed administrative regulations; the bill also lists specific regulations that would not be waivable. Contracts would run three years and the district would retain ownership of school facilities and responsibility for transportation and SEEK funding flows.
Senator West and witnesses…
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