Committee approves bill to trim duplicative school reporting, update budget publication rules

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Senate Standing Committee on Education on Monday adopted a committee substitute and then unanimously passed Senate Bill 68, an education bill that removes several state reporting requirements and updates how school budgets are published.

Supporters said the bill removes reports that KDE said are duplicative of federal monitoring or no longer useful, and replaces an outdated 1958 reference about publishing school budgets in a manner consistent with modern practice.

Senator Steve Rawlings, the sponsor, framed the bill as a step to reduce burdens on districts and to emphasize career and technical education alongside academics. "This bill is a key step toward reversing that trend," Rawlings said in opening remarks about refocusing state policy on core learning and vocational training.

The committee substitute makes targeted changes in several sections: Section 4 removes the departmentreport requirement on local wellness policies while leaving intact the statutory requirement that districts adopt such policies; Section 5 removes an interim report on school breakfast programs; Section 6…