Sen. Jay Williams visited the Franklin County Public Schools board on Nov. 10 and urged local board members to reclaim authority over schools, while warning of near-term fiscal pressures and workforce challenges.

Williams said Kentucky is moving away from cohort-based assessments toward performance- or competency-based measures that evaluate individual student progress. “Performance based advancement is going to present us with a whole different challenge,” he said, adding that the state and districts should avoid costly, Kentucky-only testing systems and coordinate with the Kentucky School Boards Association for advocacy.

The senator also flagged pension and broader fiscal constraints. He described a recent interim decision to pay down the pension fund directly to protect benefits for retirees and warned that the legislature may not have capacity for large new initiatives next session. “It’s gonna be a tight funding year,” Williams said, noting federal pressures and the need to hold existing programs rather than launch large new ones.

On workforce issues, Williams urged districts to use technology and career pathways to reduce teacher workload and expand nontraditional postsecondary pathways. He highlighted the value of career-technical education and trade occupations — plumbing, electrical and HVAC — as well-paid options that can be accessed after high school.

Board members thanked Williams for the presentation and raised concerns about unfunded mandates and local funding shortfalls. One board member noted that roughly 650 retired teachers in the community generate about $2 million in local spending, underscoring the local economic impact of retirement benefits.

Williams offered to visit district schools and serve as “principal for a day” to better understand local operations and invited board members to engage with legislative advocacy through KSBA. The district did not take any formal action following the presentation; the visit concluded with a question-and-answer period.