Kentucky Senate approves bill tying administrator raises to teacher raises

The Kentucky Senate on Feb. 9 approved Senate Bill 2, a measure intended to align salary increases for school administrators with raises for classroom teachers. The bill, reported under Senator Rocky Adams and explained on the floor by the senator from Jefferson 36, passed by a recorded vote of 38 yays, no nays.

Senate Bill 2 requires that when school administrators receive pay raises, the percentage increases must not exceed the average percentage pay raise provided to classroom teachers in the same district. The sponsor told the Senate that the intent is to protect classroom priorities and maintain morale and retention among teachers. "Classroom teachers are at the center of student learning and school success," the senator from Jefferson 36 said on the floor in explaining the bill.

The measure preserves local control and an existing waiver process for districts that seek flexibility, the sponsor said, and frames the change as a fairness and transparency measure rather than a prescriptive mandate. The senator from Taylor moved to take SB2 up for third reading and passage; the motion was carried and the bill was placed on final passage.

Members spoke in support during the floor session. The senator from Jefferson 33 explained the rationale for voting yes, calling the bill "very intentional" in its approach to leadership development and training and noting its potential to strengthen school systems. The senator from Fayette 13 said he supported the bill but asked that language be clarified later to distinguish "new principal" from a principal changing assignment, suggesting that the phrase be refined so that it does not require a veteran principal who moves schools to repeat a multi‑year training cycle.

The clerk called the roll for final passage and the tally was announced as 38 yays, no nays. Senate Bill 2 passed the Senate as read on third reading.