Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Policy Omnibus topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Large education omnibus (HB 727) including KEPS, special-education class-size rules, and certification changes clears committee
Summary
A committee substitute to HB 727 folded multiple education measures — including creation of the Kentucky Educator Placement Service (KEPS), class-size and caseload provisions for special education, EPSB certificate rules and red-tape reductions — and was adopted and rolled into consent after members discussed special-education caps and technical amendments.
The committee considered a large omnibus committee substitute rolled into House Bill 727 that combines several education measures, including the Kentucky Educator Placement Service System (KEPS), modifications to teacher-certificate renewal and reissuance, school-district administrative adjustments, and special-education class-size and caseload limits.
Representative Steve Riley (self-identified) described the KEPS provision, which allows the Kentucky Department of Education to use certificate-fee proceeds to develop and maintain a universal online application system enabling candidates to submit applications electronically to multiple local school districts and permitting districts to search applicant pools for critical shortage areas. KEPS would also require KDE to report data from the system annually to the Legislative Research Commission.
Chair West summarized the broader committee substitute: it sets maximum class sizes and caseloads for exceptional-education students (with a +2 allowance when a paraprofessional is present), requires certain board training, adjusts student-member selection for the Kentucky Board of Education, clarifies waiver timelines for facility projects, and eliminates some outdated reporting requirements. The substitute also includes a provision to allow superintendents to submit a one-time waiver for the six-credit requirement for reissuing an expired five-year certificate, among other professional-license mechanics.
A point of debate focused on the proposed maximums for students with mild mental disability and other categories. Senator Carroll said existing regulations show lower caps in some categories (for example, he cited a current number of 10 for mild mental disability) and expressed concern that the substitute could raise class sizes; committee leaders and the sponsor said the intent was not to increase caps and that the bill included a +2 allowance only when a paraprofessional is present. Members asked for follow-up to ensure the statutory language matched existing regulatory baselines.
The committee adopted the substitute, accepted a technical committee amendment and a title amendment, and rolled the changes into the sub. The omnibus measure was placed on consent. Committee discussion noted the session’s time pressures as the reason for consolidating multiple bills into a single committee substitute.
Next steps: HB 727 (committee substitute) was reported favorably and placed on consent for the Senate floor schedule.
