Attending the Kentucky Board of Education meeting on October 4, 2017 allowed me to witness our State Board of Education working diligently to ensure our charter school regulations – following the recently approved House Bill 520 – are clear, thorough, and yes, rigorous! This brought joy to my heart and swell of pride in the state officials that represent us.
The State Board has been working with the Charter School Advisory Council, appointed by Governor Matt Bevin, and chaired by Dr. Wayne Lewis, to work through the very detailed regulations by which our charter schools will be held accountable. Dr. Lewis was present to represent the Council at the State Board meeting.
There was a lengthy discussion of Kentucky’s education and workforce development, and graduation and post-secondary education statistics, further magnifying the need for innovation in education here in Kentucky.
The Board went through the charter regulations one at a time with the Advisory Council acknowledging support for adoption of the revised versions.
There was a full review of the statewide charter school application document, with explanation and discussion surrounding the modifications made throughout the document. Dr. Lewis made a statement for the record that all parties involved in review of these documents, the staff, the Advisory Council, legal, and the Board Members are all working together to put in place the best educational options for the students of Kentucky.
With the majority of the Board Members in agreement, the regulations including the application template were approved as amended. Great effort has went into making this law and these regulations a reality for our students. Kentucky families deserve to have a choice in how their children are educated.
I am proud of our Board of Education Members and our Advisory Council Members. Now, we move on to the next step. The public comment period is from November 1-30 with a public hearing scheduled for November 21st. Contact me if you are interested in attending the hearing. Congratulations Kentucky!
This article is published by Yvonne Adkins of Adkins & Company, a Kentucky-based consulting group whose mission is to position charter schools for success by providing boards, operators and authorizers with access to high quality services and expertise.
