Kentucky Students Release ‘State of Schools’ Legislative Address

The Kentucky Student Voice Team (KSVT) is proud to present their 2026 State of Students Address, offering a compelling analysis of Kentucky’s most recent legislative session through the lens of Kentucky high school students. 

Navigating "Accountability" and the Consolidation of Power

According to members of KSVT’s Policy Team, the 2026 legislative session revealed an increased emphasis on "accountability" within the education system. While accountability is crucial for improvement, the team noted a concerning pattern where this frame was sometimes used as a justification to consolidate power, including:

• Undermining Elected Officials: Efforts were made to remove duly elected school board members and make boards unelected, appointed bodies. This shift moves away from democratic representation toward control by a select few, potentially making these bodies less accountable to the communities they serve.
  
  
• Politicizing Education: The session saw an increased politicization of public education, extending beyond school governance. Decisions and legislation appeared driven by ideological agendas rather than the direct needs of students and educators.
  
  
• Misaligned Budget Priorities: While the need for educational investment was evident, the state budget (specifically referencing House Bill 500) showed modest increases in SEEK funding that failed to keep pace with inflation. This has led to a significant decrease in per-pupil spending compared to 2008 levels when adjusted for inflation. Transportation contributions were also frozen below required levels.

Student Voice: A Critical Check on Policy

Amidst these legislative currents, the Kentucky Student Voice Team is a vital accountability partner for the state. This looks like standing shoulder-to-shoulder with allies like Protect Our Schools Kentucky to fight against detrimental budget cuts.

While KSVT’s push for greater reinvestment in public schools faced legislative resistance, some success came in the removal of a cap on public employee health care premiums. This action prevented substantial premium hikes for Kentucky's public school employees, safeguarding their financial well-being and, by extension, the stability of the broader educational environment.

Empowering Local Governance: The Student School Board Initiative

A significant portion of KSVT's efforts are dedicated to empowering student voice at the school and district levels. The Student School Board (SSB) team, a sub-team of KSVT’s policy team, has a decade-long history of advocating for student representation in various school decision-making bodies. This includes:

• Local Decision-Making Councils: Pushing for student input on councils that shape school policies.
• Superintendent Screening Committees: Ensuring student perspectives are considered when selecting leadership.
• School Boards: Advocating for non-voting student representatives on district boards of education.

These efforts hinge on a core belief that school governance is at its democratic best when those most impacted—the students—are included in the process. This has translated into direct action. Ezra Anglin shared his experience serving as a student representative on his local board, mobilizing peers, and providing public comment, highlighting how such involvement increases engagement and awareness among the student body.

Ismail Kahn further elaborated on the direct impact of this work.

“We knocked on doors, talked with constituents in Fayette county and gathered signatures to demonstrate support. Our goal was clear both as an individual and a team to secure meaningful student representation at the school board level so that students have adequate representation. Months of outreach went by and we brought our concerns directly to board members. Through those conversations, we successfully advocated for the inclusion of two non voting student representatives on the student committee.”

Similarly, efforts are underway to ensure student representation on Site-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Councils, which shape critical aspects of student experience like grading policies, class structures, and scheduling.

Demystifying Legislation: The Bill Tracking Team

Understanding the complex legislative process is a hurdle for many, especially students. Elena Nowaczyk, KSVT’s policy team co-coordinator, highlighted how the Bill Tracking Team aims to demystify this process by educating Kentucky's young people about the legislation affecting their schools and by advocating for educational equity and excellence.

To achieve this, KSVT has professionalized its bill tracking into a structured, three-chamber system:

1. Tracking Team: Identifies relevant bills.
2. Policy Team: Debates the merits of bills on the "Chamber floor."
3. Adult Partners: Provide a final review.

The team conducts in-depth analysis of prioritized bills, publishing our findings online. This process, guided by a policy litmus test, ensures that KSVT focuses on issues where student feedback can add unique value and align with our mission for more just and democratic schools.

Key Legislative Battles and Student Opposition

Several pieces of legislation caused significant concern for KSVT this year:

• Senate Bill 114 and House Bill 649: These bills proposed making school boards in large districts unelected and appointed, removing the right of voters to choose their representatives. Lucy shared powerful testimony, arguing that such measures fundamentally alter democracy, making appointed boards accountable to politicians rather than the people. She emphasized that students, who live with the consequences of these decisions, deserve a say and that removing electoral accountability jeopardizes their right to shape their own education.
  
  
• Senate Bill 152: This bill threatened to transform School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) councils into mere advisory bodies, stripping them of real authority and, crucially, removing the established right for students to serve on them. Maggie highlighted this as a step backward for transparency and shared leadership, undermining the roles of parents, teachers, and students who best understand their schools.
  
  
• Senate Bill 26 and Senate Bill 351: These bills represented attempts to ideologically alter classroom curriculum and climate. SB 26 sought to ban Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 schools, mirroring previous actions at the university level. SB 351 proposed prohibiting school districts from hiring staff based on outdated mental health diagnostic criteria, implicitly targeting transgender and gender non-conforming educators. Both bills were viewed as harmful, creating less supportive environments for students and educators and lacking scientific basis.
  
  
• Senate Bill 101: Introduced with the aim of addressing school discipline, this bill was criticized for its excessively punitive measures. It mandated expulsions for students causing physical injury to education personnel and allowed 14-year-olds to be tried as adults for certain felonies. Lily and Jodie argued that this bill criminalizes minors, contributing to learning loss and targeting vulnerable students, effectively furthering the School to Prison pipeline rather than offering supportive solutions.

While some of these bills did not pass in their original form or did not advance at all, the sheer volume and nature of these legislative efforts underscore a concerning trend of attempting to control and reshape education based on partisan agendas over student needs.

The Road Ahead: Persistent Advocacy

Engaging with the legislative process is challenging, fraught with procedural hurdles, early hearings, and late amendments. Yet, we remain undeterred. KSVT’s work extends far beyond the Capitol walls, reaching into classrooms, board offices, and communities across the Commonwealth.

The victories achieved—preventing harmful budget cuts, striking down detrimental bills, and securing student representation in local governance—are significant. They further serve as powerful testaments to the impact of sustained student advocacy around the promise of Kentucky’s education system.

Together, they also serve as a reminder that students are not just consumers of Kentucky public schools; but, they can serve as essential co-creators too.

Watch the Full Video Address Below