Thursday, February the 12th, I'm Renee Shaw, and we thank you for spending some of your Thursday evening with us.

Since 1990, parents and teachers have been able to serve on what are called site based decision making councils, which make policy decisions for individual schools.

Senate Bill 152 proposes changing these councils to advisory bodies and putting the policymaking authority in the hands of the principal or superintendent.

Our Mackenzie Spink brings us to the debate over parental involvement in public schools that kicks off tonight's legislative update.

[MUSIC] >> Bill sponsor Senator Aaron Reed says Senate Bill 152 is about streamlining authority in schools, not cutting parents out of the equation.

>> When authorities refused, accountability is weakened.

So Senate Bill 152 restores a clear chain of command so that when a school succeeds, we know who led it.

And when a school struggles, we know who is responsible for fixing it.

Let me be clear this is not an attack on teachers or parents.

It's a structural reform designed to improve clarity, efficiency and accountability in our schools.

>> If Senate Bill 152 passes, the site based decision making, councils would be turned into school based advisory councils, meaning that those parents and teachers could provide feedback and recommendations but not enact school policies anymore.

Opponents of the bill say parents and teachers should retain policymaking power because they know their individual schools best.

>> Where school based decision making works well is when you have a have strong leadership and the parents and teachers feel empowered to have an authentic part in actual decisions by changing the council role to merely advisory, you would be diminishing the voices of those closest to the students, the parents and the teachers.

>> The lawmakers opposing the bill expressed that they did not see a need to change the current system, asking for more on the ground evidence.

>> Do you have any evidence that you can present to us today to demonstrate that that site based decision making councils don't work?

I've never heard any indication in, in my discussions that that the reason why the schools don't do well is because of the existence of site based decision making councils.

On the other hand, I am aware that those high performing schools have a lot of parental involvement.

>> I don't have any any list of folks right in front of me here, but I have received many calls in my colleagues here on on the committee have also received many calls and interaction with parents and teachers throughout the districts in the state.

>> The supporters of the bill say the powers of school based decision making councils butt up against the powers of the school board muddying the waters.

>> You know, the school board is a constitutionally elected body, whereas the Tbdms are not a constitutionally elected body.

They are an elected body, but not constitutionally.

Doesn't that take a little bit of power away from the school board?

If if SB Dems are able to override the school board?

>> Supporters of the bill say that if administrators and the council have a good relationship, the two entities will work together, not against each other.

Senate Bill 152 passed along party lines.

It will next head to the Senate floor for consideration for Kentucky edition.

I'm Mackenzie Spink.

>> Thank you.

Mackenzie.

On a separate matter, Senate Bill 114, sponsored by Senator David Givens, would require school board members in districts with more than 25,000 students to be appointed by the superintendent, rather than elected by the public.

As it stands now, that