AN ACT relating to school districts.

Amend KRS 160.020 to modify the minimum enrollment requirements for independent school districts to continue to operate; establish criteria for the Kentucky Board of Education to consider in an appeal of that requirement; amend KRS 160.041 to provide a merger process for any contiguous school districts; require the Kentucky Board of Education to determine the terms of merger for an insolvent district if no agreement between the school districts can be reached, and to promulgate administrative regulations regarding mergers due to insolvency.

Introduced: March 3, 2026

Last action: March 10, 2026

To Primary And Secondary Education (H)

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This bill changes the rules for how small school districts in Kentucky can continue to operate on their own. It sets new minimum enrollment numbers that independent school districts must meet to keep running, and it creates a process for merging school districts, including situations where a district is financially insolvent. If districts cannot agree on merger terms, the Kentucky Board of Education would have the authority to decide how the merger happens. Who it may affect: students, parents, teachers, and residents in small or financially struggling school districts across Kentucky.

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