Two of the Kentucky Senate’s priority bills, both dealing with education, won approval from that chamber during the 19th day of the 60-day General Assembly’s 2026 regular session.
Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, would increase financial transparency requirements for local school districts by expanding public access to budget documents, financial reports, and spending information. The bill ensures school boards and superintendents provide clearer, timelier, and more accessible disclosures, and requires superintendents to publicly present the district’s working budget so parents, taxpayers, and community members can clearly see how education dollars are budgeted and spent in each district.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen repeated examples of wasteful spending and serious financial mismanagement in some of our largest school districts,” Tichenor said. “When districts are running deficits, paying for questionable expenses, or making major financial decisions behind closed doors, that’s a problem. SB 3 makes sure those practices are available to public view before they become a crisis.”
Recent budget challenges in some of Kentucky’s largest school districts have underscored the need for stronger fiscal transparency and oversight, she noted. By standardizing how financial information is presented statewide and reinforcing public notice requirements, SB 3 gives parents and taxpayers a clearer, more consistent picture of how education dollars are managed across the state.
It passed 35-1.
SB!, sponsored by Senate President pro tem David Givens, R-Greensburg, would put more power in the hands of the Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent, and limit the board to meeting only once a month.
In presenting the bill, Givens said, “We’re talking about a district that receives eight percent of all the SEEK money wed allocate for students in Kentucky. We’re talking about 15 percent of all public-school students. We’re talking about a scope and size which is magnitudes larger than any other district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”
He also noted that even with a $1.9 billion budget, the academic record of JCPS is a concern. “We have 77 percent of Kentucky’s lowest performing schools. It’s vitally important to have a decision maker on the front-line overseeing operations and not being hamstrung by two many cooks in the kit5chen.”
The bill was approved, 29-7.
Both measures now head to the House for consideration.
Sen. Lindsey Tichenor is sponsoring a bill that expands transparency in public schools. (LRC photo)
Hargis David Michael
