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AN ACT relating to the governance of the Kentucky School for the Deaf. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 167.017 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) (a) The superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Deaf shall be appointed by 4
the chief state school officer. The appointment shall be made upon 5
recommendation of a sea rch committee which shall be appointed by the 6
Kentucky School for the Deaf Board[ of Education] whenever appointment of 7
a superintendent becomes necessary. 8
(b) The appointment of the superintendent shall be made within thirty (30) days 9
of the recommendatio n of the search committee, unless the chief state 10
school officer provides written notification to the Kentucky Board of 11
Education and the Kentucky School for the Deaf Board of the reason for 12
the failure to make the appointment within the allotted time. 13
(c) The superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Deaf shall carry out all 14
duties assigned to him or her by the chief state school officer, in 15
consultation with the Kentucky School for the Deaf Board, for the operation 16
of the Kentucky School for the Deaf, including those duties typically 17
reserved for a school principal when the Kentucky School for the Deaf is 18
without a principal. 19
(2) (a) The search committee for the superintendent of the Kentucky School for the 20
Deaf shall be appointed within thirty (30) days of receiving notice of a 21
vacancy and shall consist of the representative of the [ State] Department of 22
Education selected by the chief state school officer, one (1) representative of 23
the Kentucky Association of the Deaf, Inc., one (1) representative of the 24
Kentucky School for the Deaf Alumni Association, Inc., one (1) 25
representative of the Kentucky School for the Deaf faculty, one (1) parent of a 26
student at the Kentucky School for the Deaf, and one (1) representative of the 27
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Kentucky School for the Deaf [advisory ]Board. 1
(b) The search committee's recommendation shall[must] be approved by a 2
majority of the Kentucky School for the Deaf Board[ of Education] members. 3
(c) In making its recommendation, the search committee shall prioritize 4
candidates who are willing to reside near the Kentucky School for the Deaf 5
facilities and commit to full -time employment as superintendent of the 6
Kentucky School for the Deaf. 7
(3) The superintendent of the Kentucky School for the Deaf may be removed from 8
office by the Kentucky School for the Deaf Board[ of Education] only by a 9
majority vote of the Kentucky School for the Deaf Board[ of Education]. 10
(4) A curren t or former employee of the Kentucky Department of Education or a 11
current or former member of the Kentucky Board of Education shall not be 12
eligible for consideration of appointment as the superintendent of the Kentucky 13
School for the Deaf for a period of one (1) year after the date of: 14
(a) Leaving the position or termination of employment; or 15
(b) The term of office to which the member of the board was appointed expires. 16
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (4) of this section, this section shall not be construed 17
to prohibit a binding contract for the employment of a superintendent for the 18
Kentucky School for the Deaf entered into prior to the effective date of this Act. 19
Section 2. KRS 167.037 is amended to read as follows: 20
(1) There is hereby [shall be] established the[a] Kentucky School for the Deaf 21
[Advisory ] Board, composed of nine (9) members appointed by the Kentucky 22
Board of Education upon recommendation of the chief state school officer. [ At the 23
first regular meeting in eac h fiscal year, the board shall elect a chairman and vice 24
chairman.] A member may serve no more than two (2) consecutive years as 25
chair[chairman]. Members shall be appointed for regular terms of four (4) years. [ 26
Members of the board shall serve without comp ensation but shall be reimbursed for 27
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necessary expenses incurred in performance of their duties.] 1
(2) [Advisory ]Board members for the Kentucky School for the Deaf shall be selected 2
from nominations submitted by the Kentucky Association of the Deaf Inc., t he 3
Parent-Teacher-Cottage Parent Association, the Kentucky School for the Deaf 4
Alumni Association Inc., the Kentucky Association of School Administrators, and 5
the chief state school officer. A majority of the board's membership shall be 6
persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Membership on the board shall be 7
statewide and shall consist of: 8
(a) Two (2) parents of deaf children;[,] 9
(b) One (1) professional in education of the deaf;[,] 10
(c) One (1) former student of the Kentucky School for the Deaf;[,] 11
(d) One (1) member of the Kentucky Association for the Deaf;[,] 12
(e) Two (2) members who shall represent school districts;[,] and 13
(f) Two (2) members at large [. A majority of the board's membership s hall be 14
persons who are deaf or hard of hearing]. 15
(3) The board shall direct the work of and [act in an advisory capacity to] assist the 16
school superintendent in conducting the activities of the school. The board shall 17
develop and adopt policies, not incons istent with the policies and administrative 18
regulations of the Kentucky Board of Education, by which the superintendent of 19
the Kentucky School for the Deaf shall be governed in planning, coordinating, 20
administering, supervising, operating, and evaluating t he educational programs, 21
services, and activities of the Kentucky School for the Deaf which are within the 22
jurisdiction of the board. The board shall also make recommendations to the chief 23
state school officer concerning all areas relating to the effective operation of the 24
school, including but not limited to: 25
(a) Goals and objectives, 26
(b) Budget requests, 27
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(c) Student services, 1
(d) Public relations, 2
(e) Construction and maintenance, and 3
(f) Program evaluation. 4
(4) (a) A vacancy in the membership of the boar d shall be filled in the same 5
manner as the initial appointment and shall serve for the remainder of the 6
unexpired term. 7
(b) At the first regular meeting of the board in each fiscal year, a chair and vice 8
chair shall be elected from the board membership. 9
(c) The members shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses 10
incurred in the performance of their duties. 11
(5) The Kentucky School for the Deaf Board shall be attached to the Kentucky 12
Department of Education for administrative purposes. 13
Section 3. KRS 167.170 is amended to read as follows: 14
The Kentucky Board of Education shall [alone ]have the power to expel a pupil from the 15
Kentucky School for the Blind or the Kentucky School for the Deaf. The board may 16
delegate that power to a three (3) member panel of the board. However, the board may 17
delegate the power to expel a pupil from the Kentucky School for the Deaf to the 18
Kentucky School for the Deaf Board. 19
Section 4. Notwithstanding the appointment schedule and terms of members of 20
the Kentucky School for the Deaf Board, the Kentucky Board of Education shall appoint 21
the members of the Kentucky School for the Deaf advisory board to their equivalent 22
membership position on the Kentucky Sc hool for the Deaf Board. Members appointed 23
pursuant to this section shall serve a term equivalent to the remainder of their unexpired 24
term as a member of the Kentucky School for the Deaf advisory board. 25