Kentucky Education Policy After Sine Die 2026

April 17, 2026
Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee
(cell) 859-475-7202
lisa@prichardcommittee.org

Progress, Gaps and the Path to Upward Mobility

LEXINGTON, Ky—As the 2026 legislative session concludes, the Prichard Committee recognizes progress toward Kentucky’s Big Bold Future—while acknowledging persistent gaps remain unaddressed. While several positive policy shifts advanced across early childhood, K–12 and postsecondary education, much of this session’s work focused on preserving existing funding rather than making new, strategic investments needed to move Kentucky forward.

Early Childhood 

• House Bill 6 and House Joint Resolution 50 advanced important child care policy changes aimed at improving access and quality, including modernization of KY All STARS and expanded local engagement through the Certified Child Care Community Designation program. These steps reflect meaningful policy direction but were not paired with the scale of investment needed to meet growing demand from families and providers. Child Care Assistance Program funding was preserved with a modest cut, and while this maintains progress made in 2024, there are still structural issues in the funding of early childhood education that need to be addressed.

K–12 Education 

The enacted budget includes an almost 4% increase in base SEEK funding over the next two years, along with added Tier I support to better assist districts with less local revenue.

Several policy bills advanced instructional quality and leadership:

• House Bill 253 strengthens evidence-based literacy instruction.
• House Bill 257, with provisions from House Bill 789, supports local accountability and authorizes a comprehensive study to improve middle school math access and outcomes.
• Senate Bill 4 advances more systematic preparation and support for principals.
• The failure of Senate Bill 152 preserved school-based decision-making councils, maintaining local voice in school governance.

These measures reflect steady progress—but without accompanying investments, implementation and impact will remain uneven.

Postsecondary Education 

House Bill 307 establishes a more proactive postsecondary admissions process, connecting students to opportunities earlier and helping drive enrollment.

Missed Opportunities for Investment 

Despite hard-won efforts to protect core programs, the session fell short of advancing the additional investments the Prichard Committee has long advocated to strengthen the full P–20 pipeline:

• The KY HANDS home visitation program received no funding to expand local capacity.
• Child Care Assistance Program funding saw slight cuts rather than increases.
• Numeracy Counts received no dedicated funding, and no new investments were made to extend literacy and numeracy supports into early childhood.
• KCTCS funding continues to lag behind demand for high-wage, high-demand credentials.
• Dual credit expansion remains inadequately resourced, leaving districts and families to absorb rising costs.

“This legislative session brought important momentum, but Kentucky’s success depends on how well we strengthen the full education pipeline, from early childhood through K–12 and into postsecondary,” said Brigitte Blom, President and CEO of the Prichard Committee. “To truly expand opportunity, close gaps and support upward mobility, we must ensure that each stage is connected, adequately supported and helps every student move successfully to the next step.”

Kentucky has taken steps forward. The work ahead is ensuring those steps translate into lasting, systemic impact for every learner across the Commonwealth.

Next week, watch for the Prichard Committee’s deeper analysis of how the budget and key legislation will shape outcomes across early childhood education, meaningful diplomas, assessment and accountability, postsecondary education, and school governance. 

The Prichard Committee believes in the power and promise of public education –early childhood through college– to ensure Kentuckians’ economic and social well-being. We are a citizen-led, non-partisan, solutions-focused nonprofit, established in 1983 with a singular mission of realizing a path to a larger life for Kentuckians with education at the core.