FRANKFORT — A bill that began as relief for Kentucky schools from weather-related closings was transformed by the Senate Thursday into relief for a controversial virtual school.
After the Senate overhauled House Bill 241, its sponsor, Rep. Timmy Truett, an elementary school principal, said he would recommend that the House now kill it.
The Kentucky Board of Education recently limited enrollment at the Kentucky Virtual School based out of the Cloverport Independent Schools in response to concerns about poor student performance and failure to meet staffing requirements.
The bill that emerged from the Republican-controlled Senate Thursday on a 23-14 vote would block the Department of Education from enforcing the enrollment cap on the privately-operated virtual school which has students statewide.
Some Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill.
Supporters of the virtual school attached their provision to a bill described by Senate President Pro Tem David Givens as “vitally important” for school districts affected by recent flooding.
Rep. Timmy Truett, R-McKee (LRC Public Information)
State law requires districts to provide 170 student attendance days. The original bill would allow districts to have five of the required days waived and to lengthen the school day. It also granted them additional days in which students could be taught at home via virtual learning. Some schools in Eastern Kentucky have yet to reopen following floods in mid-February.
In a Thursday morning committee meeting, language from Senate Bill 268 was added to the House bill. Truett, R-McKee, told senators it was the first time he had seen the new version of his legislation.
“This bill started off as a really good bill for all the districts in the state of Kentucky, especially the districts in Eastern Kentucky where I live,” Truett said. “But you can take a good bill and make it bad. And I’m afraid that with the amendment that may be on this bill that I would have to encourage my colleagues to be against this bill.”
The move could mean the bill doesn’t pass at all this session, Truett warned.
Concerns about the Kentucky Virtual School have been reported by the Louisville Courier Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader, which highlighted numerous accusations and lawsuits raised against Stride, a for-profit company that has a contract to run the virtual academy. While it serves students across the state through online instruction, the academy is attached to Cloverport Independent Schools in Breckinridge County.
According to the media reports, the school has rapidly increased its enrollment over the past two years but state education officials say it has failed to meet staff and testing requirements. The Kentucky Board of Education recently took action to limit enrollment through a new statewide policy.
Senators debated not only the contents of the bill, but the legislative process behind it, for more than an hour Thursday afternoon. Democrats futilely attempted to argue the bill was out of order under Senate rules because it had emerged from the committee just hours earlier with significant changes.
Sen. Reggie Thomas, D-Lexington, questioned the process by which a House bill was transformed. (LRC Public Information)
Democratic Caucus Chair Sen. Reggie Thomas, of Lexington, cited the newspapers’ reports on the floor and emphasized the legislation is a “matter of public interest.”
“The public, I feel, does have a right to know about what we’re about to do,” Thomas said.
Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, who was the original sponsor of the bill revoking the enrollment cap on the virtual school, cited “emotional testimony” from parents of students enrolled at the academy. “What I heard from parents made one thing very clear — this decision (to cap enrollment) was made without fully considering the impact on students and families who had built their education around this model. “To me, that’s not right.”
Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, said she disagreed with the original House bill providing schools with additional options for making up days lost to weather. (LRC Public Information)
Truett heard some of the Senate debate, watching from the side of the chamber. While he was present, Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, said that she wasn’t happy with Truett’s original bill, but was supportive of Reed’s bill, and added that her family used Stride’s curriculum for homeschooling in the past.
“I’m going to encourage the House sponsor to support this bill, because House Bill 241 didn’t change the way that I want to see it change,” she said before voting in favor of the bill. Tichenor had filed four floor amendments to the original version of the bill.
Truett quickly left after the vote.
Givens said he was a supporter of the new language and also supports the original provisions for making up school days missed because of weather. “This door provides relief for those districts,” he said. “This is vitally important that we do this.”
The House must concur with the Senate’s version of HB 241. It’s not the first time in recent sessions a bill has been drastically changed in one chamber. Last year, the House overhauled Senate Bill 6, which became a bill to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. The measure died at the end of the session because the Senate and House couldn’t agree.
The Cloverport district’s superintendent, Keith Haynes, said in an email to the Kentucky Lantern that while he couldn’t speak to the merits of the legislative process, he was supportive of the contents of SB 268 “as it affords us the opportunity to continue operating and improving the Kentucky Virtual Academy, which has provided so many students and families with the kind of school environment that best suits them.”
“Our experience with Stride has been great,” Haynes added. “They have been highly professional and laser focused on ensuring that KYVA is the kind of school that all involved can be proud of.”
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
SUMMARY: The weather forecast includes a tornado watch for far northwestern communities like Jackson and Lawrence counties, effective until 11 PM. Scattered storms have started to develop due to high heat and humidity. The Steamboat Race is about to begin near the Ohio River, with dry conditions so far but some storms may pop up nearby. Temperatures are around 84°F with 50% humidity and a light southwest breeze. Evening storms are expected mainly along I-64 and points north. Wednesday night will quiet down, but Thursday will see scattered storms again, especially in the afternoon. Rain chances continue through Derby week, but mostly in periodic showers with plenty of dry times. The unsettled pattern will likely ease by next week.
SUMMARY: Severe weather is expected to return on Thursday, with a cold front moving through the Ohio Valley and re-energizing the atmosphere, creating conditions for strong to severe storms, including damaging winds, large hail, and isolated tornadoes. All of Central and Eastern Kentucky is under a Level 2 (Slight Risk) for severe weather. The storms will be fueled by gusty southwest winds, pushing temperatures into the low 80s. For Oaks Day (Friday), scattered showers and storms are likely, and the forecast for Derby Day (Saturday) is uncertain, with possible lingering clouds and showers. Temperatures will be cooler, staying in the mid-60s for the weekend.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Dave Mason | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-29 19:00:00
(The Center Square) – California and Arizona Tuesday joined 22 other states and the District of Columbia to sue the Trump administration to stop cuts in AmeriCorps’ grants and workforce.
The lawsuit objects to the federal government reducing 85% of the workforce for the agency, which promotes national service and volunteer work addressing disaster recovery and other community needs.
According to americorps.gov, the agency enrolls more than 200,000 people each year in community service organizations. AmeriCorps also provides more than $4.8 billion in education awards.
Besides California and Arizona, states filing the suit are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February directing every federal agency to reduce its staff. Since then, AmeriCorps has placed at least 85% of its workforce on administrative leave immediately and told employees they would be dismissed effective June 24, according to a news release from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
The states’ lawsuit contends the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce AmeriCorps and its grants violate the Administrative Procedures Act and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution.
California is co-leading the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
“In California, AmeriCorps volunteers build affordable housing, clean up our environment, and address food insecurity in communities across our state,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “California has repeatedly taken action to hold the Trump Administration and DOGE accountable to the law — and we stand prepared to do it again to protect AmeriCorps and the vital services it provides.”
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said the cuts in AmeriCorps affect grants such as:
$700,000 for Northern Arizona University, Arizona Teacher’s Residency, designed to address teacher shortages.
$308,000 for Area Agency on Aging, Caring Circles, which helps older Arizonans with needs such as transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping and help with technology.
$495,000 for Vista College Prepartory’s tutoring and teacher support for math and reading for low-income students.
“AmeriCorps represents the best of our nation – providing opportunities for millions of Americans to serve their neighbors and communities and make our country a better place to live,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said. “By unilaterally gutting this Congressionally authorized agency, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have yet again violated the law and the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution. Their illegal actions will harm Arizona communities.”
Mayes noted studies show AmeriCorps programs generate more than $34 per every dollar spent in terms of their impact on communities.
“Slashing these programs serves no purpose and is incredibly short-sighted from those claiming to champion efficiency,” she said.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article reports on a legal action filed by multiple states against the Trump administration over cuts to AmeriCorps, without offering an overt ideological stance. The content outlines the details of the lawsuit, the parties involved, and their claims. The language used is largely factual, describing the positions of the states, particularly California and Arizona, without endorsing one side. While the article highlights the perceived impacts of the cuts and quotes politicians critical of the Trump administration, it refrains from promoting an explicit viewpoint, focusing instead on reporting the legal and administrative actions at hand. The tone remains neutral and provides an equal space to both the states’ concerns and the implications of the lawsuit. It primarily serves as a factual report on the legal challenge, rather than an advocacy piece, and does not adopt a partisan perspective on the issue.
