A Kentucky judge has permanently blocked a new eligibility rule that would have barred many public-school employees from serving on boards of education in the state’s two largest school districts, allowing Fayette County board chair Tyler Murphy to remain on the November ballot.
The Franklin Circuit Court granted summary judgment Tuesday to Murphy and the Kentucky Education Association and issued a permanent injunction against the challenged portion of Senate Bill 4, according to reports from WKYT and WUKY. The ruling prevents enforcement while leaving the law’s other education provisions outside the immediate dispute.
The provision applied to people employed by a school district for more than 100 days a year who sought to serve on the board of a “large school district,” defined by a population exceeding 300,000. The plaintiffs said only Fayette and Jefferson counties met that threshold. Murphy lives in Lexington, chairs the Fayette board and teaches at Boyle County High School.
The General Assembly’s official bill record shows that SB 4 began as a principal-development measure before lawmakers added major governance changes for large districts. The legislature passed the final version in April, Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed it, and lawmakers overrode the veto 30-8 in the Senate and 78-19 in the House. Other provisions created a principal-leadership practicum, changed large-district board structures and established statewide university civics programs.
Murphy and the teachers union sued in June. Their challenge argued that the employment restriction violated the state constitution, including provisions barring local or special legislation when a general law could apply. The plaintiffs also argued that the population cutoff and employment rule treated similarly situated educators differently depending on where they lived or worked.
The complaint’s background showed the practical stakes: Murphy had already filed for a third term, and his lawyers said uncertainty over his eligibility could deter voters, donors and volunteers. He has represented Fayette’s District 2 since 2019 and is running in the Nov. 3 election.
The commonwealth sought dismissal, arguing that the legislature has authority to structure public education and establish qualifications for local board members. The injunction rejects enforcement of this particular restriction, but the state could still pursue appellate review. No appellate ruling was reported with the trial court decision.
The immediate effect is narrow but consequential. Murphy remains eligible, and school employees in Fayette and Jefferson are not excluded under the blocked rule. More broadly, the decision reinforces a constitutional limit on tailoring public-office qualifications to a small number of jurisdictions without a sufficiently general rationale.
Voters will still decide whether Murphy serves another term. The court’s action resolves the immediate eligibility barrier, not the political debate over Fayette County schools, district finances or the legislature’s broader governance changes.
