Lawmakers continue to review equal funding options for schools

Goal is equal funding in K-12 school districts

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentucky Lawmakers continue exploring how to level the playing field in the state’s K-12 base funding formula. The School Funding Task Force discussed possible ways to bring parity to Kentucky’s public school funding framework, SEEK, which uses the average daily attendance of students to calculate appropriations.

SEEK is designed to equalize state provisions with local revenue to ensure that rural and urban school districts receive the same base resources for students. Legislators have spent the past year exploring possible ways to provide more equitable resources to schools without additional funding.

“How do we make sure kids in rural school districts get equitable resources? We’re focused on tackling this issue,” said Rep. James A. Tipton, who chairs the task force. “The conversation isn’t just between the legislature and regulatory bodies. We’ve brought families, educators, school leaders, stakeholders, and even the Department of Education to the table and helped us better understand the issue.”

Committee members were provided with insight and analysis from the Office of Education Accountability (OEA), the state’s nonpartisan education watchdog. The OEA reported grim findings on Kentucky’s rural districts, who tend to have more students living in poverty, classified as needing special education, and a lower chance of meeting standardized testing benchmarks.

Legislators pitched potential adjustments to update the Kentucky’s base formula, such as calculating the average daily membership instead of attendance. While 21 states use similar policies, nearly a third require a higher local revenue contribution than the Bluegrass.

“As a state, we certainly know some districts that have much more capability to front the bill than others,” Tipton added. “We need to find solutions so that our children have just as much chance to learn and grow in the classroom, regardless if you are from a wealthy county or not.”

The SEEK funding discussion continues the legislature’s commitment to funding Kentucky’s K-12 programs at historic levels. Earlier this fall, the House members prefiled a measure to cover the entire cost of full-day kindergarten as a permanent state expenditure. The General Assembly also made a one-time investment of $140 million to do so this academic year.

The task force will hear from the Kentucky Department of Education on nonresident student funding and evaluate possible recommendations on October 18.