Kentucky school districts won't have to cut their budgets after all to make up for a shortfall in state funding.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday that he’s increasing the SEEK appropriation for the current academic year.
“We do have the funds to get this done," stated Beshear in his weekly Team Kentucky briefing. "It won’t have any negative impacts on any other areas of the budget.”
Supporting Education Excellence in Kentucky, or SEEK, uses a formula to give per-pupil funding to K-12 schools, in addition to money for transportation and special-need student populations.
This year, the Kentucky Department of Education under-estimated the number of English language learners and special education students, resulting in a shortfall of $14.7 million.
Districts would have faced budget cuts in the middle of the school year without intervention from state government.
“Governor Beshear’s decision to increase SEEK appropriations to meet required payments is a significant development for our public schools and cannot be overstated," said Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher.
During the budget process, the Kentucky Department of Education estimates how much SEEK funding is needed based on projections like property values, enrollments, the free and reduced lunch population, and students requiring special assistance, all of which can fluctuate.
Inaccurate data and estimates during the 2022 budget process led to the shortfall in the current school year.
According to the KDE, a shortfall in SEEK funding occurred four times between the 2010-2024 fiscal years. Since 2017, there’s been a surplus, and that money was transferred to the state’s general fund, which is required by the legislature.
