The Kentucky Department of Education is hosting a lecture tour where officials explain the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky, or SEEK, public school funding program.
Chay Ritter, director of the Division of District Support in the Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Finance and Operations, said the intention behind the funding system is to provide equity to all Kentucky school districts.
“Because Rowan County is a very different county than say Graves County or Jefferson County or Fayette, or Madison and so on and so forth,” said Ritter. “We have independent districts, which are typically smaller, and we have very large districts, Fayette, Jefferson, Boone. So, it’s kind of hard to say ‘well here’s how you fund everyone’, because every district’s a little different.”
Every two years the General Assembly allocates a set amount of funding to the Kentucky Department of Education which then directs some of that money to Kentucky Public schools through SEEK.
SEEK monies are formula based, starting with a guaranteed base amount given per student, with more granted for students who have low English proficiency, are on free and reduced lunch, those who are forced to be home or the hospital for health reasons, and more.
Matt Ross, associate commissioner in the Office of Finance and Operation at the KDE, said the formula also considers things like money granted from levy taxes.
“More property wealthy districts get less state funding because a larger percentage is their local tax and then districts with less property wealth get more state funding because they can’t raise the same kind of tax,” said Ross. “So, there is a local component and a state component so the more property wealth you have the less state funding you’re going to get.”
Officials said that while SEEK has its flaws its intention is to provide equity for Kentucky public schools. More information, including roadshow dates, can be found at education.ky.gov.