At the end of January, Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher announced that Kentucky was tracking an estimated budget shortfall of $12 million for Kentucky public school funding and the potential for an additional shortfall of $28 million. As a result of this shortfall, Gov. Beshear has authorized $14.7 million to cover the funding deficit for Kentucky public schools.
Gov. Beshear said he was “excited to remove this pending burden on our public schools.” According to the Kentucky Lantern, “The governor also said he hoped he could do more for schools in the future, such as his long-standing proposal to increase school employees’ salaries and implement universal pre-K programs statewide. The amount he authorized was the most he could do under past budget legislation.”
Robbie Fletcher, Commissioner of Education, expressed his appreciation for the governor’s authorization stating, “This action demonstrates what can be achieved for public schools and our students through collaborative efforts.” According to the Kentucky Lantern, Fletcher “also added that he and KDE {the Kentucky Department of Education} would continue to discuss possible future funding with lawmakers, depending on the availability of funds.”
Republican House Speaker David Osbourn also added that this shortfall in funding was a “disturbing trend” to “continue to see bad information and bad data.” This comment is fueled by many years of controversy regarding the efficacy of the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding formula.
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