FRANKFORT, Ky. — From the issues within Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and school districts across Kentucky, one argument that consistently comes up is whether or not the state is adequately funding public education.
Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) said the formula that's been used to decide how much money the legislature invests in each school district for the last 30-plus years could be outdated.
And Stivers hinted the state funding model itself, called SEEK, may soon need updating.
"I think there will soon become a day that that has to be done," Stivers told WHAS11 in a one-on-one interview Tuesday. "Because of the way our economy has changed and our taxing structure has changed."
School district leaders have shouted it from the mountaintops: the shortage of teachers and bus drivers is dire. And whether you believe pay is at the heart of the issue or not, there is agreement among state Republicans and Democrats that many districts do need more money.
"It's not that we don't want to give the faculty -- the whole faculty -- pay increases, but you have to do it within the SEEK formula," Stivers said, referencing the court-mandated system.
The SEEK formula calculates how much state funding goes to each public school district -- with the priority on smaller, poorer counties that don't collect as much through local taxes. There's speculation that the current formula hasn't been adjusted to these difficult times or inflation.
During the interview, Stivers acknowledged a reset could be coming "in the next few years."
"The whole funding system for K-12 would have to be looked at in the lens of, 'Is the SEEK formula outdated from when it was created in its inception in the early 90s,'" he said.
When asked if he believes the current equation is antiquated, Stivers responded, "There's data out there that says it is. I think we have to go into that."
What specific changes could be made, and whether it'll lead to a more equitable model, remains to be seen at this time.
WHAS11 also asked Stivers if he'd support legislation to amend Kentucky's near total abortion ban to add exceptions for rape and incest, something some Republicans in the General Assembly have already shown a willingness to sponsor.
"It depends on how it's overall drafted," Stivers answered. "It's hard to put myself in the position of something that I can never do. It's all in the circumstances of how it's drafted, what it looks like. It's hard to say what will happen."
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