Bullitt County superintendent urges Kentucky lawmakers for more education funding

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For months now, Bullitt County Superintendent Jesse Bacon has been transparent about the district's financial status.

And it's not ideal.

"If we don't have additional help and state funding, we're not going to be able to meet the needs we currently have in our district," Bacon said.

This is not a Bullitt County issue. Rural school districts across the state fear the same. Counting for inflation, there has been a decline in state funding for public schools since 2008.

"We've seen little, small increases in per-pupil-based funding in the last 15 years, but nowhere near what's able to keep up with inflation," Bacon said. "For us to get back to that same purchasing power we had in 2008, we're about $1,800 per student short in accomplishing that."

Earlier this year, Bullitt County completed a $20 million athletic facilities upgrade for all three high schools. The district also began construction of the new Old Mill Elementary School, major renovations at Bernheim Middle School and combined the former OMES building with Bullitt East High School.

However, that money came from restricted funding from the state. It had to be used for those specific projects.

"There's some changes recently in the legislature that allowed us to do some of these projects that we haven't been able to do in the past," Bacon said. "Unfortunately, for us, we can't utilize that money for operational costs."

Operational costs for districts include teacher raises, transportation, food services and facilities. Bacon said that's where Bullitt County — and similar rural districts with low wealth — struggle to get by.

That's why Bullitt County is among the districts across the sate urging lawmakers to fund public schools in a way that would help "get back on track."

"All of those things that I think all of us want as a community," Bacon said, suggesting teacher raises and transportation funding. "We could do that if we simply had the same purchasing power we had back in 2008."

Lawmakers will decide on public school funding in January.