Sustaining the Promise of SEEK: Keeping Kentucky’s Commitment to Every Child

For more than thirty years, Kentucky has relied on the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky formula to fulfill a simple but powerful promise: every child deserves access to a high-quality public education, no matter their zip code. The SEEK formula was designed to make this promise real by supporting equity, strengthening local schools, and prioritizing the needs of students and educators.

Today, that promise remains just as vital. Our districts continue to serve students with rising academic, mental health, transportation, and safety needs. Yet while expectations for schools have grown, state funding has not kept pace with real costs. As a result, local communities carry an increasing share of the burden, which challenges fairness and weakens our commitment to the Kids First mission.

When we look at historical trends, the issue becomes clearer. In 2008, the inflation-adjusted SEEK base was the equivalent of $5,743 per student. Today, even with periodic increases, Kentucky has not restored that level of investment. Districts, especially those with lower property wealth, are forced to rely heavily on local revenue to maintain basic programs, staffing, and student supports. This widens the gap between communities and places additional pressure on families.

As we move into a new budget cycle, this is a central KASS legislative priority. Closing the SEEK shortfall and ensuring sustainable growth in state funding is essential not just for the next two years but for long-term district planning and stability.

The SEEK base is only part of the equation. Add-on components provide targeted funding for transportation, full-day kindergarten, mental health professionals, school safety officers, and other essential services. These supports reflect the real needs of Kentucky students and the increasing expectations placed on schools. Fully funding these add-ons is not optional. It is a core part of delivering on our constitutional responsibility to provide every child with an efficient system of common schools.

KASS continues to advocate for full reimbursement for school resource officers, codification of school facility funding efficiencies (such as those in HB 727), and financial impact statements on every education bill to prevent unfunded mandates for districts.

SEEK can and should evolve to reflect the modern realities of public education. KASS supports improvements that include:

• Annual SEEK adjustments that track inflation so districts are not losing purchasing power each year
• Modernizing add-on structures to account for actual costs
• Aligning state and local contributions toward a sustainable 60/40 balance
• Ensuring consistency and predictability so districts can build long-term budgets with confidence

When we talk about SEEK, we are ultimately talking about fairness. A child in a rural Eastern Kentucky county deserves every opportunity available to a child in a suburban or urban district. With consistent and equitable funding, schools can continue:

• Recruiting and retaining high-quality educators
• Expanding mental health and academic supports
• Providing safe learning environments
• Offering robust pathways in career and technical education, college preparation, and workforce development

The way ahead is clear. Kentucky must commit to a sustainable, fully funded SEEK system that acknowledges the real cost of educating our children. By doing so, we keep our promise to students, families, and communities. We also ensure that public education remains the Commonwealth’s most powerful driver of opportunity, mobility, and economic strength.

Together, with a unified voice and a Kids First vision, we can build a future where every student across Kentucky is supported, valued, and prepared for success.