As Jefferson County Public Schools faces a major budget crisis, Kentucky lawmakers are proposing legislation they say would give the public clearer insight into how school districts spend taxpayer money.
The proposal follows large budget shortfalls this year in both Jefferson and Fayette counties, raising concerns about how the deficits developed and why warning signs were overlooked.
“Really looking at what was being exposed and the amount of money that was unaccounted for, we started to talk amongst ourselves about how to put some financial barriers and transparency measures in place so we can see this budgeting process as it moves through,” said State Sen. Lindsey Tichenor.
Tichenor filed Senate Bill 3, which would require school districts to post detailed financial information online each month. The reports would include monthly financial statements, vendor payments, credit card statements, and superintendent compensation, all housed in one centralized location on district websites.
“Currently, you can dig around and find some of this information, but it’s not all easily accessible to the public,” Tichenor said. “I think it’s really going to require districts to be more accountable with the money.”
Jefferson County Public Schools currently operates a public finance dashboard that meets some of the proposed requirements, such as displaying vendor payments. However, it does not include monthly financial reports or credit card statements.
The bill would also require school districts to provide school board members with a copy of the proposed budget at least two weeks before any public budget meeting. Several board members told WDRB they received this year’s proposed budget just one week before the meeting.
Tichenor said lawmakers consulted with multiple school districts while drafting the bill, though not with JCPS. She said discussions with the district have taken place since the bill was filed.
WDRB reached out to JCPS for comment on the proposed legislation but did not receive a response.
When asked whether the current JCPS budget crisis might have been avoided if the law had been in place years earlier, Tichenor said, “I would hope it would have prevented it. When you have accountability and transparency, you handle money in a much different way.”
Tichenor said she expects the bill to receive bipartisan support.
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