[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6355015,"mediaKeyId","2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e","parentId",2219317,"title","Board questions rising legal costs, two board attorneys and in‑meeting counsel coverage","audioSeconds",338,"startMs",2271000,"endMs",2609000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e&start=2271&end=2609","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e/thumbnail_2271000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6355015/Kentucky/Board-questions-rising-legal-costs-two-board-attorneys-and-inmeeting-counsel-coverage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355015-eb0f9977242f3ac0ff337a77b19b92a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771052682&Signature=k6wLmnSCcnJ6TvvnTsO4TfPWkz2k1X3sAFyJWV47lIksVY0Mh2uxHWflT~4g9aN9qbj-u3UYV8o2U6DzyL1k4UqkXqA7ooGiQ0JCeUqKQhEv7TrfTUrGNvi-qFn-fdVUEHy0GhIMyalyxZNjaFqvgJCUsstn0WcmMZuQnbfLEwmnT2TH9FLWJf~MTme7vf-B6FHajQsG23lCB-KSZUZ65KR6M9gAnrsTzCOwUUTQ6mLOWis9D39wWfaCyyTPF~GK3EmLYbLFlRtWZ54ksT6h21BD8QdR4hl5ZRWjtKmgmDhzqrcSNSJjqFkzruJnJFS710kjCRs8qVRsVoUprP8cwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nelson County Schools District","date","2025-02-04T12:29:01Z","article","Board members discussed legal-services spending and the district’s current use of multiple attorneys during the Feb. 4 working session, with staff reporting increased board-attorney expenses over recent years.

A staff presentation showed that routine board-attorney spending runs roughly $70,000 to $75,000 in the current budget item and that, if recent higher spending continues, that line could reach “close to over $200,000” for the fiscal year. The presenters confirmed that legal costs covered by liability insurance (insurance-appointed counsel and settled insurance claims) are accounted for separately and do not appear in the board-attorney line item.

Board members and staff explained the current arrangement: the board has two board-appointed school attorneys, the primary being Mr. Tim Crawford, based in Corbin, Kentucky, and a second attorney (referred to in the meeting as limited or special counsel, Mr. Thompson) who was engaged for litigation-specific matters. One board member said limited counsel was “brought in just for limited counsel” to handle litigation and that, with litigation expected to conclude, the board might not need two retained attorneys going forward.

On insurance coverage, staff clarified that when the district’s liability insurer provides counsel for covered incidents, that expense is handled by the insurer; board-appointed counsel is used when the district requires representation not covered by insurance. As one participant put it, “It was board appointed counsel, not insurance appointed counsel,” when the litigation in question arose.

Board members asked whether a retainer model would be more cost‑effective than hourly or piecemeal engagement for recurring legal needs. Staff said they expected litigation-specific invoices to decline if current matters conclude but acknowledged travel and time costs for a primary attorney who lives outside the county — an issue raised about Mr. Crawford’s attendance at evening meetings.

Several board members stressed the importance of board‑attorney availability for tasks such as open-records questions, advice during Local Planning Committee meetings and ensuring board compliance with law during public votes. One board member said, “I see tremendous importance in having someone present during LPC meetings and our board member our board meetings around those topics to make sure that we are not misstepping in any way.”

No formal action on a change of counsel or a retainer was taken during the session; board members indicated the matter could return for policy or contracting discussion once the litigation status becomes clear.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Nelson County Board of Education Meeting February 4th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Board members reviewed a decade of legal spending, noted current annual board-attorney outlays and discussed whether to maintain two board-appointed attorneys as litigation activity winds down.","taxTitle","Nelson County, School Boards, Kentucky","taxId",57885,"location","Kentucky","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6355019,"Nelson County hears RSA advisor on $54M bonding capacity, readies LPC and selects Studio Kramer as architect",2462,3330000,5792000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e&start=3330&end=5792","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e/thumbnail_3330000.jpg","/articles/6355019/Kentucky/Nelson-County-hears-RSA-advisor-on-54M-bonding-capacity-readies-LPC-and-selects-Studio-Kramer-as-architect","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355019-6dac9cdd300af65b112eb5720ef41d0d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771052682&Signature=o9uc6eEiIEI7YubbSB9LOpPB-pFFitWGzG3Y3~NbYoIiYsKR24qHvQcwag9jWbfEBGDnORml1Ql-BMqVqqYSDnGEI-KWlqu-bZhTDRlGmbtNBDBqcsVpOltD4gqy55jroop1mq11Rg7ebc1S0XUTLAx-wzA17~NQQlAUt23hqP7Qpdbz5RoThslwaiDTSCGmc~eaLoeHeKTJfhxLtgJxqu3-QZUe45nUHkfWAldjsxw4PneFCdD9WjZEYMsPHBvOTaOAjU2NK8O-Hf7ual4TZ1iqtiu3~6wG9Ehexgr5WvufLRf22-~sG-rhfxL7SA~jj~1~i0e~wIfAUSywzmBU9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nelson County school leaders and an outside fiscal adviser reviewed district facility funding on Feb. 4, hearing that the district’s immediate bonding capacity is about $54 million and that conservative revenue-growth scenarios could push project capacity into the tens of millions more over time.

Lincoln Feiner, partner at RSA Advisors, told the Board the snapshot bonding capacity — calculated with no assumed property-value growth beyond current collections — is “$54,000,000” and explained two forces that can increase borrowing capacity over time: revenue growth (property-value collections and capital outlay allocations) and calendar roll‑off of existing bond debt. Feiner said a conservative forward-growth assumption of 3.5% would show materially larger borrowing capacity over a 20-year planning horizon.

Feiner explained the capital outlay formula and the state equalization mechanism that targets a facilities funding benchmark (approximately $605.50 per student in the current biennium) and described how state “equalization” dollars can act as a backstop when local collections do not meet that benchmark.

Feiner urged the board to use the local planning committee (LPC) process to document all unmet facility need, noting that the Schools Facilities Construction Commission (SFCC) evaluates facility plans partly by comparing a district’s unmet need against its bonding capacity. “The larger the unmet need you can put on your facility plan, the larger piece of pie you would get,” Feiner said, adding that shovel-ready projects and clear unmet-need statements are key to competing for state assistance.

Board members discussed timing: the Kentucky Department of Education reviews facility-plan drafts in February and the legislature considers facility funding in January 2026; the district must meet internal LPC deadlines to be included in that cycle. The board emphasized the strategic value of documenting needs even if local bonding capacity appears sufficient.

On a related action, the Board voted to approve Studio Kramer as the district’s 2025 local planning committee architect. A motion to approve Studio Kramer was made and seconded during the meeting; the board chair called for the vote and members responded “Aye.” The motion passed; the meeting record shows no roll-call tally of individual votes.

Studio Kramer representatives and district staff explained the architect’s LPC role: updating base floor plans and preparing the inventory and condition report, assembling draft facility-plan documents for KDE review, and producing scenario graphics to help the LPC visualize options. The board noted Studio Kramer’s recent involvement in local projects and agreed the firm’s familiarity with district buildings would be useful for the LPC.

RSA and district staff also discussed the district’s urgent-need positioning with SFCC and advised that, to be eligible for state assistance, districts typically must show unmet need exceeding local bonding capacity and have projects that are reasonably ready to move forward. Feiner said that project phasing and multi-year construction timelines are common and that the board should consider both short- and long-term plans when shaping the LPC’s recommendation.

A brief vote to adjourn followed later in the meeting and carried on a voice vote.","RSA Advisors presented bonding estimates and timelines for district facility funding; board approved Studio Kramer as the local planning committee architect and discussed state SFCC urgent-need funding timelines.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6355024,"Nelson County Board reviews fund accounting, grant reliance and payroll exposure",2479,665000,3144000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e&start=665&end=3144","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2219317-7059755854c02715dcec6894c48f2d4e/thumbnail_665000.jpg","/articles/6355024/Kentucky/Nelson-County-Board-reviews-fund-accounting-grant-reliance-and-payroll-exposure","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6355024-8fc35b65f960eb92fa38a1bd8452eed0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771052682&Signature=U88ioY3euWQqdP53tPqN9kOKSIm~vH-gD-Qj3wlyfeGJxUwT5tFXKlSAXBFdJTTnky~FL9KHMn-nJJtCf4l8n1bKVXq3DNeFVdD0RDyB15LAh6ktBMGfWQZrfwSYWdZB90MQY2tmMCX7o5iOTGMqaHjCVKfAKwyXDpfZrPeFaJrbqYFOEhLPhbjMRzvbb15eA1WOK5tGsQkt~fCSn1rAz4YtoxQYwPD1H5Ch8Nz49MyT2ph2G3uv-FNeodWhpFEIjxRCC5P7h1tNbdEWE~h5cOuziqac7sqDnHyku-zlAEHFXgFt-rG~QY2VQqAB8ceZQtZ0fL3xTUqn2gnu0652bA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nelson County school finance staff on Feb. 4 told the Board of Education that the district uses fund-based accounting that restricts how several large revenue streams can be spent and that roughly 16% of district payroll is funded through grants, about 9% of which is federal.

The briefing, led by finance presenters identified in the meeting as Miss Rogers and Jessica Shearhorn, laid out the district’s main funds and examples of what each can pay for. Shearhorn said, “we use fund accounting and that means everything is restricted, basically,” and explained that the general fund (fund 1) is the district’s primary, least-restrictive operating account while grant revenue (fund 2) is “the most restricted.”

The presentation stressed that student activity funds (funds 21/25) are tightly constrained by the Redbook rules and must be used for the student purpose for which they were raised. Shearhorn said fundraising proceeds “have to be very specific” — for example, for uniforms — and cannot be repurposed without a new, specific approval.

The district maintains separate proprietary funds for food service (fund 51) and childcare (fund 52), and a capital outlay fund funded by the state’s capital outlay formula. Miss Rogers described capital outlay as a state-determined allocation that “can only be used for approved projects and expenses.” Staff and an outside advisor explained that the capital outlay amount is calculated from average daily attendance and state formula rules.

On grants, the board was given an overview of major programs that support mental-health staffing, after-school 21st Century programs at Nelson County High and Thomas Nelson, reading intervention, preschool partnerships and a $10 million award targeted to career and technical education and a help center. Shearhorn told the board that grant-funded payroll represents “about 16%” of payroll and that “about 9% of that would be federal funds.”

Board members pressed staff on sustainability: whether positions now funded by grants — such as the mental-health director — can be carried in the general fund once grants end. Staff said the district is “actively talking with that team and planning for different scenarios,” and that grant cycles vary (some are competitive, others formula-driven).

Staff described their oversight workflow: a requisition and approval process routed through programmatic touch points, a finance coding review, and regular reporting to federal or state grant officers. Shearhorn and the finance director said they meet frequently to review programmatic and financial forms; federal grants require quarterly reports and annual audits that “look at every single dime,” staff said.

The presentation also explained how the district’s working budget is presented: the tentative/working budget approved in September does not include “on behalf” state payments or some transfers, which are recorded later as both revenue and expenses. Staff emphasized that legally the district budgets to zero (revenues equal expenses) but aims to end the year with a positive fund balance.

Board members asked how to be better prepared for future finance conversations; staff pointed to the monthly treasurer’s report, access to warrants showing every check written, and the ability to run custom reports from the district’s Munis system.

The discussion closed with board members noting the importance of sustaining classroom staffing and teacher pay and mentioning potential policy discussions about paid maternity leave and recruitment/retention investments that could be considered in future budgets.","School finance staff briefed the Nelson County Board of Education on fund-based accounting, major grants that support mental-health and after-school programs and the share of payroll paid with grant dollars.","actionData","errors"]

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Board questions rising legal costs, two board attorneys and in‑meeting counsel coverage

Nelson County hears RSA advisor on $54M bonding capacity, readies LPC and selects Studio Kramer as architect

Nelson County Board reviews fund accounting, grant reliance and payroll exposure