Rockcastle County Schools unveil $44 million tentative budget; general fund tops roughly $37 million

Miss Jenny, a district staff member, presented the Rockcastle County Schools tentative fiscal year 2026 budget to the Board of Education, describing total budgeted activity across funds of about $44,000,000 and general fund revenues and expenditures "a little over $37,000,000." The presentation took place during a special-called board meeting on the night the agenda was adopted by unanimous voice vote.

The budget matters because it funds classroom instruction, transportation, building and debt service, and other core operations for the district. Miss Jenny said salary and fringe account for almost 50% of general fund expenses, and that the district is maintaining a tentative contingency of 6.67% (15.81% when restricted contingency/CDs are included).

Miss Jenny said the district’s SEEK (state) forecast is $17,417,663 and local tax revenue is estimated at $2,692,519; she noted that on-behalf payments (state-paid benefits) inflate the budget figure and were estimated at about $9,400,000. She told the board the district’s general fund and related funds reflect carry-forward dollars, the SEEK increase for the year, and a local plan to transfer tax receipts into the building fund. "Investing in education is not just a line item in a budget," she said, describing the budget as a "down payment on the future."

The presentation included several line-item details: a capital-outlay SEEK allocation of $244,900; building-fund new revenue estimated at $3,650,504 (not including carry forward); food-service revenues and expenditures budgeted at $3,417,481; and debt service figures near $1,900,000. Miss Jenny said the district recorded $4,495,512 in current building-fund cash on the prior month’s balance sheet, estimated next-year debt payments of $1,975,591 and projected an ending building-fund cash balance near $6,170,425 after those payments were made.

Transportation and facilities were highlighted as inflation-affected areas. Miss Jenny reported a bus replacement cost of $152,514 for a bus recently damaged, with insurance proceeds of $46,785; she said the district will spend roughly $563,000 on buses next year based on previously approved purchases and the replacement need. She noted transportation funding from the state rose and that full transportation funding for the district would be about $413,906.

Miss Jenny said the district plans a 2% across-the-board raise built into the salary schedule (discussed separately on the agenda) and that the budget includes an estimated 17% insurance premium increase that would equate to about $75,000 in additional premiums. The district is also budgeting additional operational dollars for the Rock Building and a new athletics/fields line with $105,000 set aside for equipment and maintenance; a roughly $16,000 equipment purchase was cited as part of that plan.

Board members asked clarifying questions about monthly payroll (noted in the presentation as roughly $1.2 million), timing of grant awards for Fund 2 (most awards expected by August), and the separate construction fund (Fund 360) already in use for an ongoing construction project. Miss Jenny said the district has been tracking unfunded mandates and reviewing software subscriptions and instructional-program spending.

The board moved, seconded and approved the tentative FY2026 budget by voice vote during the meeting. Miss Jenny said the district will continue to refine the working budget for the coming year, publish required documents on the district website, and begin uploading monthly financial statements next fiscal year as required by the cited KRS requirement.

Questions and next steps include finalizing grant awards (timing varies by grant), monitoring insurance-cost proposals at the next meeting, and returning with a more refined working budget for formal adoption later in the cycle.