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Estill County Board adopts revised division boundary map to meet Kentucky population rule
Summary
The Board of Education adopted a revised five-district boundary map and directed the superintendent to file and publish the map as required by KRS after lawyers and a consultant found decades-old discrepancies and population imbalances.
On Jan. 23, 2025, the Estill County Board of Education voted 4-0 to adopt a revised board division boundary map and directed the superintendent to file and publish the new boundaries as required by KRS.
Board member Mr. Brock explained the change followed the resignation of board member Mr. Covey and the appointment of Mr. Crawford. Brock said the state determined Crawford had been seated in a different district after the local appointment, which prompted a review of the district description language. Brock told the board the previously published boundary descriptions appeared to date back about 30 years and were handwritten or typed; some had inked corrections. "We couldn't seem to find that," Brock said, and lawyers advised the board not to simply revert wording without formal action.
Brock said the district engaged Bluegrass Development Group to overlay the five board districts on census data to test population equality. Under the Kentucky State Constitution, population size between districts must be within 10 percent; Bluegrass Development Group adjusted lines to bring districts within that margin while keeping changes minimal, Brock said. He also said the district provided the consultant with current board members' addresses to avoid changing the districts that had already been the subject of recent votes. Brock said the county clerk approved the placement of "Joe" in that seat pending the boundary update.
Tammy Hardy moved to adopt the revised board division boundary map; Sheila Samples seconded. The board approved the motion on a roll-call vote: Tammy Hardy — yes; Carrie Smallwood — yes; Sheila Samples — yes; Donna Isford (recorded in the meeting as "Donna Gasper" in one roll-call) — yes. The motion carries 4-0.
Brock told the board the revised map will be published at the courthouse and in the local paper and that residents may review the new boundaries at the school district office. The board did not at this meeting open discussion to public input on the map, nor did it adopt any additional implementation timeline beyond the required filing and publication steps.
