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Kentucky Department of Education official asks for $14.6 million to stabilize KETS services
Summary
A Department of Education official told the Budget Review Subcommittee that the Kentucky Education Technology System needs an additional $14.6 million annually to stabilize operations, sustain statewide services (Infinite Campus, Munis, cybersecurity) and avoid shifting costs to school districts.
A Kentucky Department of Education official asked the Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary & Secondary Education & Workforce Development for an additional $14,600,000 a year to shore up the Kentucky Education Technology System (KETS), saying the office has reached a point where services may have to be shifted to local districts without new funding.
"We save 40 to 60% in cost of school districts buying that themselves," the official told committee members, describing centralized purchasing and federal e‑rate discounts that the office says provide substantial economies of scale. The presenter said the request would raise the program’s annual funding from $15,400,000 to $30,000,000.
The official outlined six priorities tied to the request, including funding for a computer science and information technology academy, beefed-up cybersecurity defenses for K–12 districts, statewide online student registration through Infinite Campus, stabilization of ongoing Infinite Campus operational costs (identified in the presentation as approximately $1,600,000), cost‑of‑living adjustments for services such as the state financial management system, and restored district assistance grants that previously approached $25 per student.
Committee members heard specific justifications: the presenter cited large increases in attempted cyberattacks on K–12 organizations and argued federal e‑rate discounts return four dollars for every state dollar invested. The official also said that KETS—created in 1992 and described in the presentation as a national leader—has not received a cost‑of‑living increase since its inception and that prior budget reductions have removed roughly $11,000,000 in annual funding over time.
Representative Bojanowski confirmed the current appropriation and the requested increase during a brief exchange; the presenter reiterated the historical funding levels and cuts. Representative Chairman Lewis, speaking from experience as a former superintendent, praised the office’s offers of assistance to districts and expressed support for preserving those services.
The committee did not take a formal vote during the meeting. Presenters asked legislators to consider the request to avoid shifting costs to local districts and to preserve statewide services that, according to the presentation, provide data and operational support used by districts and by the legislature.
