Boone County homeowners will pay more on their school tax bills despite a lower rate approved Aug. 31 by the school board.

The five-member board voted unanimously at a special meeting in Florence to set the real estate tax rate at 64.6 cents per $100 of assessed value. Tangible property was set at 65.5 cents and motor vehicles at 49.7 cents. Superintendent Jeff Hauswald recommended the rates as presented. Julie Maddox made the motion, Karen Byrd seconded it, and all five members voted yes: Byrd, Maddox, Jesse Parks, Carolyn Wolfe and Cindy Young, according to board meeting records.

The rates generate the maximum 4% revenue increase allowed under state law. But property assessments countywide jumped 21.9%, according to state Rep. Marianne Proctor of Union, who attended the meeting along with Rep. Steve Rawlings and Rep. TJ Roberts of Burlington. That assessment spike means most homeowners will see bigger bills even with the lower rate.

"They're gonna be paying more money even though the rate may be a little bit lower," Proctor told the board, as WCPO 9 first reported.

Resident Randy Steagall challenged the board directly, saying the increase significantly burdens fixed-income homeowners, retirees and the elderly.

Board member Byrd said holding revenue flat was not an option. Without the increase, the district faced cutting 42 positions from its schools, she said. Byrd also pushed back on how Frankfort views the county under the state's Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding formula, saying Boone County is labeled a "property-rich district" and expected to pay more than its fair share.

The frustration was mutual.

Board Chair Parks said the district is working to build schools strong enough that families would move to Boone County to enroll their children. Kelly Read of the Boone County Education Association directed her remarks at the legislators in the room, urging them to take the same passion back to Frankfort and fund education completely.

Rep. Rawlings countered that the district has the funds to operate within its means. Roberts said he agrees the SEEK formula has problems but called on the board to come to Frankfort for collaborative conversations about reform.

Data provided to WCPO 9 by state representatives showed Boone County could lose 2.7% of its SEEK funding in 2027. The same projections showed a 7.5% increase in local property tax collections would more than offset that loss.