The Boone County Board of Education will vote Aug. 13, on proposed property tax rates for the 2026-27 school year, the first step in a new two-part process required by a state law passed this spring.
The vote, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the board's regular meeting, marks the proposal stage only. Under the new Kentucky law, districts must publish proposed rates for two weeks and then hold a separate public hearing before formally adopting them. Previously, boards could set rates in a single meeting.
The specific rates the board will propose Thursday have not been publicly released. The agenda item, listed as "2026-2027 Tax Presentation with Proposed Rates," appears on the board's posted agenda.
For most Boone County homeowners, the school district levy is the largest single piece of their annual property tax bill.
What last year looked like
The board voted in September 2025 to levy rates generating the maximum 4% revenue increase allowed under state law: 65.5 cents per $100 of assessed value for real estate and tangible property, and 49.7 cents per $100 for motor vehicles. On a home assessed at $100,000, that real estate rate translates to $655 in school taxes alone.
That decision drew attention at the Nov. 4, 2025 Boone County Fiscal Court meeting in Burlington. Commissioner Chet Hand noted that "all taxing districts reduced their tax rate this year with the exception of the school board." County Judge/Executive Gary Moore explained that a school board rate increase can offset savings from county cuts on a resident's overall bill.
New rules, new options
Each year, Kentucky school boards choose among three rate paths: a compensating rate that collects the same total revenue as the prior year, a rate generating up to 4% more revenue, or a rate above that 4% ceiling. Choosing the above-4% option triggers a 45-day window in which residents can petition for a recall vote after formal adoption.
Selecting the "4% increase" option does not always mean the per-dollar rate goes up. When property values rise faster than 4%, the rate per $100 can actually drop while still generating more total revenue, according to LINK nky.
Budget context
The board unanimously approved a tentative working budget of $373.5 million for fiscal year 2027, roughly $17,850 per student, at its May 14 meeting. Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald leads the district.
How to weigh in
Residents who want to address the board may speak during the Audience of Citizens portion of Thursday's meeting, with comments limited to two minutes per speaker. The meeting streams live on YouTube.
A separate public hearing to formally adopt the 2026-27 rates must follow at least two weeks after Thursday's vote. That hearing date has not been announced.
