Boone County families pay more in property taxes but get less help from the state to fund their schools, Kentucky's top education official told a Florence audience Aug. 24.

Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher explained the structural disadvantage at the Rotary Club of Florence meeting, reported by WCPO. Under the state's equalization formula, districts in areas with higher property values receive a smaller share of state funding than districts in poorer areas.

"If you're in a high property value area, you probably don't get as much equalization or percentage equalization than maybe a school district that's in a low property value," Fletcher said.

The formula penalizes wealth.

That explanation lands as both Boone County and Campbell County weigh proposed property tax increases aimed at closing gaps left by the state formula. The Boone County Board of Education included a "2026-2027 Tax Presentation with Proposed Rates" on its Aug. 13 meeting agenda, though the district has not publicly released the specific rate it is proposing.

Inflation and a $373.5 million budget

Fletcher said inflation pressures that hit households also hit school budgets. The district's tentative working budget for fiscal year 2027, approved May 14, totals approximately $373.5 million, or about $17,850 per student. At its Sept. 11, 2025 meeting, the board levied tax rates generating the maximum 4% revenue increase allowed under state law: 65.5 cents per $100 valuation of real estate and tangible property, and 49.7 cents per $100 of motor vehicles.

Teacher shortages easing but not gone

Fletcher said teacher shortages are improving statewide but called for more people to enter the profession. Pat Morgan-Estes, a retired Boone County teacher who now works as a substitute, attended the Rotary meeting and said post-pandemic student collaboration remains a pressing classroom need across northern Kentucky.

What's next

The specific tax rate Boone County Schools will propose for 2026-2027 has not been confirmed in public documents. No vote date or public hearing has been set. Board agendas are posted on the KSBA public portal.