New Report Shows Continued Higher Education Gaps for Disadvantaged Students Alongside Funding Cuts
The state’s most recent accountability report for higher education—released this week—shows some progress in many areas but big challenges in...
Budget & Tax
Vast Inequality in Wealth Means Poor School Districts Are Less Able to Rely on Local Property Taxes
The cuts in state and federal funding for education are hitting Kentucky's school districts hard, and many are raising local taxes in response. However, the same local property tax increase...
Presentation: Kentucky’s Budget Outlook
Kentucky lawmakers will begin assembling what Speaker Greg Stumbo recently called a "destructive" two-year state budget when it reconvenes in January. Current projections suggest the weakest revenue growth since the...
State Must Begin Meeting Responsibility to Teachers’ Retirement or Pay More Later
The state has not been making full required contributions to Kentucky teachers' retirement since 2009, and the impact of not making those payments has a compounding effect—meaning more costs for...
Preliminary Forecast Predicts Weakest Revenue Growth Since Recovery Began
Kentucky currently expects to craft its next two-year budget with the least amount of new General Fund revenue it has had since the recovery began. This bad news comes despite...
Sequestration Cutting Housing Assistance for Thousands of Low-Income Kentuckians
As many as 4,000 fewer low-income Kentucky families will receive rental assistance by the end of 2014 if Congress does not reverse or substantially mitigate the damage done by sequestration...
Revenue Forecast for Next Budget Remains Weak
Today the official group charged with forecasting state revenue again approved a very modest General Fund revenue estimate for the upcoming two-year budget. Compared to the draft forecast they chose...
Testimony: Local Option Sales Tax
Interim Joint Committee on Local Government Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Jason Bailey and I am director of the Kentucky Center for...
Kentucky’s Income Tax Critical to Preventing Deeper Budget Cuts
The recession and weak recovery combined with an inadequate state tax system have led to $1.6 billion in state budget cuts over the last few years. But the situation would've...
Cuts to Snap Would Hurt Kentucky
House Republican leaders are calling for even deeper cuts to nutritional assistance for low-income adults and kids after the cuts they considered last month didn’t go far enough for some...