During an online meeting Thursday, the Kentucky Center for School Safety unanimously approved budgets for fiscal years ’25 and ’26. Per-pupil funding will increase from $13.11 to $15.71 and for the first time, per the General Assembly, private schools will receive a share. Executive Director John Akers:
“We've been trying to help out our friends in private schools for years there, but now, it's been codified a little bit more. And so therefore, we're going to reach out to them in a more official capacity to see what we can do to help them out.”
Akers also discussed the amount of funding for school counselors and related staff for each district.
“The state allocation that we're recommending would be $43,095. It says school based mental health care people, not just counselors, that can be spent for school psychologists, or workers as well.”
Akers said district superintendents and boards of education will decide how to allocate those dollars. House Bill 6 set aside $7.4 million per year for school-based mental health services. Overall, school safety spending will increase from $13 million annually the last six years to $15 million the next two.
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