SUMMARY: In Lexington, KY, a messy weather pattern is expected to bring significant rainfall and flooding threats this weekend, with 2.5 to 5 inches of rain forecasted. A weak system will produce scattered rain today, particularly in southern and southeastern Kentucky, with a Winter Weather Advisory in place for light freezing drizzle in the north. Temperatures will rise today but drop into the 20s by Thursday, with possible light snow showers. A powerful storm system is predicted for Friday night into Saturday, causing flash flooding concerns, especially in flood-prone areas. Colder temperatures will follow the storm into early next week.

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Election security investment is a national security imperative

by Trey Grayson, Kentucky Lantern
February 12, 2025

Last November, the American people made their voices heard at the ballot box. Up and down the ballot, there was a clear mandate for Republican leadership, especially at the federal level. What was also very clear was that the public servants who ran our elections made sure that voters were safe, the process was secure, and that all eligible voters had the opportunity to cast a ballot.

To make all of that happen, time and resources are required. Election workers spend months preparing for election day — they test voting equipment, hire part-time staff and poll workers, determine polling locations, and so much more. And to do all of this, election workers need to have sufficient funding and resources from the local, state and federal levels.

Federal election funding can be a massive help for local election officials. During the first Trump administration, Congress allocated over $400 million in fiscal 2020 for election security funding. Since then, we have seen a steep decline in federal resources dedicated to safeguarding the security of our elections. In fiscal 2024, only $55 million was allocated for protecting our election infrastructure. 

This decline in federal investment comes while foreign adversaries have sought to interfere with our elections and destabilize our democracy. With these new cybersecurity threats on the rise, we should be investing more in our election security infrastructure, not less. Regular federal support for election workers will go a long way to bolstering our cybersecurity infrastructure and preventing foreign interference in our democracy. 

These federal resources serve other critical functions as well. In addition to boosting our cybersecurity posture, election workers can use federal resources to purchase new equipment, update voter registration systems, provide training to staff and poll workers, and hire additional staff. These additional resources can help jurisdictions count their votes more quickly, so that we don’t have to wait a month to find out who controls the U.S. Congress.

One thing that additional resources will not change: It is up to Kentucky’s – and other state’s — leadership to make decisions about how these resources are spent. 

As Congress returns its focus to finalizing the fiscal 2025 budget, I urge my fellow Republicans to appropriate $75 million in election funding, the level of investment unanimously advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee last year. As they did during the first Trump administration, Republican leaders in both chambers should continue to advocate for this funding and show that securing our election infrastructure is a top issue.

As the former secretary of state in Kentucky who is still very involved in elections administration, I am keenly aware of the hard work, effort, and resources that go into running safe and secure elections. As the threats against our democracy become more frequent and sophisticated, Congress must provide the necessary resources to combat these challenges. And with new Republican leadership, now is the time to pass $75 million in election security grants.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

Kentucky lawmakers, education officials discuss school funding shortfall 

by McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern
February 11, 2025

FRANKFORT — Kentucky Department of Education officials appeared before a House subcommittee Wednesday morning to discuss a state funding shortfall that could impact local school districts.

Last month, Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher wrote in a memo that KDE is predicting a SEEK funding shortfall of about $40 million in the 2024-25 academic year, after “a detailed review of preliminary data.” 

On Tuesday, Fletcher told lawmakers that multiple factors that go into the SEEK formula, such as growth in the numbers of students and English language learners and change in property values, were different than what was projected. He called the process of arriving at estimates “a consensus building process between the Office of State Budget Director” and KDE. 

“We arrive at numbers on a very complex modeling and of course, this modeling happened in the fall of 2023, so … we’re at the point now having to deal with what was projected in 2023,” Fletcher said. 

The KDE officials appeared before the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education and Workforce Development to discuss the data used to predict how much money the legislature should budget for schools under SEEK, or Support Education Excellence in Kentucky,

The formula determines the amount of state funding to local school districts. It has a base per-pupil funding allocation, along with additional funding for factors like transportation costs or the number of students in a district who qualify for additional resources like special education, free or reduced-price meals and English language assistance.

Fletcher wrote in his January memo that a SEEK shortfall previously occurred four times between fiscal years 2010 and 2024.

Of the $40 million shortfall predicted for this year, $14.7 million of the amount is required under state law. The remaining $26 million is designated for local school districts if funds are available. 

According to KDE’s presentation, if no action is taken on the shortfall, the $14.7 million would come out of monthly payments given to school districts between April and June. Chay Ritter, the director of the Division of District Support in KDE, gave an example of how Jefferson County Public Schools, the state’s largest district, could be impacted if no action is taken on the shortfall. The district would receive $1.3 million less than the SEEK calculation this fiscal year.

“Making that cut for some districts, it may be a hiccup. For others, it may be pretty rough,” Ritter said. “So, we’re very conscious of that, and that’s why we obviously try to avoid that.” 

A presentation slide showed that estimates of various factors in the SEEK formula were within 0.2% to 10.1% of the actual cost. The required $14.7 million is about 0.5% of the $2.7 billion appropriated for schools through SEEK.

Last Tuesday, Republican House Speaker David Osborne, of Prospect, reiterated comments he made after KDE raised the alarm on a possible SEEK funding shortfall. Osborne said it was a “disturbing trend” to “continue to see bad information and bad data.” He added that it has been “several years now that we have seen inaccurate information.” 

“I don’t think it’s intentional, but there’s a disconnect somewhere in getting us good information,” Osborne said. “That’s all we have when we make budgets, is the information that we’re given on those things. So for us to construct a budget, we’ve got to have good data going in. 

Osborne said that the data comes from a combination of what KDE provides and what the legislature requests. When asked if that process could change in the future, Osborne said “it very well could. 

Meanwhile, Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, of Manchester, told reporters that he had been in conversations with KDE about the predicted SEEK funding shortage. 

“There was a little bit of an undercount, but not much,” he said. “There was an impact of increased property taxes. So, there were several components to this that caused us to have a shortfall, but it’s not unusual that occurs because different things happen.” 

Stivers said adjustments have been made before on SEEK funding throughout his time in the legislature. 

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.