(Photo by J. Tyler Franklin)The current GOP budget proposal would decrease school transportation funding by almost $40 million — a nearly 10% decrease compared to the current budget year.School superintendents told lawmakers in a budget review subcommittee Tuesday that underfunding transportation through the state’s funding formula known as SEEK, would mean fewer resources for classrooms.Superintendent John Siler of southeastern Whitley County Schools says in previous years, when transportation was only partially funded, they had to take money from their general fund that would normally go to instructional resources like laptops. In the 2025 fiscal year, transportation was only partially funded and Siler’s district had to make up the other $900,000.“It also helps us when we can protect our general fund and not have to fill in the gaps for transportation shortfalls to increase our salaries for our teachers,” Siler said. “That helps us attract new teachers. It helps us retain the great ones that we already have.”The superintendents also told legislators they need to add funding into the budget for new school facilities — both by matching funds raised through local levies and by providing the second stage of state financing for partially-funded buildings. GOP Rep. Jason Petrie from Elkton, who chairs the House appropriations and revenue committee, has called the proposed budget “bare bones,” saying it is likely to change significantly before passing.The underfunding of transportation has prevented Siler’s district from replacing school buses at the rate recommended by the Kentucky Department of Education. At the recommended rate, their oldest bus should be about 15 years old, but his district is still using some buses that have been operating since 2008, he said.“If you talk to any of these superintendents, we want to keep our kids safe, not only in the school buildings, but as we transport them to and from school,” Siler said. “It's also going to allow us to keep our instructional funds where they need to be.”GOP Rep Scott Lewis, a former Kentucky superintendent and school board member from Hartford, asked superintendents to share exactly how much of their transportation needs are currently being met.“One of our goals since we've been up here is to get that at 100%,” Lewis said.The two-year budget lawmakers passed in 2024 fully funded the local transportation costs of K-12 public school districts in its second year — the one we’re currently in — and left the first year at roughly 80% funding levels. It was the first year the state government had fully funded those costs in more than two decades, despite the fact that it is required under law.According to the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s proposed budget also would not fully fund school transportation, requiring an estimated $89 million each year to do so. House Democratic leadership has presented their own proposed budget; it would keep funding steady at nearly $400 million over the two-year period.Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said the cost of a bus has exploded since the pandemic — costs that are also mimicked in building expenses.The costs of various school buses have increased by tens of thousands of dollars since 2022, according to data presented by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators.For example, a 52-passenger bus would cost $130,799 in 2022. This year, that bus would cost $160,036. ...read more read less