By GAGE WILSON
For Glasgow News 1
“I will never be about just a test score,” said Caverna Superintendent Amanda Abell. “They do not determine success.” This was in response to questions about the school adopting its 2024-25 tax rate during the public comments section of the Caverna Board of Education’s meeting on Sept. 12. The comment came from an individual claiming that the district should not raise its tax rate as its test scores didn’t reflect a strong investment in its students.
Four people spoke during the public comment section and each about the tax rate. They each had the same sentiment, that the board should approve the compensating rate, which refers to the tax rate that would generate the same amount of revenue for the district as it did the previous fiscal year.
As the board began discussing the options for its tax rate, Abell invited Caverna’s Director of Finance and Business, Jeff Herron, to speak on the tax rate and answer questions that the board and attendees had.
“The compensating rate for real estate, you’ll see, is 75.8,” he said. “As for tangible, the rate is 78.4.” Breaking the rates down, with some assistance from Abell, Herron determined that should the board approve the compensating rate the district would stand to gain $3.5 million. Whereas, should the board adopt the four percent increase, it stands to gain $3.6 million.
After about half an hour of discussion, the board agreed with the public and unanimously decided to adopt the compensating rate for 2024-25.
The board also saw some discussion about an upcoming vote on a proposed amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, which would allow for tax-payer dollars to be spent on private educational institutions. The item was put on the agenda by the board’s chairman, Wayne Hatcher.
“I’ve always believed in the public school system,” he said. “I just think that it’s important that we educate ourselves on what this amendment would mean if it passes.”
The 2024 Kentucky Amendment 2 is a legislatively referred amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, which will be on the ballot for the November 2024 Kentucky general election. If enacted, the amendment will allow the Kentucky General Assembly to use taxpayer dollars to fund nonpublic schools.
“No action needs to be taken,” Hatcher said. “I just wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of this.”
The last notable item publicly discussed was the purchase of a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban for the district to be used for the transportation of students and staff for extracurricular activities. To better inform the board, the director of facilities, Tyler Richardson, came forward to answer any questions.
“Just to give you all an idea of the process,” he said, “if you are not using a bus to transport students, you have an alternate option of a nine passenger or less vehicle, it cannot be more than nine.”
The search for a vehicle meeting these standards has been difficult, with only two suitable options found through the combined efforts of Richardson and administrator Nathan Wyatt. After speaking with nearby districts, Richardson received a list of dealerships contracted with the state from which schools can purchase vehicles. “I called every dealership on that list and the only thing that I found were two available Suburbans in Louisville,” he said.
Board member Allision Dennison questioned the need for the new vehicle as well as the haste in which the decision needed to be made. Abell said that the district would be using funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) which will return to the state if unspent on Set. 30. Ultimately, the board decided to purchase one of the Suburbans to act as an extra vehicle.
With that, the board decided to enter closed session for a student disciplinary hearing and adjourned shortly thereafter.
Due to the next scheduled meeting falling on Fall break, the board decided to convene instead on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m.
