Assessing the Equity of Kentucky's SEEK Formula: A 10-Year Analysis

response the landmark ruling of the Kentucky Supreme Court in Rose v. Council for Better Education1 in June 1989, the Kentucky General Assembly dramatically changed the system of public K-12 education in that state. Among the many components of that ruling, the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld an earlier Circuit Court ruling2 holding that the state's school finance system violated the Kentucky Constitution's education clause, which requires the General Assembly to provide an efficient system of common schools throughout the Commonwealth.3 In assessing the constitutionality of the Kentucky school finance system, the Circuit Court had found that:4 1. There was marked variation in property wealth of school districts 2. The allocation of state aid did not compensate for the variation in wealth 3. There was a wide disparity in the per-pupil revenue of schools districts 4. The quality of education was contingent on available revenue The Circuit Court concluded that an efficient school finance