District overview

Newport Independent School District

Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.

How Newport's budget and Board decisions fit together

A five-member elected Board governs a district funded by local property taxes, Kentucky SEEK aid and restricted grants. The Board adopted FY2027 tax rates on September 9, approved its $28.60 million working budget on September 23 and held an SGO readiness work session October 14.

The FY2027 working budget balances $19.60 million in the General Fund and $28.60 million across listed annual funds, including a $3.89 million General Fund beginning balance and $1.99 million contingency. SEEK is Kentucky's attendance- and membership-driven foundation program; local taxes, federal programs and restricted grants also shape spending. FY2026 period-12 records separately provide districtwide actual fund expenditures. The reviewed sources do not provide a directly comparable per-pupil expenditure.

FY2026 ended with $15.06 million in unaudited general-fund expenditures

The period-12 report shows $18.92 million in general-fund revenue. It separately reports $4.40 million in special-revenue expenditures, $2.09 million in construction expenditures and $1.07 million in food-service expenditures.

The Board approved a $28.60 million FY2027 working budget

The September packet balances $19,596,121.94 in the General Fund and $28,600,269.62 across listed annual funds, including $1,986,994.01 in General Fund contingency. These are budgeted amounts, distinct from paid invoices and actual expenditures.

The Board adopted FY2027 property-tax rates on September 9

Approved September 9 minutes record 79 cents per $100 for real property, 86.4 cents for personal property and 99.3 cents for motor vehicles, all adopted 5-0.

Current policies cover the instructional-day phone rule and generative AI

Policy 09.4261 restricts student phone use during the instructional day with stated exceptions. Policy 08.2323 requires safe and responsible AI procedures.

Voters choose two Board members on November 3

The official Campbell County ballot lists Ramona Malone, Sylvia Covington and Benjamin A. Middendorf in a vote-for-two Newport Board contest.

The reviewed records document clean FY2025 audit opinions and no reported internal-control or federal-compliance findings, while a separate management letter identifies recurring school-activity-fund process issues.

Where the district stands

FY2026 unaudited general-fund revenueverified

18,917,030.04 dollars

FY2026 unaudited general-fund expendituresverified

15,056,071.9 dollars

FY2026 construction expendituresverified

2,092,423.52 dollars

Gifted and talented designations reported July 2026verified

111 student designations

FY2027 working budget, listed annual fundsverified

28,600,269.62 dollars

Major projects

Career and technical education renovations

BG-4 approved September 2026; BG-5 remains the next closeout step

The September BG-4 reports $1,052,203.07 in construction cost, January 26 punch-list completion and August 14 record documents. The Board approved BG-4 and three contract adjustments on September 23; the architect letter says BG-5 follows KDE approval.

Next: KDE review and BG-5 final closeout.

Mar 25, 2026Board minutes reported CTE work complete.
May 27, 2026Board approved a $33,332 contract increase.
Jun 24, 2026Board approved two material-use credits totaling $5,085.56.
Sep 23, 2026Board approved BG-4 and three contract adjustments; BG-5 remained next.

Funding

The BG-4 reports total construction cost; earlier minutes identify grant funding.

Future construction and major-renovation financing

Financing reviewed; no bond or project approval in the reviewed minutes

The Board accepted $18,431 in annual SFCC debt-service assistance. In May, its adviser modeled $9.935 million local and $1.505 million SFCC bonding capacity, but the minutes record review only and no project or bond authorization.

Next: Watch future Board agendas for a named facility project, BG filing, bond resolution or construction authorization.

Jan 28, 2026Board accepted the $18,431 annual SFCC offer.
May 13, 2026Adviser reviewed projected $11.44 million total bonding capacity; no action was taken.

Funding

Potential local and SFCC-supported debt; no bond was approved in the reviewed period.

District-office masonry and parapet repair

Emergency $113,100 project and architect agreement approved

The Board approved an emergency masonry quote and capital request September 9 and a $5,000 architect agreement September 23. The BG-1 budgets $94,600 construction and $18,500 other costs for a $113,100 total, funded with capital funds.

Next: Watch later Board records for a construction contract, BG filing, final scope and total project cost.

Sep 9, 2026Board approved the emergency masonry quote and capital request.
Sep 23, 2026Board approved the owner-architect agreement.

Funding

Capital Funds Request; $94,600 construction plus $18,500 other project costs.

Recent news

Based on substantive review of all 366 collected official sources: 24 Board meeting pages, 321 attachments, two current policies and 19 official meeting-caption records. One earlier attachment is an exact duplicate, leaving 365 distinct reviewed records.

Get alerts for Newport Independent School District

We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.

View alerts for this district