Kentucky Opinion Allows County Funds for School Security

The attorney general's office ruled that county funds can support school resource officers at public and private schools.

Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Financial Aid

Kentucky Opinion Allows County Funds for School Security

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Should your local government use public funds to provide security services at private schools?

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman issued an opinion authorizing the use of county general funds to station school resource officers at both public and private institutions. This decision enables sheriff offices to seek cost reimbursements from these schools to bolster campus safety.

Why it matters

The ruling aims to increase private school participation in safety programs while potentially lowering the financial burden on all participating school districts. By permitting the use of general funds, counties may be better equipped to provide consistent law enforcement presence on campuses statewide.

Boone County currently requires private schools to pay 100% of officer expenses, while public school districts cover up to 40% of an officer's time. The new opinion allows for a broader application of county general funds to cover these costs.

The players

Russell Coleman

He serves as the Attorney General of Kentucky and authored the recent legal opinion on school funding.

The details

Sheriff offices pay for salaries, training, uniforms, and equipment through their own budgets before requesting reimbursement. Funding would be allocated directly to the sheriff office to facilitate the placement of officers rather than being distributed to the schools themselves.

October 12, 2026: The attorney general's opinion was written.
October 20, 2026: The opinion was officially released to the public.

Culture Shift

This opinion reflects a broadening of the public purpose doctrine as it applies to educational security. It signals a shift toward integrating private institutions into county-funded safety infrastructure previously reserved for public facilities.

Residents in Boone County may see new proposals in the county budget intended to offset school resource officer costs. Private school families and public school districts could see shifts in the financial requirements for maintaining a police presence on their campuses.

The takeaway

This ruling provides a legal pathway for counties to standardize security funding across different types of school systems. Local administrators can now look toward county-level budget proposals to address the costs of law enforcement staffing.