lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

During a meeting of the Danville Independent School District Board of Education meeting on Sept. 3, the board voted to increase the tax rate on real property from 87.7 cents to 90 cents per 100 dollars of assessed property value for the 2025 fiscal year.

The rate is the first time the district has raised the tax rate in the last five years, with the tax rate in 2023 being 97.1 cents. According to information provided during the meeting, a home priced at the Zillow median home price in Danville at 232,000 dollars will see a tax bill increase of roughly 42 dollars.

With the increased rate, the district is now qualified for equalization funding through the Kentucky Department of Education which will provide the district with 4 million more dollars of funding annually.

“I look at this as a 40 or 50 dollar a year investment into our school district that will get us an additional 4 million dollars in funding from the state,” said board member Steve Becker. “It is really hard to turn down 4 million dollars. Right now the state has funding for this, it might not be here next year.”

The additional funding will be used for numerous building projects in the school district. Larger projects will include renovations to Bate Middle School and Admiral Stadium, the Danville High School Anchor Plaza project, which adds an outdoor classroom area for students, and renovating the Gore House into a student support building that will focus on mental health and community support, along with a kitchen and additional resources for migrant families, unhoused students, and youth services. Smaller projects will include things such as ADA compliance, upkeep of district properties, and energy savings projects.

“We have 40 to 50 million dollars in construction needs,” Becker said, “We have old buildings, the high school was completed in 1964. It is in beautiful shape because we have taken care of our buildings through the years. This gives us an opportunity to make our buildings look great while better accommodating our students and staff. I don’t like raising taxes but this will be good for our kids.”

Renovations of Bate Middle School and the Danville High School Anchor Plaza project are scheduled to begin in the spring. This will be thr first renovations for Bate Middle School and Admiral Stadium since their original construction in the 1970’s.

Tax rates on motor vehicles and personal property remain unchanged at 66.9 cents and 94.4 cents per 100 dollars of assessed value, respectively.