Spencer County Schools to notify families after voter list shows ~270 homes may be outside district

The Spencer County Schools superintendent told the board on May 28 that a voter-list discrepancy discovered in late April and early May shows roughly 270 homes might be located in neighboring counties, raising questions about which children are residents and which taxing entities should be collecting property taxes.

"We have no plans to rip the rug out from under you," the superintendent said, describing immediate steps the district will take: cross-reference the raw registered-voter list against school rosters, send written and email notifications to affected families, and open a special hardship application window through June 15 to document cases for the 2024-25 school year. Families who already filed hardship applications for '24–'25 will be included; the district will offer a separate window for newly identified households.

The superintendent said the district has been working with local officials — including Representative James Allen Tipton and county judge executive Scott Travis — and with the state facilities branch to understand the scope and legal/operational implications. He warned the issue affects more than school assignment: property valuations and multiple local taxing entities may see revenue impacts if parcels belong to another county.

Board members pressed staff for clarity about the number of affected students. The superintendent said the list is a raw registry of voters and must be verified to determine how many of the flagged homes include school-age children; that verification was expected to be completed within days. He said transportation and funding formulas will require further study because the district typically receives only the SEEK (state attendance) amount — about $4,300 per nonresident student — not local tax revenue.

For next steps the board approved staff outreach: send letters and emails to affected households this week; invite families to complete hardship applications by June 15; and continue cross-referencing data to produce an accurate count. The superintendent said longer-term options, including whether to pursue memoranda of understanding between counties for services, will be discussed during the 2024–25 year.

The board did not take a final policy vote on residency or tuition at the meeting; staff will return with specific data and proposed policy language as the verification and analysis proceed.