Kentucky State University funding wins state Senate OK

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate advanced legislation Wednesday that appropriates an extra $15 million for Kentucky State University on top of the $23 million school officials requested to stabilize finances.

Kentucky State, the state’s only public historically Black university, has remained under state oversight since last summer, when concerns about the school’s finances and lawsuits alleging misconduct by campus officials came to a head. A state report, ordered by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, later found evidence of poor financial management by university leadership.

The bill was altered in the Senate to include several changes that would affect how KSU operates and now heads back to the House.

For instance, the bill now gives the KSU Board of Regents the authority to fire any employee, including tenured employees, with a 30-day notice. The board would also be required to suspend its search for a university president until April 15, 2023.

Another provision requires Kentucky's Council on Postsecondary Education to approve any KSU expenditure over $5,000 and orders the school to provide financial reports to the council.