Corbin Kentucky Profile / Effects of Budget Cuts on Small Towns

Corbin, Kentucky

Population: 8,324 (July 2008)

Estimated Household Income: $25,174

Education: 71.5% (high school or higher)

Race: 97.7% White – Non Hispanic

Construction Phase 1 of CHS. Due to budget cuts of the last year, the school is having to stall and make the construction that should’ve taken one to two

years last up to five.

The construction covers what used to be senior parking, and some of the underclassmen parking. Students and faculty alike are forced to park

anywhere they can, including nearby businesses.

Signs lining the construction zone around the school.

Left: Lunch tables have to be pushed and left to the side of the cafeteria after hours, because there are so many tables that they spill into the hallway.

Right: A classroom in the English wing has had to add 15 more chairs to accommodate the increase of students in the past year.

Left: Trash cans line the hallways when it rains in CHS, due to the fact that the school can’t get funds to fix the roof.

Right: The Media Center (half of it) is too small and only one class at a time can use the computers at a time.

Corbin Middle School:Left: CMS library only has 11 tables and 4 computers for students to use.

Right: I found more trashcans lining to hallways to catch rain because of the leaky roof.

$1,175,606 has been cut from Whitley County, Barbourville Independent, Williamsburg

Independent, Laurel County, and Corbin Independent School systems.

• The state has cut funding from Extended School Services, Textbooks, and Safe Schools in every school in Kentucky.– E.S.S : after school activities such as tutoring, mentoring, and generally a way to keep

students out of trouble.

– Safe Schools: Kentucky’s attempt to keep students and faculty safe anytime they are in school, whether it’s an athletic event or in the classroom.

• Although the state has already raised cigarette and alcohol taxes in February 2009, more needs to be done.– The state is considering making state employees pay more for their

health insurance. Although this would save the state over $200 million dollars in costs, it would put 150,000 Kentucky families in financial jeoprady.

– Kentucky pays 97% of public employee benefits, while other states only pay 88%.