This article presents Kentucky's education finance and governance profile. Kentucky is home to approximately 4,241,474 people according to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates. This represents 1.41% of the entire U.S. population. In terms of education spending, for the 2007-08 school year, Kentucky spent an average of $8,839 per pupil. Overall Kentucky K-12 education expenditures totaled $5,907,430,743 for the year. For the state of Kentucky, this $8,839 spending figure represents 16.3% of the state's median household income. The funds are generated from federal sources (8.5%), state sources (55.6%), and local sources (35.9%). Kentucky's K-12 education system is overseen by the Kentucky Board of Education, which consists of 12 members. In the Kentucky system, there are 43,788 teachers and 7,965 nonteacher staff members. One of the major K-12 challenges Kentucky is facing is the professionalization and quality of its teachers. Kentucky has taken steps to modernize its student assessment program. A bill recently passed by the state legislature calls for a new state assessment system that is to be aligned with international benchmarks. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)