KEA Supports Beshear Budget, Focus on Education Funding

By EDDIE CAMPBELL

Kentucky Education Assolciation President

KEA fully supports Governor Beshear’s proposed budget. He promised during his campaign that public education will be the cornerstone of his administration’s policies.  The budget he presented this evening backs up those words with action.

In stark contrast to the 2018 budget, Gov. Beshear proposed meaningful investments in public education, not cuts. He made good on his commitment to school safety by funding the first phase of SB1 as passed by the General Assembly last year.  His budget increases per pupil SEEK funding, restores desperately needed money for textbooks and instructional materials, and funds support for pre-K and early learning for disadvantaged populations across the Commonwealth.

The proposed budget addresses Kentucky’s teacher shortage by committing to fully funding public employee pensions, raising public teacher salaries by $2,000, reinstating teacher professional development funding, and investing millions of dollars each year into the teacher loan forgiveness program.

The governor recognizes that investments in Kentucky’s future costs money today. His budget responsibly and transparently addresses that cost by recommending new revenue by means of legislation already filed in the House. Legalizing sports betting, increasing taxes on cigarettes, and imposing taxes on vaping are viable options to raise revenue.  Bills proposing those new fees and taxes have already been filed by Republicans in the House and have bi-partisan support.

Although we certainly support this proposed budget and will work toward its passage in the House and Senate, we recognize that many of the needs of Kentucky’s citizens are still not met. All public employees have gone years without any meaningful pay increase, although the cost of their health insurance rises each year. Many education support professionals who work in Kentucky’s public schools are not paid a living wage. Kentucky has roads and bridges in need of repair.  We have citizens without access to necessary mental and physical health services. The list goes on and on. Without new, permanent sources of revenue, Kentucky cannot hope to truly make progress.    

KEA and its 44,000 members across Kentucky will reach out to legislators throughout this session to ensure our voices are heard in support of this budget. Public education and Kentucky’s educators make the difference in our communities, and KEA will stand up and speak out to support the governor’s commitment to providing a quality public education to every child in the Commonwealth.”