Tell Your Legislators to Support the Governor's Education Budget Priorities

By TAMMY BERLIN via ActionNetwork.org

Last night Governor Andy Beshear gave a budget address calling for funding of education priorities that will benefit every student and educator in the Commonwealth. Kentucky has 685,000 public school students. That’s 685,000 reasons why our legislators should fund the Governor’s budget priorities for education.  

Please take a moment to read through the twelve points relating to education and public school funding and then email your legislators or leave a message for them at 1-800-372-8171 asking them to support Governor Beshear’s budget priorities for education.  

Together we can make a difference!

Twelve Point Plan for Education Funding in the Governor’s Proposed Budget

1. $1000 raises across the board for every certified school employee -- The General Assembly has not mandated a raise for Kentucky teachers for 12 years. This will help us attract and retain the best teachers for our students.

2. $1000 raises across the board for every classified school employee -- The General Assembly has not mandated a raise for classified school employees for 12 years. This will help us fully staff our schools with qualified employees who care about our students.  

3. 1% increase in SEEK funding -- This money goes directly to districts to provide quality education for students so they can succeed.

4. Full funding for the Actuarially Required Contribution (ARC) to the pension systems -- Kentucky’s educators rely on the Teacher Retirement System to make sure that they are able to retire with dignity at the end of their careers. Our certified teachers are not eligible to receive Social Security, and this is the only retirement that they have. The business community acknowledges that funding the ARC is important for maintaining the Commonwealth’s fiscal health. As the state has fulfilled its commitment to fully fund the ARC over the last four years, the funding level for each of Kentucky’s pension systems has steadily increased.  

5. Full funding for the state’s responsibility for retired teacher health insurance -- Kentucky teachers and school boards pay the vast majority of their own retired medical benefits, but the state has a responsibility to fulfill its share of the funding responsibility for retired teachers.

6. $11M for textbooks and technology -- This is not just for textbooks, but also digital learning tools. The last several budgets have seen $0 allocated for these resources. Let’s make sure our students have what they need to learn.  

7. An additional $5M for Early Childhood Education -- Research shows that Early Childhood Education contributes significantly to student success.

8. $3.1M in college aid for students who want to become teachers -- Our nation is experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers. This will help us fully staff our schools with the high-quality teachers our students need.  

9. A one time $100M expenditure for facilities repairs and construction -- This will help districts make sure that every student is able to learn in a safe and up to date facility.  

10. Increased funding for the School for the Deaf and the School for the Blind -- Students at these schools depend on the state to fund their facilities because they are not part of a local school district.

11. Funding for health departments that benefits students and families -- Public health departments have been stretched way too thinly due to COVID and need much greater resources if students’ health is to be protected and our schools are to receive the public health support they need.

12. The Better Kentucky Promise, which provides last dollar scholarships for more than 6,000 Kentuckians to complete two- year college programs -- Helping more than 6,000 Kentuckians to earn at least a two-year degree (or equivalent) is not just important for these individuals who would otherwise fall through the cracks, it is important for the economic development of our Commonwealth.