Kentucky School Advocate
October 2023

By Andy Beshear

As governor, I have always put education first in Kentucky. I know that the future of our Commonwealth is in our classrooms today. And now, thanks to record budget surpluses these last few years, we have the funds to fully invest in our education system.

We know that the best way to help our students, teachers, parents and communities succeed is by supporting public education, not tearing it apart. That’s why my administration is leading with our Education First agenda, which is all about putting our kids and our public educators front and center for the next four years so that we can give our students the world-class education they deserve.

The truth is we can’t stay number two in per capita economic development if we’re number 44 in starting teacher pay, which is why my plan will raise school personnel pay by 11%. We have the money to give our educators a long overdue raise, and with our school systems being some of our largest employers in so many of our counties, all we’re doing underpaying our educators is impoverishing ourselves. This pay bump would also include the support staff in our schools, allowing us to make sure we’re filling all the positions needed to give our kids a quality education, from teachers to administrators to bus drivers.

Early childhood education is also critical to setting up our kids for long-term success, and my plan will finally fully fund universal pre-K in the Commonwealth. Across the country, we are seeing more and more school systems take this important step for their kids, and it’s time we did the same here in Kentucky. In addition, my plan also includes $50 million in ongoing child-care support payments, which will also help ensure that our kids are taken care of while parents are getting back into the workforce.

And after years of budget cuts and forcing our school systems to do more with less, it’s time we deliver the resources our kids deserve. That’s why my plan would fully fund student transportation and provide funding to replace textbooks and other needed supplies for our kids. We know that our students can’t learn if they don’t have the resources to do so, and these are basic and overdue steps for school systems across Kentucky.

My plan would also back education beyond K-12, by investing $100 million in career and technical education centers, and supporting professional development alongside student loan forgiveness for our teachers. Not only does this make sure that we are preparing Kentuckians for the kinds of new, high-paying jobs we’re attracting to the Commonwealth, but also guarantees that we can attract talented young people to become teachers themselves here in Kentucky.

But while we’re proposing these massive new investments in our school systems and our students, my opponent has time and time again failed to stand up for our public schools – and his reckless agenda would only make things worse. My opponent supports a voucher scheme that would take taxpayer money out of our public schools and send it to unaccountable private ones. He backed gutting pensions for our teachers and public employees, and even chose a running mate who helped lead the charge on those cuts to hard-earned pension benefits. That’s not what our school systems need here in Kentucky.

We have the resources to make a once-in-a-generation investment in our schools that will help us build a better Kentucky for all our kids. We’ve made it through historic challenges, and now it’s time to do right by our schools and our students. As governor, I will make sure that we put education first for the next four years, and that our public education system gives every child a chance at real prosperity.