(By Rachel Herrington, The Citizen-Times, 4-19-18, Used with permission)
“I’m glad the session is over. It’s been a long haul. I want to thank everybody in this room and our employees and all of you who advocated for our education funding these last few months,” Superintendent Randall Jackson said as he addressed members of the Allen County Board of Education Monday evening.
He was referring to recent legislation and how it will effect the
future of public education in Kentucky.
Last Friday, April 13, as thousands of teachers from more than 30 districts rallied at the state capital in Frankfort, lawmakers voted to override Governor Matt Bevin’s veto of a two-year budget that increases public education spending, in large part, to a more than $480 million tax increase.
A 50 percent increase in the cigarette tax along with a six-percent
sales tax on services such as home and auto repairs will contribute to the
state operating budget.
“We’ll have more numbers for the board as we look at the budget for next year. We do know that it could have been a lot worse,” Jackson added.
School was out last Friday due to the protest, but students will not have to make the day up, as the District had constructed enough “bank time” into the 2017-2018.
The last day of school for students is still currently Friday, May 25, and graduation for Allen County-Scottsville High School students is that evening.
To parents and guardians, Superintendent Randall Jackson issued the following letter to explain last Friday’s school outage:
“The Allen County School District is committed to supporting efforts to secure educational opportunities for our students in Allen County. On Friday (April 13) and Saturday (April 14) many of our educators wish to travel to Frankfort in response to the Governor’s veto of the state budget. In essence, they are choosing to advocate for your child by protecting educational funding and asking legislators to override the Governor’s veto.
Over the past few months, educators in Allen County and thousands
more across the Commonwealth have spent snow days, evenings and spring break
days in Frankfort advocating for our children and for the future of public
education.
This round of advocating is not about the pension bill as the
Governor has already signed it into law. This weekend is about protecting the
promise that our students will have an adequately-funded education, including
access to Family Resource Centers, money for textbooks and learning materials
and enough teachers to provide a quality education.
If the veto is not overridden, it may result in larger class
sizes, fewer resources, cuts to bus transportation and fewer opportunities for
students.
Due to our commitment to support our teachers and staff who support our kids, I feel it is necessary to cancel school on Friday, April 13. I hope you join me in appreciating the dedication that our staff has shown for our students.”
The budget the GOP-led House and Senate passed raises Seek
Educational Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding to a record $4,000 per
student. The School Transportation allocation was also increased by $127.8
million in each of the two years the budget covers.
Explaining his initial veto, Bevin said the budget didn’t meet “basic standards of fiscal responsibility,” and he believed that some of its features could create future state budget shortfalls. Bevin argued that the budget does not meet the state’s constitutional mandate of being balanced, because it does not identify sources of revenue and/or cuts in other areas to pay for what’s in it. It spends $600 million more than he had proposed.
“I cannot support a proposal that ignores fiscal reality and continues to kick the can of financial responsibility down the road,” Bevin said. “There is adequate time between now and the end of the fiscal year to work together to develop a sustainable, fiscally-responsible budget that will better serve the working men and women who bear the cost of funding our government. My administration is committed to getting Kentucky’s financial house in order. This budget fails in that regard, and therefore, I am vetoing it.”
“Furthermore, House Bill 366 fails to meet revenue projections. Departing from past practices, this bill was developed without input from the Office of State Budget Director (OSBD), who maintains tax data and advises the Kentucky’s Consensus Forecasting Group. Analysis from the OSBD indicates an estimated shortfall of at least $50 million over the biennium, which will compound an already unbalanced budget.”
Bevin had already signed the pension bill into law. According to The Louisville
Courier-Journal, the KEA had wanted Bevin to veto the pension bill. While it left benefits intact for existing teachers and retirees, the bill curbed benefits for new hires, and the KEA feared creating a teacher shortage in years to come. For his part, Bevin initially said he would veto the bill because he believed it did not go far enough to address the state’s multi-billion-dollar pension shortfall. Yet, he apparently changed his mind and signed it.
Still, Bevin’s budget veto was over-ridden handily. In an ironic twist, the override vote was mainly by representatives and senators of his own Republican party, with most Democrats voting against the override. Allen County’s State Rep. Wilson Stone (D-22nd District) was one of only four House Democrats voting in support of the override, joining 62 GOP representatives.
In the Senate, the vote in favor of override was 26-12, with one Republican joining a unanimous Democratic vote against the override. Allen County’s senator, David Givens of Greensburg (R-Ninth District) voted in favor of the override.
The budget override was one victory for educators, but it was not universal. Under the pension bill, those entering the teaching field from now on won’t be privy to the previous pension system. Essentially, a hybrid cash plan such as a 401K will be the retirement option going forward.
Not one cent of professional development money will come from the
state next year, Jackson added, and no money for resources such as textbooks
and other instructional materials. Also, federal preschool funding could also
see cuts, among many other areas.
“Compared to what the budget could have been, I’m glad we got what we got,” Jackson conceded.
Local KEA President and 25-year seventh-grade science teacher
Vanous Brown was among the crowd of teachers Friday, and has visited the
Capitol many times in support of public education.
“I would hope anybody passionate about their career would fight for it,” he said.
“The only reason I went was for these children in my heart,” he said, adding that he believes “every child deserves the very best we can give them.”
Brown pointed out that Friday was the last day of the legislative
session and also the last day for educators to be heard regarding critical
issues.
“I’m not sorry that I went,” he said. “All year long we’ve done everything we can to avoid a closure. It was a need to be there at that point.”
Brown said to his knowledge, Governor Bevin did not show up during Friday’s rally and legislators refused to address the crowd, taking a back way into the chambers.
Stone was the only House member who came into the crowd to hear from teachers. “He was very accommodating in a bad spot,” Brown added.
•In other business, the board heard from each principal during Monday’s meeting at James E. Bazzell Middle School.
Allen County-Scottsville High School Principal Joseph Cosby
reported that this Friday, 57 Special Olympians from Allen County will compete
in track and field events at Bowling Green High School. Helping with the games
will be 64 volunteer buddies and nine athletes from AC-S. End of course testing
began on Tuesday, Cosby added.
On Friday, April 27, FFA will host a disaster simulation event at
the high school beginning at 1 p.m. To promote farm safety, a mock accident
between a vehicle and a Mennonite buggy will take place, with emergency
responders taking part in the demo. Congressman James Comer is also set to make
an appearance.
“I invite you all to come out for that event,” Cosby said.
End of school dates include baccalaureate service on May 6, Awards
Night in the AC-S gym on May 14 at 6:30 p.m., Class Night on May 19 at 5:30
with Prom to follow at the Glea at Harper Farms. Graduation is May 25 at 6:30
p.m.
•JEBMS Principal Melissa Towery said STAR testing is underway to compare the students’ academic progress to December. The Reality Store was held last week for eighth grade students. “It’s always a great event for our school, we had a lot of community involvement.”
The JEBMS band brought back a distinguished rating from the KMEA
festival. The Science Olympiad team competes Saturday at Western Kentucky
University for the state title.
•Registration for Camp Invention for first through sixth grade students is underway, noted Intermediate
Center Principal Shawn Holland. The science and technology camp is June 4-8.
Thirty students are needed to have the camp and only nine have signed up so
far, Holland told the board. Flyers have been sent out to ACPC and ACIC
students.
The ACIC archery team will compete for the national title on May 10 in Louisville. The ACIC Spring concert is Tuesday, May 1 at 6 p.m. The following day on May 2, a “Goodies for Guardians” breakfast will be provided.
“It’s for anyone who takes care of a child, for us to say thank you to them,” Holland said. RSVPs will be sent out on Thursday.
•ACPC Principal Tim Wilson told the board that this Thursday night, April 19, is preschool and kindergarten registration from 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, May 3 is Student Showcase night.
•Premier Integrity was approved as the drug testing company for the 2018-2019 school year. During a typical school year, Brian Carter, Assistant Superintendent of Operations said 120 students from across the district are randomly tested, along with approximately 80 staff and 50 pre-employment tests are given. Federal law also requires that a certain percentage of bus drivers be alcohol tested as well.
•The district currently has three buses with cracked frames, noted Carter. Those can still legally be driven, but they can’t haul children, rendering them “useless to us,” he pointed out. Around 44 buses run routes daily. With some of the fleet damaged, keeping buses “on the back line” for school trips and sporting events just hasn’t been possible.
To add one more bus, the purchase of a Bluebird Propane bus was
approved, at a cost of $96,635.
•“Attendance is getting a little bit better. Today we’re at 94.04 percent (district wide),” Director of Pupil Personnel Garry DeWitt said. Compared to this time last year, grades
fifth, seventh, eighth and the junior and senior classes are up, with
attendance in all others in the red.
“Hopefully we’ll continue to see a little bit of growth in the next 29 days,” DeWitt added.
•A work session for the board to discuss the 2018-2019 school budget is set for Monday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. The next open board meeting is May 21 at the Central Office.