What a life changing time these past three months have been! And I’m not just talking about the pandemic! I am now the proud parent of a beautiful baby girl—and now I have to return to work. I thought I had child care figured out, but the center just closed the infant room because a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Now what am I supposed to do? I’ve called other child care centers in the area, but no one has an opening for an infant!

We can no longer wait for another generation to pass while the slow lever of policy change takes hold. We must insist on a new kind of change now, change that will remedy the injustices that have been waged on Black communities for generations and end deeply embedded and persistent racism.

With the 2020 Kentucky General Assembly in full swing and budget discussions taking place, one theme is clear: Kentucky’s financial situation is dark. At the Prichard Committee, however, we are focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel as we have always done in our work to build a stronger future for Kentuckians and their communities. We see this light as one that will bring the state and its citizens out of financial distress and poverty, as one that will lessen the scourge of the drug epidemic and the overcrowding of our prisons. That light is education.

We are pleased to see the commitment by the Governor to make strides that stem the erosion of education funding in the face of significant budget challenges.

Based on $1.256 billion in additional resources over the biennium, major elements of the Governor’s proposed budget include: investments to fully fund pensions, a $2,000 raise for school teachers, restoration of textbook funding, a 1% increase in the base SEEK per-pupil guarantee, increasing the base funding to colleges and universities, and increasing student financial aid continuing a commitment to allocate 100% of lottery proceeds to scholarships.