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Prichard Committee President & CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey sent following letter to members of the budget conference committee urging investments in all levels of education as Kentucky recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. Please urge members of the Kentucky General Assembly to increase education funding now \u2013 from early childhood to K-12, to higher education.<\/p>\n
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Chair Rudy, Chair McDaniel, and Budget Conferees:<\/p>\n
Thank you for your continued leadership during this very difficult time.\u00a0 Sustaining and increasing investment in Kentucky\u2019s system of education \u2013 early childhood through postsecondary \u2013 is critical to the state\u2019s success in the future, especially now as we will want to support a robust recovery from the current COVID-19 crisis.<\/p>\n
This is why we structured a six-year investment plan to phase in increased investment in strategic priorities for education – our\u00a0Big Bold Ask<\/a>\u00a0(details attached).\u00a0 All of you have received information about this and you know what we are asking for –\u00a0$1 billion in increased education investments over the next six years.<\/strong><\/p>\n As\u00a0the end of the 2020 session nears, I wanted to remind you how\u00a0increasing education funding now \u2013 from early childhood to K-12, to higher education \u2013\u00a0will\u00a0be a boon to Kentucky\u2019s economy in the years to come.<\/strong><\/p>\n The University of Kentucky\u2019s Center for Business and Economic Research recently produced its\u00a02020 Kentucky Annual Economic Report,\u00a0<\/em>which said the United States economy, measured by real GDP, grew above 2% in 2019.\u00a0Kentucky\u2019s grew at less than half that rate.\u00a0<\/strong>The reason behind this lagging growth is the state\u2019s low educational attainment rate. Simply stated, to fill the jobs available today and to be the job creators of Kentucky\u2019s future we need more of our citizens completing\u00a0high-quality, marketable degrees and\u00a0certificates. To put it bluntly,\u00a0Kentucky\u2019s\u00a0low rate of\u00a0educational\u00a0attainment is stifling our economy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In the midst of the crisis that is COVID-19, it\u2019s important to note that in past economic recessions,\u00a0Kentuckians with the least education were the ones most negatively impacted, and as a result our economic growth has lagged the nation.\u00a0It is simply imperative for our future prosperity that we not let the current crisis and likely economic downturn keep us from investing in our human capital in\u00a0such\u00a0a way that\u00a0we\u00a0come out of this crisis positioned to grow stronger and more resilient\u00a0for the future. Now is not the time to let up on a commitment to increasing\u00a0the educational attainment of Kentuckians. In fact, now is the time\u00a0to deepen that commitment and ensure ever-greater progress\u00a0\u2013 and an ability to climb out of the\u00a0bottom rungs of poverty nationally.<\/p>\n Now is the time\u00a0for bold leadership\u00a0that\u00a0unequivocally\u00a0invests\u00a0in our future.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As the budget conference\u00a0occurs\u00a0this week, I wanted to draw your attention to several critical elements we included on our Big Bold Ask and\u00a0were\u00a0addressed in part in both the House and Senate versions of the budget.<\/p>\n Early Childhood<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The House and Senate took varying approaches to both\u00a0child care\u00a0assistance (CCAP) and public preschool.\u00a0 Both had positives \u2013 the House increasing eligibility thresholds; the Senate including partnership grants \u2013 but both unfortunately reduced the overall investment\u00a0in\u00a0public preschool.\u00a0 Kentucky will need greater investment in this area \u2013 especially now \u2013 to ensure districts can maintain preschool services and childcare providers (closed due to the crisis) can reopen and rehire once COVID-19 resolves.\u00a0 We\u00a0proposed $24 million for preschool and $92 million for CCAP over the upcoming biennium to increase per child rates and eligibility levels.\u00a0Kentucky is far behind in providing the financial resources necessary to ensure high-quality services to families that need them.<\/p>\n We ask that the conference committee at least keep funding levels for preschool and childcare on the plus-side of the current base spending levels.\u00a0 Anything less will endanger provider capacity \u2013 especially now.<\/p>\n K-12<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n While our Big Bold\u00a0Ask included phased in investment for both full-day kindergarten, transportation funding, and a fund for teaching excellence, these were all in service to helping districts improve the teaching and learning environment.\u00a0 Research is clear that\u00a0teaching matters\u00a0most\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>to student success and Kentucky needs to support the teaching and learning environment both now and in the future.\u00a0Compensation matters, but so do supports for teacher preparation,\u00a0high-quality\u00a0professional\u00a0learning, and instructional assets.\u00a0Our Big Bold Ask included $108 million over the biennium to begin phasing in increased investment in these strategic areas.<\/p>\n We ask that the conference committee consider increased investments in systematic state support to develop effective teaching. This could include elements from our proposal including: expanded support for recruiting and retaining diverse teachers, intensive support for new teachers and principals in their first two years in those roles, increased annual stipends for teachers who have earned National Board certification, and competitive grants for district-university collaborations to develop and implement learning initiatives aligned with Kentucky\u2019s academic standards and ambitious goals for student success.<\/p>\n Both the House and Senate also included investments that are necessary and should be in the final budget including: raises for certified and classified staff, increases to base SEEK guarantee, and seed funding innovation in early literacy (a critical priority).<\/p>\n Postsecondary<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Both the House and the Senate restored substantial investment in postsecondary education, both direct to institutions (including the performance funding formula) and in student financial aid. These are critical for\u00a0sustained progress toward Kentucky\u2019s 60% attainment goal by 2030. We need strong institutions across the state and this investment to make progress toward attainment goals for historically underserved groups and enhanced access to higher education for students with financial need.\u00a0 We ask that the conference committee consider the House\u2019s proposal be the baseline starting point for postsecondary investment.<\/p>\n Thank you again for your continued leadership and attention to these considerations as you finalize the budget for the next two years.\u00a0 Be well and stay healthy.<\/p>\n Sincerely,<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10257″ animation=”slideInLeft”][vc_column_text animation=”slideInLeft”]Brigitte Blom Ramsey Resources: Big Bold Ask 1-Pager<\/a> – Big Bold Ask Detailed<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Prichard Committee President & CEO Brigitte Blom Ramsey sent following letter to members of the budget conference committee urging investments in all levels of education as Kentucky recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. 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\nPresident & CEO[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n