Kentucky's "Education First" Budget
Exactly a year ago, Governor Beshear and members of the General Assembly were beginning the work on what was billed as an "education first" budget. Unfortunately, the pandemic interfered with the budget process and Kentucky-- like all other states-- went into fiscal survival mode. Flash forward one year, the Governor and legislature have an opportunity-- despite the continuation of the pandemic-- to move forward with a budget that focuses on adequate funding of public schools. While both the Governor and Republican controlled legislature will be touting education as a priority in this budget session, it is worth closely examining what an "education first" budget really means. To really understand, we need to explore the debate about the idea that money really matters in education. One of the most deceptive strategies of education reform over the past 20 years has been to sow doubt about the importance of school funding. The approach has been adv...