With Kentucky’s public teacher shortage at a crisis point and school funding levels essentially stagnant, there has never been a more crucial time for our Commonwealth to put “Kids First.”
In that spirit, Kids First Kentucky is an initiative launched by the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents (KASS) to do just that by championing the urgent needs of public education. The effort highlights the urgency of (1) getting Kentucky public school funding back on track; (2) recruiting and retaining high quality educators and school staff; and (3) improving student and staff safety and wellbeing.
As we work to put Kids First, we are committed to partnering with lawmakers, local officials, business and community leaders, schools and parents to develop innovative, modern and common-sense approaches to attract people to the teaching profession, and keep them there. In addition, we support measures to close the public education funding gap and more freedom for school districts to mold education curriculum to fit the needs of their students. Moreover, we believe strongly that public tax dollars should be spent on public schools, and advocate for full-day kindergarten to be enacted into law, among a whole host of important issues impacting public schools and Kentucky’s economy.
On September 20th, KASS Executive Director Dr. Jim Flynn had the opportunity to present before members of the Kentucky General Assembly during an Interim Joint Committee on Education hearing. During Flynn’s testimony, he impressed on Committee members’ the need to put “Kids First” and urged lawmaker to act on KASS’ three priorities for the upcoming legislative session . An archived recording of his testimony can be viewed on KET’s website.
With the 2023 Legislative Session slated to begin in January 2023, we encourage you to please check back here often for updates on education policies, pending legislation and tips on how you can get involved in helping put “Kids First” in Kentucky.
