The Kentucky Senate has passed a new two-year state budget with bipartisan support that includes increased funding for K-12 schools. The budget bill, which cleared the Senate with a 36-1 vote, will now advance to the House for final passage. This budget is considered the state’s signature policy document and was a top priority for the GOP supermajority legislature this session. Republican senators highlighted the increased funding for public K-12 schools, specifically for the state’s main funding formula known as SEEK, which would see a more than 9% increase over the next two years.
One major policy decision included in the budget bill is leaving teacher pay raise decisions up to local school boards. Republican leaders expressed hope that the additional state funding would enable school districts to provide raises to teachers. This decision reflects a philosophical difference between Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who had proposed an 11% pay raise for teachers and other public school employees. The budget also includes increased state funding for school districts’ transportation costs, with the state funding 90% of those costs in the first year and fully funding them in the second year.
Despite the focus on education funding, the budget does not include funding for Beshear’s proposal to provide preschool for every 4-year-old in Kentucky. The governor had included $172 million each year for his universal pre-K plan, which would extend preschool education to an estimated 34,000 additional 4-year-olds. The Senate vote on the budget bill came as lawmakers prepared to start an extended break, during which the governor will review bills and decide whether to sign or veto them. Lawmakers will return for a two-day wrap-up session in mid-April.
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers praised the budget as the best proposed or passed by the General Assembly. The emphasis on education funding in the budget reflects appreciation for teachers and signals that Kentucky is a good place to work as an educator, according to Republican Senate President Pro Tem David Givens. The budget also aims to balance out funding disparities between less-wealthy and wealthier school districts. Despite the budget not containing funding for Beshear’s preschool proposal, the governor’s budget plan focused on improving education access for young children in the state.
As the budget now moves to the House for final passage, lawmakers are preparing for a break before returning for a wrap-up session in mid-April. The passage of the budget represents a major accomplishment for the GOP supermajority legislature, which made education funding a key focus in this year’s legislative session. The budget’s provisions, including increased funding for K-12 schools and transportation costs, reflect the legislature’s priorities and efforts to support teachers and students across the Bluegrass State.
