Senate targets teachers in 'scorched Earth' state budget, reduced by coronavirus

With COVID-19 wrecking the economy, the Senate budget committee late Wednesday approved a two-year, $22 billion state spending plan for Kentucky that is markedly less optimistic than the one Gov. Andy Beshear proposed in January.

“We will struggle, I think, to provide the revenue to do what I call this scorched Earth budget over the next 12 months,” state Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, told his colleagues. “We could be down $1 billion in revenues — and I think that’s a conservative estimate — from what we collected last year.”

Certain to provide controversy: Teachers would lose the guaranteed $2,000 pay raises Beshear promised them, and $1.13 billion in funding for their pension system would be held in limbo unless “structural changes” are made to reduce benefits for new hires.

“KY teachers & school personnel are working day & night to teach kids ... yet you’re trying to do this when they can’t get into the Capital?! We’re watching,” teacher advocacy group 120 Strong tweeted immediately after the Senate committee hearing.

Read more: https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article241319836.html