As this year’s battle over the budget develops, there’s a new combatant on the field. As WEKU’S Stu Johnson reports, the Kentucky Education Action Team includes many of the special interests involved in education. The new education advocacy group includes parents, teachers, school administrators, and community leaders. And, it’s gaining influence. This week, the state school board this week passed a resolution supporting the group’s position on funding. It also called upon elected leaders to commit additional money for students. State school board chair David Karen says there’s power when various voices come together.
“Hearing from parents, hearing from P-T-A’s, hearing from school boards, hearing from school administrators, hearing from teachers, if all of a sudden you start hearing…and community groups…you start hearing people speaking to the legislators about it…then it begins to get a groundswell and it gets momentum,” said Karem.
David Karem says it’s not the governing body’s duty to spell out how additional funds can be found.
“But, there are obviously ways to find additional revenue…there are ways to look at tax codes…there are ways to look at how the budget is already distributed,” added Karem.
Karem has some firsthand knowledge about the state legislature. He spent 33 years serving as a lawmaker in Frankfort.
