State representative Vanessa Grossl (R-Fayette, Scott) says she plans to draft legislation that would ban public school districts from hiring private lobbyists.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reported last week that Fayette County Public Schools spent $38,000 on a contract with Piper-Smith, a local lobbying and PR firm. The agency was hired to create public support for a failed tax increase last May.
The school district has worked with Piper-Smith since 2023.
Grossl plans to file a bill in part to address the district’s spending amid a budget shortfall.
“I feel like legislators are approachable and we all want to support our public schools, and the staff at the schools need to take the opportunity to get to know us and build their relationships,” she said.
The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission reports Fayette, Jefferson and Bullitt County Public Schools currently employ lobbyists to speak to the state legislature on their behalf.
Grossl said she also means to address a divide in funding gaps between urban and rural school districts.
“I want those rural kids to feel like they have the same opportunities — and those teachers, and those administrators — when they reach out to us in Frankfort. And so it's kind of a fairness issue where I don't believe that taxpayer funding should be spent on third-party lobbyists.”
The state’s next legislative session starts in January.
