KY education advocates ask for $718M boost for schools ahead of budget session
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Education advocates seek $718M increase to offset inflation and staffing gaps
- Lawmakers cite tax hikes or budget cuts as barriers to proposed education funding
- Federal funding freezes and tax cuts contribute to projected Kentucky shortfall
As Kentucky’s General Assembly prepares to craft a budget during the 2026 session, education advocates are asking the legislature for an additional $718 million to fund educational programs, staff and other resources they say have been affected by inflation.
“Lawmakers have a choice to make,” said Maddie Shepard, President of the Jefferson County Teachers Association. “They can continue to fund our schools at current levels, or they can listen to the voters of Kentucky across all 120 counties and reinvest in the very foundation of Kentucky’s future: our kids.”
Shepard’s comments came at a news conference organized by Protect Our Schools KY, an advocacy group that spent millions last year to successfully defeat a controversial school choice measure on the ballot.
Now, the group wants to continue that momentum to score more wins for public education.
Kentucky’s public school attendance was ranked 28th and its staffing 29th in 2024, according to the National Education Association.
Because of inflation’s impact on the cost of school equipment, like buses and Chromebooks, as well as a shortage of counselors to help with student mental health, the group urged legislators to spend “a little over 3% of Kentucky’s total budget” on schools. They said that would average to about $1,161 per student. Last year’s state budget stood at about $16 billion.
One influential lawmaker called the ask “unrealistic” in a separate conversation with the Herald-Leader.
“In order for us to spend that, we’d have to raise taxes or cut other budgets,” said Sen. Steve West, R-Paris, chair of the Senate Education Committee. “Before getting into those cuts, we’d get into the reserves.”
He noted that education budgeting in recent years amounted to significant wins for teacher retirement savings. The last budget session allotted $2 billion to teacher pensions and retiree health, added Dustin Isaacs, a spokesperson for the Senate GOP.
He said there is uncertainty around federal education funds, but the committee intends to target specific programs, like literacy and math.
In July, President Donald Trump’s administration froze $87 million earmarked for Kentucky’s K-12 schools, which have since largely been released. But the possibility of losing the funding isn’t lost on West.
Kentucky’s budget reserves are currently expected to stand at $3.7 billion by the end of this fiscal year.
The group’s request comes days after Gov. Andy Beshear announced a possible upcoming budget shortfall due to uncertainty around federal tariffs and last year’s income tax cuts that he said cost the commonwealth $359 million.
The governor also allocated $14.7 million earlier this year to address a previous shortfall for Kentucky’s public schools, which House Republicans blame on ‘faulty data’ from the state’s Department of Education.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
