During its quarterly board meeting this week, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence approved the organization’s 2022 Legislative Agenda. The plan centers around increased statewide investments for all levels of education and strengthening teaching and learning systems to help build a new foundation for public education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In January 2020, the Prichard Committee created a structured plan for investing an additional $1 billion in education through 2026. Thanks to the support of our legislature, Kentucky has already made that first 20% step on the way towards $1 billion and is on track to meet our Big Bold Ask,” said Brigitte Blom, president & CEO. “As the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly enters its legislative session and the impact of COVID hovers over all of us, the Prichard Committee has doubled down on its Big Bold Ask to put our educational system on the road to recovery.”
The Prichard Committee’s legislative agenda asks that the Kentucky General Assembly:
• Increase per-child funding and reimbursement rates to support preschool and childcare.
• Increase eligibility for child care assistance and public preschool to at least 200% of the federal poverty level.
• Fully fund school transportation & all-day kindergarten.
• Support recommendations of the SEEK task force.
• Create and allocate funding for the Fund for Teaching Excellence that includes:
◦ Teacher mentorship
◦ Expanded coaching to increase teacher quality
◦ Teacher scholarships for areas like dual-credit certification
Brigitte Blom
• Create policies to improve early literacy and math outcomes.
• Encourage college affordability for all students.
• Provide high-quality dual credit options for high school students.
• Support Performance-Based Funding for Kentucky’s public universities and community and technical colleges.
• Expand need-based college tuition support.
You can find the complete agenda on the Prichard Committee’s website.
“Before the pandemic began, the needs of Kentucky’s students, educators, and schools, from early childhood through colleges and universities, were already great,” said Board Chair Clay Ford of Owensboro. “Years of underfunding at the state and local levels left toddlers without access to early learning opportunities, classrooms without adequate textbooks, increasing college tuition, and students falling behind in critical areas. Now, nearly two years after the pandemic began, the foundation of education that had already begun to erode must be rebuilt to ensure Kentucky’s future remains on solid ground.”
During the board meeting, Blom discussed the group’s recent series of regional meetings during which staff members discussed the impact of the pandemic on our education system with education leaders, students, and state and local policymakers from across the Commonwealth.
“Throughout each of our seven conversations from Somerset to Paducah, one theme was clear – the stress of the pandemic and more than a year of isolation has led to a mental health crisis affecting us all. The nationwide workforce shortage has also added complexity to the situation, depleting staff for education supports like substitute teachers, child care workers, bus drivers, and food service workers.”
Given the circumstances, the Prichard Committee, which was founded in 1983 as a citizens’ group to champion the cause of better schools, is calling on the strength of its membership, associate members in the Groundswell Initiative, and partners across the Commonwealth, to create local practices to support our students, families, and educators during this difficult time.
“Prichard Committee members have taken our Groundswell Initiative to heart, creating after-school mentoring and tutoring programs to help students in their counties catch up, and educating citizens about the state and federal dollars available for college tuition,” said Blom. “As we continue to see our way through these chaotic times, embracing local innovation and entrepreneurial thinking will be necessary to produce stronger, more effective, and more equitable learning environments. The smallest adjustments born from our understanding of the needs of students and families will begin to spark hope — and these can have far-reaching ripple effects in communities and across the state, which will ultimately result in a Big Bold Future.”
