The Kentucky Association of School Superintendents (KASS) on Tuesday officially launched its Kids First Kentucky initiative.
The public awareness campaign, through the support of Kentucky’s 171 school superintendents, teachers, school administrators, families and other stakeholders, seeks to build brighter futures for students in and outside the classroom. This year, Kids First Kentucky legislative priorities include: (1) fully funding transportation; (2) increasing education funding per student; and (3) giving school districts more freedom.
“Now, more than ever, is the time for the Kentucky General Assembly to close the gap in our state’s decades-long, chronically underfunded education system,” said KASS Executive Director Dr. Jim Flynn. “That effort begins by investing in our public schools and the future of the Bluegrass State – our children.” He continued, “That is why KASS urges our lawmakers to put kids first and adopt three common sense, common ground Kids First Kentucky policies before the conclusion of the 2022 legislative session.”
The Kentucky General Assembly is currently drafting the Commonwealth’s budget (HB1). Although, HB1 authorizes full-day kindergarten, career and technical funding and additional resources for schools, teachers and faculty, the piece of legislation fails to address several pressing issues facing public education.
More specifically, KASS-backed Kids First Kentucky reforms to HB1 are:
• Fully funding transportation so that students can safely get to and from school as opposed to worrying if and when they’ll get picked up by the bus. As a result of the pandemic, we all know the critical role our schools make in the lives of working families who rely on school bus transportation – and the peace of mind it brings them.
• Increasing per-pupil SEEK funding, because we are investing less per student currently (indexed for inflation) than we did over three decades ago.
• Giving school districts more freedom by providing the much-needed resources and flexibility to help ensure students, teachers, and staff members succeed at school, work and in the community.
For over 70 years, KASS has remained steadfast in its work to equip Kentucky students with the tools, skills and confidence to succeed in the classroom, at work and in the community. KASS’s latest push to make that dream a reality is Kids First Kentucky. For more information, including how interested individuals can get involved in sharing the message, please visit the brand-new Kids First Kentucky website at www.kidsfirstky.com.
Kentucky Association of School Superintendents
