In case anyone thought we might make it through this legislative session without another walkout or protest, they were wrong. Today, teachers from across the Bluegrass are flocking to our state capital in droves (again) to rally against another controversial retirement policy. Let me add that I won’t be there. I’ll be teaching about ecosystems to my middle schoolers while…
Tag: #120Strong
Spilling The Tea With Allison Slone
Hey all! As we approach the first anniversary of Kentucky School Talk’s launch, I’ve decided to start digging deeper into the great work that’s going on in schools and districts across the Bluegrass. Throughout 2019, you’ll see short Q&A sessions like these pop up with fantastic educators, parents, and students from around the state. We like to call it “Spilling…
Pension Reform Bill Struck Down By Kentucky Supreme Court
For those following the pension reform debacle in Kentucky, we finally have the verdict: Senate Bill 151, the controversial “sewage” bill that stood to make major changes to public pensions, has been struck down. In a unanimous decision made Thursday, the Kentucky Supreme Court stated that the bill “did not comply with the three-reading requirement,” and thus ruled that the…
You Can’t Have Your Pension Reform Cake And Eat It, Too
If you live in Kentucky and consume any form of news media at all, you’ll be familiar with the bitter, contentious debate that’s been raging about teachers’ pensions. The road to reform began with an actuarial report recommending deep, structural cuts to our teachers’ retirement system, then took a major bump in the form of teacher protests and walkouts earlier…
Kentucky’s Midterm Elections: Winners and Losers
It’s been a week since the 2018 midterm elections, but the results are as fresh as ever in the minds of Kentucky teachers. Spurned by Gov. Bevin’s controversial comments and policies, teachers across the Bluegrass protested. At rallies, other teachers and their supporters swore that they would “remember in November.” It looks like they forgot. Of the 51 educators running…
Kentucky Supreme Court Will Hear Pension Case Today
This story is in progress. Photo by Scott Beale, CC-Licensed. Bevin vs. Beshear? Pension reform vs. teachers? UK vs. UofL? (Just kidding. We know who wins that last one.) Today, the showdown that Kentucky teachers have been waiting for is going down in Frankfort. Kentucky’s Supreme Court will hear the overturned pension reform bill that made headlines earlier this spring, posing…
Franklin County Court Rules Pension Reform Bill Unconstitutional
Kentucky’s controversial pension reform bill, Senate Bill 151, has been declared unconstitutional. WDRB reports that on Wednesday, Franklin County Court Judge Phillip Shepherd declared Senate Bill 151 void, ruling that the bill failed to meet procedural requirements set forth by the state Constitution. The controversial bill was initially passed and signed into law by Governor Bevin earlier this spring, and…
Here’s How A Supreme Court Decision Could Lead To Another Wave Of Teacher Protests
We saw what happened back in the spring when “pension reform” was all the buzz in Kentucky. Teachers got a sewage bill, Frankfort got a whole lot of protesters, and Matt Bevin got sued. Teachers unions like the Kentucky Education Association (KEA) were critical opponents of that debacle in this year’s General Assembly, and now, they are bracing themselves yet…
The Good, The Bad, and The Not-So-Terrible: What’s Happening to Kentucky Teacher Pensions
This article originally appeared in teacherpensions.org. This week, thousands of Kentucky teachers marched in the state capitol in response to a prospective change in retirement benefits and general concern with the state budget. While their budget and salary concerns are real, the retirement plan reform is necessary, and will in the long run be good for Kentucky and the state’s next generation of…