Kentucky House Republicans proposed that the state pay more for transportation costs for students in K-12 schools under an updated budget plan that passed a committee Wednesday.
The House Ways and Means Committee action sets up a full House vote on a major budget bill targeting the state executive branch. That vote could take place as early as Thursday.
House Republican leaders said the measure would meet current needs while putting the Bluegrass State on solid footing for the future. They emphasized that the bill makes significant investments in education, infrastructure, public safety, and human services.
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“It continues to reflect our mission to provide necessary capabilities to state government and ensure that every dollar invested benefits all Kentuckians,” said Commission Chairman Jason Petrie. . “We are not looking to score political points or pander to political interests.”
One important change was the level of state support for K-12 students’ transportation to and from school.
The version introduced on the House floor would have the state pay 100% of those costs in the second year of the two-year period. The state would pay 80% of these costs in the first year of a two-year budget cycle that begins July 1. In his budget proposal to lawmakers, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear called for the state to pay for all student transportation costs. both years.
Students arrive by bus at Meisiek Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 2, 2017. Under the new proposed spending plan, the state would pay much of the cost of transportation for students in K-12 schools. (Michael Noble Jr., The Washington Post, via Getty Images)
The House committee did not deviate from its plan to achieve teacher pay increases.
The House Republicans’ plan does not include the guaranteed raises for educators and other public school employees that Beshear had requested. Instead, the House Republican plan encourages school districts to use additional state funding to grant raises. The amount of the raise will be determined by local administrators.
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Beshear called for a guaranteed 11% raise for teachers and all other public school employees, including bus drivers, janitors and cafeteria staff. The governor has prioritized paying high-ranking teachers, saying it is essential to making Kentucky more competitive with other states. She said Kentucky currently lags near the bottom of the nation in terms of average starting salary and salary for teachers.
Budgeting is a top priority for lawmakers this year, and the House action is another step toward achieving that goal. Once the budget passes the House, it will go to the Senate, where it will affect state spending for the next two fiscal years. The final version will be refined by a conference committee made up of House and Senate leaders. Republicans hold an overwhelming majority in both chambers.
