Thousands Of Kentucky Teachers Turn Out To Fight Budget Cuts As Bill Passes Legislature

Local school districts were closed Monday as thousands of teachers rallied in Frankfort.

Teachers from every part of Kentucky protested pension reform and education budget cuts in Frankfort on Monday, April 2. Photo by Kentucky Education Association.

(Boone County, Ky.) - It is back to school in Boone County and other Kentucky school districts Tuesday.

The districts were closed Monday as thousands of teachers descended upon Frankfort for a rally against pension reform and education budget cuts.

Kentucky Education Association President Stephanie Winkler said teachers will hold lawmakers accountable if they don't put the needs of Kentucky's public services first. Winkler, head of the state’s largest teachers union, told lawmakers they are 'fed up' with how negotiations have played out.

Meanwhile, most taxpayers in Kentucky would pay less in income taxes, but could pay more in sales taxes, and will definitely pay more in cigarette taxes under the latest state budget plan. The House of Representatives approved the plan on a 51-44 vote Monday, with nine Republicans joining Democrats in opposition to the bill. It had passed the state Senate earlier in the day, and now heads for Governor Matt Bevin's desk.

Under the GOP plan, the income tax would be lowered to a flat five percent rate while lawmakers would add a sales tax to 17 new services. The tax on a pack of cigarettes would be increased by 50-cents.

All the increases are pitched as a way to balance the state budget. Lawmakers say they expect to see an extra $239 million next year and $248 million the year after that.

Governor Matt Bevin, a Republican, has indicated he opposes the budget bill because it does not go far enough in making cuts, but does raise taxes. In a statement, Bevin criticized the budget bill as being fiscally irresponsible, containing unfunded mandates, and creating shortfalls in the future.

“A fiscally responsible budget does not kick the can down the road as previous governors and legislators have previously done. I am very concerned that the current proposal from the General Assembly may not meet these basic standards of fiscal responsibility,” Bevin said.

However, lawmakers could opt to override a governor’s veto.

Bevin has previously been complimentary of lawmakers' passage of a pension reform bill he is expected to sign into law.