Kentucky education leaders will host a joint press release at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, Nov. 6, at Woodford County High School, 180 Frankfort St, Versailles to present alternatives to a public pension reform plan that has been presented by the office of Gov. Matt Bevin.
The Shared Responsibility Plan is designed to address challenges and financial shortcomings of the current state employee pension fund while also ensuring the long-term stability of the many areas of public service that provide the foundation for life in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Those include the areas of public education, law enforcement and emergency response, and all aspects of city and county government, such as roads and infrastructure, municipal utilities and judicial processes.
Dr. Tom Shelton, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, said the Shared Responsibility Plan demonstrates the willingness of the state’s education organizations and members to implement changes that will strengthen the pension program and maintain its sustainability.
“We must protect the ability of public education to recruit and retain quality educators,” Shelton said. “Teachers and education professionals build the foundation upon which every other area of public life in Kentucky stands. We often hear that children are the future, and that is true, but it is also true that as leaders, we stand at a pivotal moment in time as the decisions we make today will directly impact the future of our children.”
Representatives from the Boone County Education Association, the Council for Better Education, the Jefferson County Teachers Association, the Kentucky Association of School Administrators, the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, the Kentucky Education Association, the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association, the Kentucky School Boards Association, and others will share highlights of a Shared Responsibility Plan, which has been presented to state legislative leadership in draft format for their consideration as an alternative to a plan previously released by Gov. Bevin.
The governor is expected to call a special session that will consider changes to the existing state employee pension program.