Governor’s Austere Budget Gives Small Bump to K-12, Cuts Funding for Many Areas
Governor Beshear's Executive Budget proposal provides a small amount of additional funding to K-12 education but not enough to fully...
Principles Must Guide Details of Tax Reform Proposal
Gov. Steve Beshear announced in his State of the Commonwealth address that he will propose a specific tax reform plan to the General Assembly in the coming weeks. His leadership...
Statement on Governor Beshear’s State of the Commonwealth Address
KCEP Director Jason Bailey released the following statement on Governor Beshear's State of the Commonwealth address: "Governor Beshear rightly focused his speech on the need for more resources to help...
Vast Inequality in Wealth Means Poor School Districts Are Less Able to Rely on Local Property Taxes
The cuts in state and federal funding for education are hitting Kentucky's school districts hard, and many are raising local taxes in response. However, the same local property tax increase...
Presentation: Kentucky’s Budget Outlook
Kentucky lawmakers will begin assembling what Speaker Greg Stumbo recently called a "destructive" two-year state budget when it reconvenes in January. Current projections suggest the weakest revenue growth since the...
State Must Begin Meeting Responsibility to Teachers’ Retirement or Pay More Later
The state has not been making full required contributions to Kentucky teachers' retirement since 2009, and the impact of not making those payments has a compounding effect—meaning more costs for...
Preliminary Forecast Predicts Weakest Revenue Growth Since Recovery Began
Kentucky currently expects to craft its next two-year budget with the least amount of new General Fund revenue it has had since the recovery began. This bad news comes despite...
875,000 Kentuckians to See a Cut in Food Assistance Beginning Today
Beginning today, 875,000 Kentuckians will see their food assistance benefits cut when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) expires. All of...
Budget Cuts Further Widen Education Funding Gaps
Cuts to state and federal funding for education are leading to greater reliance on local revenue sources and exacerbating funding inequity between school districts, as described in a Louisville Courier-Journal...
Kentucky Among States with Biggest Coverage Assistance from Health Reform
Kentucky is one of three states in the nation where more than four out of five of the uninsured will be eligible for health coverage assistance under the Affordable Care...