to TRACK reports.org right after Boone, our Hopkins and Grayson counties.

The chair of the Senate Families and Children's Committee wants to give a cash reward to parents or child care providers who get Kentucky kids ready for kindergarten.

Details.

As we begin a look at tonight's legislative update, Senator Danny Carroll, a Republican from Paducah, presented Senate Bill 191 to the Families and Children Committee today.

The bill would establish a three year pilot program through the University of Kentucky, which would give a $2,000 cash reward to child care centers or low income parents whose children are designated, quote, kindergarten ready when they enter school.

Senator Carroll said he hopes the incentive could lead to more quality child care centers and improve Kentucky's kindergarten readiness rate, which is currently around 50%.

>> If we can get a strong foundation and we can get 8,090% of our kids kindergarten ready, imagine the the progress and success we can have in those first three years and beyond.

If teachers can focus on moving the kids forward instead of trying to get kids caught up who are not kindergarten ready.

So that's a big emphasis of this.

>> Bill as far as funding the program goes, Senator Carroll said the state's previous budget included $2 million that was not utilized.

It's his plan to request that those dollars be put toward this pilot program.

The Western Kentucky senator also said, as far as he knows, no other states have implemented this type of legislation.

The bill passed out of committee today without opposition.

Education remains a key focus of the Kentucky General Assembly this session, as lawmakers also craft a two year spending plan for the state.

Last night on Kentucky tonight, I asked our guests about how much the state should be spending on education and where that money should go.

Among the suggestions, increased teacher pay.

>> We really believe that our teachers need to be paid more.

We think that especially if you look in Tennessee with our Tennessee next year, there'll be a $50,000 beginning salary for teachers in the state of Tennessee.

That's going to be very difficult to recruit teachers, especially on the border.

>> What's the average in Kentucky for average?

>> I think the average starting is probably in the low 40s, probably around 4344.

I don't have that number in front of me.

Miss Shepherd may have that, I know, but I think it's in the in the low 40s, I would say some districts as low as 38,000 and others may be more depending on where you are in the state.

>> According to a National Education Association survey of average educator pay across all 50 states, Kentucky ranks and some of the lowest were in the low 40s.

When you look at average educator pay across the state.

And so for us to be able to pull in educators from not only Kentucky but across the country, we have to be able to compete with states across the country.

And so raising that educator pay so that we are able to recruit and retain not only within the education profession, but across all professions, is something that we have to do to be able to put the best teachers in front of Kentucky students.

>> We packed a lot into last night's discussion.

We talked about recent test scores, AI in the classroom and several school related proposals.

Now before the Kentucky General Assembly, including plans that would affect Jefferson and Fayette County schools.

You can see that full hour long conversation online on demand at Keturah George Rogers Clark