♪ ♪ >> Teachers do not work for Governor Andy Beshear.

Teachers do not work for the state of Kentucky.

They work for their local school districts.

>> In case against state approved teacher raises.

Is another state income tax cut in your future.

>> And the wall, this deal learning the >> and how one artist is making sure some of Louisville's most celebrated mothers are being remembered.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part, but the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to Kentucky EDITION on this Wednesday, January.

The 15th, I'm Renee Shaw.

We thank you for winding down your Wednesday with us.

Some Kentucky students are taking their grievances with public education to court climbing.

The state has failed to uphold its constitutional duty to provide an adequate and equitable education.

The lawsuit highlights what the group says is the erosion of Kentucky's public education system.

Since the 1990's, citing a 25% decline in adjusted funding and poor academic performance.

The group called the Kentucky Student Voice Team reference the 1989 Rose Versus Council for Better Education ruling which led to the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

A year later that legislation dramatically change how the state's public schools are funded, reformed and standardized curriculum and increased accountability at the school and district level speaking during a news conference yesterday outside the Franklin County Courthouse where the lawsuit was filed.

The students claim the state has not fulfilled its commitment to ensuring a quality education for all students.

>> We are here today because we refuse to accept the status quo when it comes to our education.

We are here because we believe the promise of education in Kentucky.

It's far too important to be sidelined.

Efficiency and equity or inaction.

We have filed this lawsuit because we believe that the Commonwealth of Kentucky has failed to provide us with the public education system that promises and the demands of our constitution.

>> It is a fact that most students aren't prepared to participate in our communities and our government.

Kentucky is one of just 11 states with no civics for a party.

>> And it shows right now a Kentuckyian can't even name a local elected official or are free range.

That happens.

We want a school system where one teachers are paid, what they deserve.

Class sizes allow the real learning and transportation is reliable and fully funded.

>> All our students and staff feel valued safe and supported to teach and learn.

>> 3 controversial topics are explored caught fully and not censored.

All students, families and educators have a genuine say in school decision-making.

Funding.

Is there transparent and accountable?

And we're all students of all backgrounds are prepared to thrive and give back to our communities.

>> And the students of Kentucky deserve more.

We know that the system is not doing what must we have educators and staff.

We're working so hard in our road after to improve the education that they give us.

But the system that supports them, it's failing Democrats.

Republicans, the government's general has been unable to provide to support the resources and the funding required to meet the capacity to support our students.

We're here to demand their future.

>> The lawsuit names, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, House Speaker David Osborne and Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher as defendants despite claims of record funding by state officials.

The students argue the Legislature's policies have failed to address the root causes of these challenges.

The lawsuit calls for the courts to reaffirm the promises made by the Rose decision urging state lawmakers to take corrective action to restore the state's education system to constitutional standards.

Now, there are some who believe Kentucky's schools are adequately funded and they're responding to a recent report by a progressive leaning think tank suggesting that teacher pay and state education funding have not kept pace with inflation.

And that more state funding can and should fill the gap as our June Leffler reports, fiscal conservatives say that report doesn't paint the full picture.

>> A report by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy shows teacher pay has not recovered from the Great Recession.

Lawmakers made cuts in 2010 and teacher.

Wages haven't bounced back considering inflation, but fiscal conservatives say any call for across the board teacher raises short-sighted.

>> There hasn't been any at the types in the General Assembly.

2 follow along with Governor Bush years recommendation.

To make.

Raising teacher pay.

Responsibility of the state.

>> The legislature has encourage local districts to increase teacher salaries where that where that works and where that's neither.

But it has a mandate to that.

And the reason is very simple is teachers do not work for the state.

Teachers do not work for Governor Andy Beshear.

Teachers do not work for the state of Kentucky.

They work for their local school districts.

Each local district has its own salary schedule for teachers and pays teachers.

According >> districts can use their resources, including state funding, how they see fit Jim Otters of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions says districts have used that money to increase staff.

>> From 1990, to 2020, for example, the number of non teaching staff in our schools grew by 55%.

The number of students and Kentucky during that time grew by 5%.

And the number of teachers grew by 21%.

>> How well the state has funded districts is complicated.

State contributions to per people funding declined hundreds of millions of dollars in the last budget.

That funding is being bolstered by local revenues but state lawmakers made big contributions to school transportation, all-day kindergarten and teachers, pension liability.

>> You're talking about increasing payments to pension funds and benefits.

That is also part and parcel of of helping retain teachers are attracted teachers.

That's part of their compensation.

>> Teacher benefits are competitive, says this free market think >> We have to look beyond celery to determine what the total compensation is for teacher.

And I think that's a you know, teachers are never going to make as much as people do in the private sector.

Butts.

It's not a bad job for those that are interested in going into the profession.

>> Kentucky's average and starting teacher pay ranked in the bottom 10 states nationally, according to the National Education Association suggesting teachers don't have to leave the profession that could leave the state to see higher salaries for Kentucky Jen left.

>> Thank you, June.

All of last night's Kentucky Edition.

We brought you the perspective of the proponents for more state funded teacher pay.

You can see those arguments online on demand at KET DOT Org slash Kentucky edition.

Now more now on state MONEY matters.

Last week the Kentucky House voted 90 to 7 to cut the state's income tax from 4% to 3 and a half percent.

The full Senate will take up the bill when the Kentucky General Assembly returns to Frankfort in February.

Some want to eliminate the state income tax altogether.

Monday on Kentucky tonight, we talked about whether the current bill is a good idea what the future holds and what the state would need to do to make up lost tax revenue.

>> I've spoken on many occasions about prudence of what we're doing.

And how it's been recognized even by the rating agencies, which even the governor.

How about how much the rating agencies are looking at us in one of the bullet points is we are doing responsible reduction in our income tax.

>> Kentucky will be a Kansas know now and see, we put those mechanisms what people say, well, you just cut it based on.

>> A factor of revenue growth now there's 2 other things in there.

One, you have to have at least a 10% Budget Reserve trust fund for your overall generated revenues are.

So let's trim the number one.

But then there's a delta that you can never cut to where yourself, where we would put ourselves in a place of being deficits.

>> Yes, white man in this moment going to 3.5 allows them allows Kentucky instead of money in their pockets.

But when you look at the states that we compare ourselves to Texas, Tennessee and Florida.

Those 3 states have alternate sources of revenue that just come into the state, not like to say we're not Texas.

We don't have all.

We're not Tennessee.

We don't have country music or dolly and we certainly are not Florida.

And we don't have Mickey.

So if you go down to 0 and today we can't pay for the things we need to pay for.

How will people get the basics?

Education, food, those type of things that they rely on the government for.

And the last thing I'll say about that is.

Taxes serve the common good.

No one family can build a road.

No one family can build an education system.

That's why we have a government.

>> Sort of go back to Japan's comments about.

If we get to 0 without a huge influx of new dollars, that statement in and of itself is not possible because if we don't have a huge influx of new dollars, we will never meet the triggers to get us to 0.

So we're going to have to continue to grow those revenues because our expenses continue to grow beyond our control and many areas like Medicaid pensions continue to skyrocket.

>> If you go to 0, then it means that those monies at least theoretically maybe as a reality will not be there to continue services at the level that we doing them.

Now and or the those is saying that we've already underfunded some aspects will, for instance, in areas of education, et cetera.

And where are we not investing in these things?

And that's the discussion we get into.

But the fact of the matter is, if you go to 0, those funds are no longer there.

You can either have to use what you have, what calls we used to call a budget fun.

But my point is, is that either you cut service is down or you want to find another source of income.

And that suggests to me and looking at history that you look at it, revenues come from sales tax for us and said maybe other the mechanisms.

you look at Tennessee U.S. what as he did to a degree from observation and what they do on that border.

Now they come over Kentucky.

Do get a better Sales tax rises.

So we're going to cut services.

Are we going to find another source?

A wreath of income to take care of those maintain stay services.

It we need an or weeks pay.

>> On Monday night, those legislative leaders also talked about possible exceptions to Kentucky's near total abortion ban, diversity, equity and inclusion or dei and higher.

Ed homelessness in Kentuckyian more.

And you can see the entire hour-long conversation online on demand at KET DOT Org.

Slash K why tonight?

Turning now to what's happening in Washington, U.S.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says he expects an easy confirmation for Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated to be secretary of Homeland Security, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held hearings today.

Paul is chair of that committee.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Paul says he supports most of president elect Trump's Cabinet nominees.

He did not say he supports all of them.

There's doubt about whether Louisville Metro Police Department will come under a consent decree.

A federal judge on Monday question.

If the police department should fall under the supervision described in the approved agreement saying he would prefer a, quote, less intrusive arrangement, according to reporting from Louisville, Public Media, a 90 page report released in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Justice found the LMPD systematically used excessive force and violated residents.

Civil rights.

It prompted city officials to work towards a consent decree.

The agreement was announced in December after months of negotiations and hopes of being approved before a new president takes place.

The U.S. Western District Court Judge Benjamin beaten has not approved the agreement but said prior federal rulings favor approving it.

♪ Time now for midweek, check-in of some major political developments so far this week with Rylan Barton who is an editor with NPR National Public Radio.

Good to see you.

>> Good to see today.

>> So let's start with some state news before we talk about what's happening on the federal fraud.

There was I a group of students and we've already reported this earlier in our broadcast this evening who have filed a lawsuit against the state alleging that the state is providing and an adequate and equitable public education.

Tell us more about this.

>> Yeah, I mean, a big part of that lawsuit of those 2 words inadequate next inequitable.

Because what it is trying to do is refer back to the landmark 1989 Supreme Court decision has mentioned that story.

Rose versus counts for better education that that forced the state legislature to provide more education funding and spread across the state.

More equitably.

So a big part of that lawsuit was richer more urban school districts are better funded than poorer, more rural ones.

And a part of this lawsuit alleges that the the state is really slid back from that over the years, especially when you account for inflation that it has gotten more equitable in those ways.

But also just overall that there isn't enough education funding, but they're also calling for more than that, saying that this also comes down to how teachers are paid, just that the quality of education that Kentucky school districts are getting.

And that's also reflected in the in the test scores that Kentucky students have been logging over in recent years.

it CNA its an interesting attempt to try and renew the call of the Supreme Court.

Back in 1989, for for the legislature to do that.

Legislative the lawsuit names, Republican leaders of the legislature and that's saying that they haven't done enough to fund education and they've responded saying that, in fact, they have they've, you know, more than accounted for the last inflation.

And they've also said that really what they're going to do is not pour more money into the education system, but rather they're calling for more accountability, which is really it's something that's a big dividing line and look.

>> Kentucky student voice team is also saying they're going to hold public hearings across the state to get input from stakeholders and perhaps craft some recommendations.

So the lawsuit is just one part of their activism on this front also and the state House, a state representative Daniel Grossberg, a Louisville Democrat, is again in the news or island and a second ethics complaint has been filed against him.

Tell us more about this.

>> All right.

And we don't know.

The specifics of that complaint yet.

We just know that it's happened early.

And so there's an earlier ethics complaint was filed actually by Democratic leaders.

And this is, you know, he's a Democratic state representative you know, this is this is a lot of this is based on reporting from the Lexington Herald-Leader which exposed this that you that hadn't been behaving inappropriately towards women in the legislature and also ethical boundaries when it came to business deals that he had made, including purchasing a car and some other things.

So Democrats have really turned and tried to distance themselves from him.

They filed the ethics complaint against and they also removed him from certain interim committees which don't necessarily have the power.

They're reviewing legislation.

Interesting twist to this stuff you talked a little bit about earlier is that he's been put back on committees are views on committees, this legislative session and that that's really because of the Republican leaders of the Legislature have done that, which is Democrats have seen.

That is a bit of a political move when they they are really.

Trying to distance themselves from him.

They they're not caucusing with them.

But you still that happens.

You know, the seats on those committees where he can, you know, they'll be playing an important role in advancing legislation are not through the legislature right now.

So, you know, we'll find out what the second complaint is and who it's fine.

It's a little bit of a mystery right now.

But this is a Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission.

They they oversee this.

And, you know, it'll take some time for this to roll out.

>> Yeah, something to KET our eyes on for sure.

Turning now to Washington Kentucky's first district Congressman James Comer, who is head of the powerful Oversight Committee, has a new book coming out.

Are a book coming out this week and it's called All the President's money investigating the secret foreign schemes that made the Biden family rich.

But there is a claim by a famous investigative journalist that he was misquoted and this work.

>> Yeah.

Basically the most famous American journalist Bob Woodward of Jimmy Carter had a dinner with Bob Woodward in his reporting partner Robert Costa last about 3 hours and pulled some quotes from this.

Also paraphrase some moments in this conversation where where where was kind of agree with a lot with coroners investigative and He's been investigating that, you know, for our current President Biden and alleging that his family been peddling influence and then and these quotes Bob Woodward was agreeing with with him and saying that, yes, this is the case that it's going to be very hard to to, to prove that.

And also some quotes denigrating the current Washington political journalist and saying, you know, touting what he was able to do with with Watergate, but but also criticizing the u N current journalist.

Art are unable to get anything done he said that, you know, he reviewed those 3 hours that 3 hours of tape and was unable to find what Comer was talking about.

That conversation.

And by the way, the title of that book, all the President's money as a as a reference to the book about Watergate, all the President's men.

So he's really trying to tie those Bob Woodward, that that's the connection isn't isn't really holding up even before the book comes out.

Yeah.

>> Last item, Kentucky's 4th district Congressman Thomas Massie also made news this week just yesterday by saying that he volunteered to remove himself from the House Rules Committee.

But this is in reaction to him not being on the side of Speaker Johnson.

>> Right.

And also apparently he wasn't going to be on the House Rules Committee in this most in this upcoming Congress, which it's a powerful committee.

And, you know, the reason he had gotten on that committee was through a deal when one speaker McCarthy was elected in a deal with the U.S. some of the more conservative Freedom Freedom Caucus, members of Congress.

This is this is a bit of a blow to Massey other.

He says it's not and retaliation for him but voting against House Speaker Mike Johnson.

But he was the lone no votes there.

And also it's important to point out that in his time on the rules committee, he got in the way of several procedural process is that Republican leaders were attempting to.

We're attempting to make a guess.

And then this most version, recent version of the Republican House, they don't need at senior.

They felt like they don't need Messi's vote.

They're just gonna get in the way there.

But, you know, just are you looking at what's happening here mask?

He's become a bit of that.

That one vote that Republicans really have to consider because that because the margin so tight in the house right now and he so wants to know to kind of stop the some institutional momentum in Congress that they're gonna have to consider what happens?

>> Well, there's not a lot of things that I'm not a lack of things to talk about for sure.

And more to KET our eyes on.

And we appreciate your island for doing it.

♪ >> An artist in Louisville is celebrating some influential mothers say hi to your mother is an exhibit celebrating the contributions of 30 black female leaders in Louisville artist.

Giovanni Bennett says the project explores and preserves the legacy of the women who helped shape her more in tonight's Arts and Culture segment, we call Tapestry was just curious how, although starting to be.

>> And and again, starting women represent ancestors, a punt and sisters who nurture new morality is very important in this exhibit has celebrated 30 women on the 30th anniversary on the 30th year that Breonna Taylor, I would have been 30 so that many, many women >> were featured.

I'm not going to miss all of them because it is 30 of them.

But do you will see our list still out in other culturally?

There's some of them have received awards and celebrations, but some have never received awards and recognition, but they all speak to each other because they have touched my life significantly.

So I didn't realize until the end of the experience that I have, my earliest teachers, my first visual arts teacher and also my first black woman teacher was when the Bethel she is here.

First music teacher is so wet up.

Perkins.

She is here.

She taught me as saying my first dance teacher which is highly not rumble.

She is here and some of the women have impacted my last and I didn't even know until later it took less than 3 months to pain.

30 portraits.

It for some people that would take years.

But it came through and every single porter require a difference, instability.

So some of them at a column that and sisters, I would have pictures of the ancestors I had Model Sessions.

I will go to their homes, their art studios to their favorite places.

So I start out with a well designed drawing cannot paint over it.

Realistically, when you put Calatayud deconstruct, you show the messiness the intricacies, the complexity of holy be because that's who we are today we die.

So these women on the walls are steel.

>> Learning then sells.

And this is 50 to almost 100 year already and they are still learning themselves.

And so that's what the last peaks too.

So not look at them is exceptional figures.

A look at the network of people who hold on late hands on them, which is how I feel what Joe Klein in the show is that each woman that way there, the title is just our last name and first name.

And as like they're an index of the fictional U.S. social studies book somewhere in the future and at the assessors to literally show, as you this fail, you might want to do it differently or this or you might want to do it differently.

This culturally responsive to the needs that are there now, right?

So >> that that connection direct connection to an sisters as one of many, many tools.

But for me, it's a it's a main tool because that's feels seen >> The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is working on a catalog that lets people learn more about the women featured in the exhibit.

Well, that'll do it for us tonight.

We hope that you'll join us again tomorrow night at 6.30, Eastern 5.30, central for Kentucky.

Addition, we inform connect and inspire subscribe to our Kentucky Edition, e-mail newsletters and watch full episodes and clips at KET Dot Org.

You can also find us on the PBS video app on your mobile device and smart TV and send us a story idea by email to public affairs at KET Dot Org and make sure you follow KET on Facebook X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram.

The stand the Loop on all the great things happening here at KET.

Thanks so much for watching.

See you real soon and take good care.

♪