Education advocates gathered in Frankfurt today to encourage state lawmakers to prioritize funding for public schools.

The Protect Our Schools K coalition says results from a new poll show that Kentuckians want to see the state make a bigger investment in public education.

We are at a critical juncture now regarding public education in our state.

According to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, state Pour funding for public schools, known as Seac, has declined and inflation adjusted 25% since 2008.

Our schools have been asked to do more with less buying power year after year.

A new statewide poll conducted by Change Research found that Kentucky and Kentuckians overwhelmingly support lawmakers in making increased state investment in public schools a top priority.

Change.

Research asked a simple question should it be a priority to increase state spending for public schools to allow an 8% raise for teachers and other school employees, and to hire 5% more staff to lower class sizes, expand preschool and hire mental health counselors.

Here are the results.

In a poll of 2079 Kentuckians with a margin of error of plus or -2.2%.

70% of Kentuckians support making this kind of reinvestment in public schools.

The same poll shows that 96% of Democrats support 82% of independent support, and 53% of Republicans support support.

Importantly, including 54% of Trump voters.

This is what bipartisan looks like.

Kentuckians coming together around the belief that strengthening public schools is not controversial.

It's common sense.

When parents, educators, and students name what they are living.

Overcrowded classrooms, underpaid staff, rising cost and community stretched thin.

We can move past political talking points and focus on what actually helps families thrive.

What's possible when we do this is Kentucky, where every kid and every single zip code has a fully funded public school with counselors, busses, books, and modern facilities that they deserve.

It's a Kentucky where teachers can afford to stay in the profession.

Support staff who earn living wages and students get the career pathways, special education services and mental health supports that make learning possible.

The investments Kentuckians are calling for are possible if lawmakers increase K-12 funding by 718 million per year, which is the same cost as a half point income tax cuts the legislature has passed in recent years.

We are willing to work across party lines.

This isn't a political issue.

This is a public school issue.

So we're willing to work with anyone to make sure that this makes this happen.

For the advocates say public schools are $1.3 billion behind where they should be if funding kept up with the pace of inflation.