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 Lefler 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 is shortsighted.

There hasn't been any appetite in the General Assembly to follow along with Governor Bashir's recommendation to make raising teacher pay a responsibility of the state.

The legislature has encouraged local districts to increase teacher salaries, where that where that works and where that's needed.

But it hasn't mandated that.

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

Teachers do not work for Governor Randy 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 accordingly.

Districts can use their resources, including state funding, how they see fit.

Jim Waters 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 in 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 pupil 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.

When you're talking about increasing payments to pension funds and benefits, that is also part and parcel of helping retain teachers and attract good teachers.

That's part of their compensation.

Teacher benefits are competitive, says this free market thinker.

We have to look beyond salary to determine what the total compensation is for a teacher.

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

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

Kentucky's average and starting teacher pay rank in the bottom ten states nationally, according to the National Education Association, suggesting teachers don't have to leave the profession but could leave the state to see higher salaries.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.

Thank you, June.

And on 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 Kate Dorgan, Kentucky Edition.