Now on to another House bill, House Bill six.

The Republican budget proposal does increase funding for public education, but leaves pay raises for teachers and other school personnel to individual school districts.

A Bowling Green state lawmaker who spent decades in education would like to see more in the way of a salary increase for school employees.

I'm going to fight for education.

Republican State Representative Kevin Jackson spent 32 years as a teacher and coach and served five years on the board of Education for Warren County Public Schools.

That's my passion.

That's what I know.

That's what I understand.

He says he's mostly pleased with the House GOP budget plan, calling it a lean budget that's fiscally responsible.

We put a lot of money into certain things in education, like paying down the pension debt.

We put money in for health insurance for employees.

We put money in to try to get transportation funding up.

The two year budget calls for an overall 6% increase and seek funding.

Seek support to education excellence in Kentucky.

As the formula used to allocate funding to school districts.

As an educator, I look at what are the boots on the ground?

What are the teachers?

What are the classified personnel?

What are they going to be able to benefit from this?

In his conversations with area administrators, including Warren County Public Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton and Superintendent Gary Fields of Bowling Green Independence Schools, they say the allocation would provide a 1 to 2% pay increase for faculty and staff.

I just don't think that's enough.

Our teachers have been through.

And classified personnel have been through COVID.

We've been through the tornadoes that came through here.

We've been through a lot of things over the last three or four years.

We would just like to send a message to our teachers and staff that we appreciate you.

We appreciate what you do on a daily basis.

Jackson says he would like to see along the lines of a 5% pay increase for teachers and classified staff without having to cut money for other programs.

He doesn't think Governor Andy Beshear has proposed 11% pay increase is feasible.

Ideal world.

11% sounds good and would be overwhelmingly popular, but that's probably not realistic.

11% is just above and beyond I think what we could do right now.

He says.

In the meantime, discussions continue in Frankfurt about how to move forward.

We're willing to talk and work with leadership and the entire caucus and see what is best for our teachers across the state.

Jackson, who was among 25 new state representatives last year, says he feels more at ease in his second session.

And I'm loving it.

I enjoy it.

And hopefully we're going to be able to do some good things for the people back home.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Laura Rogers.