The 2024 Kentucky General Assembly session will include a lot of discussion about monetary issues. The head of Kentucky’s teacher union says state funding of schools is always one to watch.
Lawmakers in both chambers of the Legislature will be crafting funding levels in many areas of government. It’s found in the biennial budget. The Support Education Excellence in Kentucky or SEEK program sets out how monies are divvied up to school districts. Kentucky Education Association President Eddie Campbell said the state portion of support needs to increase.
“It’s about 16 percent behind where it should be and if they could catch that up I think that would give us a better look and a balance to see between our local dollars that are coming in and the state dollars that are their funding of public education,” said Campbell.
Campbell said additional pay for teachers and certified employees including boosting starting salaries is a priority issue.
Having the appropriate atmosphere in the classroom is also critical. That can include student use of cell phones. Campbell said it’s important to utilize the technology that students hold in their hands.
“And learn how to incorporate that into the lessons and the daily life because students walk around with them all the time…adults walk around with cell phones all the time. So, we need to learn how to marry that technology into the lessons that we’re teaching in the classroom,” said Campbell.
Campbell said, how cell phones are used, is a local decision with site-based school councils. Asked about students using their phones for non-academic reasons during class, Campbell said, quote, “It’s all good classroom management.”
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