An open letter to Governor Bevin

Dear Governor Bevin,

I know that these past couple of years have been financially distressful to the state and we operate in a large deficit when it comes to teacher pensions and education at large. However, I would caution you in continuing your budget cutting of education. Not only does it cause future constituents and voters to suffer, it poses an immense risk to a state in need of bright  minds to lead the future.

Being one of the largest high schools in the state, it is not hard to see the effects the budgets cuts make. At a recent SBDM council meeting, it was communicated that we would losing 10 positions and eight bodies this coming school year. That’s eight teachers who are now out of a job and in a scarce market because of similar staffing cuts at other high schools. In fact, across the district we could be losing a net of up to 50 teachers at the high school level alone. That is unacceptable. Many of these teachers rarely miss a day, and are only being singled out because they aren’t yet tenured.

Additionally, we learned that class sizes, particularly in the core subjects (English, Science, Math), would explode out, exceeding 40 in some cases. This number in a class has been proven to be detrimental to students, with more failing in large class situations.

I’m sure that your goal is not to disadvantage students in Fayette County or other school districts. In fact, I’m sure that your goal is a better sustainable future for all Kentuckians. I merely wish that you and your fellows in the state legislature would fully take in the vast impact that policies have on the individuals that you represent.

This is less of a letter condemning you and your actions and more of a helpful suggestion. While I am just a high schooler and have no real public policy expertise, I don’t believe that the only way to solve debt is to slash funding to education.

I believe alternatives lie elsewhere. For example, a utilization of the Kentucky Lottery would greatly help reduce deficits. This has been seen to be beneficial in the state of New Jersey where nearly 1 billion dollars were raised to balance the failing pension system. This would buy time for lawmakers and your office to formulate a plan that is well thought out and the best thing on the table for everyone.

I would like to conclude this letter the way that I started it. Education is already severely underfunded, and it is not some pool from which the state can take money at will. Now, it is more akin to a puddle. We continue to cut funds it will soon become a drop, not nearly enough to satisfy the thousands of future kentuckians sitting in schools each and every day.

Sincerely,

Luke Webster