From the Louisville Courier-Journal:
Thousands of Kentucky teachers stormed the state Capitol on Monday in a unified show of support for public education. But in the days since, that unity has been tested as teachers contemplate their next moves.
Some want to take swift, dramatic action. Others want to be cautious.
I wish I had a pipeline into what the public school teachers were going to do. As I have written about earlier, I’m in a private school. But unlike with West Virginia and Oklahoma where there is teacher unity, Kentucky teachers are...well…
While some have pushed for a statewide sickout similar to the one that shut down nearly 30 school districts on March 30, others have questioned what that would accomplish.
"I'm not calling in sick unless there is some kind of plan to go along with it. We'll lose the public if school closes for no reason," read one post in a secret group viewed by Courier Journal.
OK. Maybe it is just the Courier-Journal with some agenda to push. But they do point out that under wonderful Kentucky law, teachers and other public employees do not have the right to strike. The intimidation of losing their jobs is having the desired effect because I have read this bit of self-deception earlier:
There are two days left in the legislative session, April 13 and 14. Before the final day, teachers and their supporters will be watching to see whether Gov. Matt Bevin exercises his veto power in their favor.
I have tried contacting one of my friends in the public school system, but I have not heard back from her yet. While it is possible there are some teachers who profess what I emboldened in the above quote, those who hold with that belief are at Trumpian levels of delusion. Waiting on Bevin to do something positive for teachers and the citizens of Kentucky, even if it is all for the wrong reasons? For fucking real??
If this is report on what some teachers are thinking is even remotely accurate, it smacks of desperation. Bevin got his scalp from the teachers. Now, it wasn’t the rest of the teachers hide to place over his fireplace like some big game trophy hunter, but a scalping of teachers — ahem “pension reform” — is something Bevin wants to be known for.
Now, the “screw the teachers out of their promised pension” act has passed, but it was tied to that tax “reform” bill the state House was all itchy for. What some of the self-deluders may be clinging to is that Bevin ain’t happy about that tax bill.
Bevin has not yet taken action on the bill. He has until April 13 to either sign it into law or veto it. Last week, he posted a message on his Twitter account saying he was concerned the bill may not meet “basic standards of fiscal responsibility.”
And it appears that Bevin has someone who has given him an out on this: Kentucky’s Budget Director.
Citing a rushed process through the legislature, Kentucky’s budget director said Friday that a recently approved tax hike will lead to a $50 million shortfall over the next two years.
John Chilton wrote a letter to Republican Gov. Matt Bevin saying revenue projections for House Bill 366 are not accurate. The Legislative Research Commission estimates the new taxes will generate $478 million over the next two years. Lawmakers crafted a two-year operating budget to spend all of that money. But Chilton says an analysis by his office shows revenues will be at least $50 million less than the LRC projected.
Oops. Rushed bills have a tendency to be sloppy and fool of loopholes, especially for the rich. Anyway, if Bevin wanted to much things up, he has an excuse on the recent tax bill. Veto it, and I think that pension bill might go up in flames too.
However, this is NOTHING that teachers should be betting the farm on. I’m betting Bevin takes what he can get, and the teachers get the shaft.
Then what will the teachers do? The legislative session is over. The school year is almost over. What will teachers do, besides organizing to vote out the politicians who have sold them out for years?
I do not know.