Stand With Kentucky Teachers and Their Communities

Richard Mellor

Afscme Local 444 retired

The struggle in Kentucky over the future of public education continues today as the legislators meet to vote on the governor’s appointees for the Kentucky Board of Education. Teachers protests have already shut down schools for 6 days through sick outs as there were not enough subs to replace them (See earlier posts on Kentucky).

The state passed emergency legislation in January to prevent protests at the State Capitol.  There has to be notice given. As an example of what a "Government for the people by the people." really means, which people they are talking about, the law doesn't apply to lobbyists. I write this, teachers are being harassed and threatened by the state and  over comments and stances of support they are taking on social media. The state and leadership of the "official" union bodies are urging teachers to not sickout again and  instead follow their plan of sending JCTA delegates to the Capitol instead of shutting school down. Reportedly they did not fully follow through with their plan as many schools are understaffed and did not send delegates at all. There was also a Jefferson County Teachers Association public statement yesterday urging teachers not to stay away from school and attend today’s protests at the state Capitol.  The JCTA president Brent McKim was joined by leaders from Afscme, SEIU and the Teamsters, a rare show of unity between labor officials who are normally at each others throats competing for new members that they see as revenue for the “union business.”. One thing they all have in common is the fear of a conscious militant rank and file. The stance of the official trade union leaders on this is nothing less than a criminal betrayal.

The war against public education is taking place throughout the country and won’t stop in Kentucky. Teachers/educators and their allies have opened up a new front in the struggle to change our unions and also for a future for our children. As is always the case, the savaging of public education will and does have a devastating affect on communities of color. 

In the forefront of this struggle has been teachers, parents and allies in Jefferson County which includes Louisville.  As we pointed out in an earlier post, the group that led the struggles last year, KY120 along with the Kentucky Education Association made a deal with the state called for Jefferson County teachers not to attend rallies in the State Capitol (Frankfort). Jefferson County folks didn’t abide by that deal and incurred the wrath of the KEA and the KY120 group.

This is from the website Dear JCPS

URGENT! Use the link in the attached to email all Senators this morning before 10 am and ask them not to confirm Bevin’s KBE appointments, including charter champion and board chair Hal Heiner, JCPS critic and EdChoiceKY director Gary Houchens and Tennessee charter school operator Ben Cundiff. They are anti-public school and stand to benefit from their demise. They also forced out Stephen Pruitt the day after they were appointed to bring in unqualified Wayne Lewis, who wrote his dissertation on charters and made a blatant power grab to take over JCPS immediately after he was hired. A private school grad himself, Lewis has only 5 years public school teaching experience, none of which was in Kentucky. He certainly has no understanding of the issues we face in Jefferson County. Help our senators understand that confirming these appointments could mean checkmate for JCPS.

If you go to that website I have linked above and click on the link Email ALL KY Senators in just one click. Please go to that link and send them a message urging them not to support the governor’s appointees. Even if they have already done so it is important to do this to show that the Kentucky folks have support from outside the state and if you are a reader from abroad let them know as well, it's important the state knows you are following their struggle and support Kentucky teachers/parents and communities in their defense of public education.

This is all for now maybe I’ll try to get some further information out later. But please, this is not the end of the battle here in the US against this offensive of capitalism by letting these politicians know the Kentucky folks are being supported outside of their own state will have an affect on the privatizers.