Teachers in eight Kentucky counties mounting ‘walk-in’ protest over proposed public pension reform bill

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Kentucky teachers in eight counties are holding a “walk-in” rally on Thursday to protest the Senate’s public pension reform bill.

“We need, as a state, to treat funding for our schools, the services our kids need and the people who devote their working lives to providing those services as a top priority, not as a burden,” Erin Grace, a teacher at Rockcastle County High School and the president of Rockcastle County Education Association, told the Herald-Leader.

The “walk-in” will consist of teachers and other school employees gathering outside 28 schools, before walking into the building while voicing their opposition to Senate Bill 1 in Clark, Franklin, Garrard, Lincoln, Montgomery, Rockcastle and Woodford counties, as well as the Danville Independent School District. Montgomery County teachers will also hold rallies after school.

In West Virginia, a nine-day state-wide teacher strike recently ended with the teachers receiving a five percent raise.

Grayson County Schools Superintendent Doug Robinson said he knew of no plans by Grayson County teachers to stage a protest.

“The reality is, I’m saving the pension system,” Bevin told the newspaper about the plan. “If they are upset about it, it’s either they are ill-informed or willfully blind … I think the vast majority of teachers are none of the above. They are very aware of the fact that they want the pension. Their leadership has their reason for fomenting things. God bless them. But I’m still going to save the pension whether they like it or not.”

The current proposal would cut billions of dollars of benefits for teachers and other public workers over the next 20 years in an effort to eliminate an unfunded liability of more than $40 billion.

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000