Kentucky’s New Governor Disbands State School Board and Replaces All Members on His First Day

By B.N. Frank

Attorney general Andy Beshear stopped Kentucky’s “Smart” Meter rollout, much to the dismay of utility companies as well as the state’s utility commission. Now he’s making big changes in education as Kentucky’s new governor.

From the Associated Press:

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Delivering on a campaign promise to teachers who helped elect him, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear used his first day in office Tuesday to overhaul the state school board.

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Beshear, who had expressed concerns about the previous board’s affinity for charter schools, said he appointed new members committed to public education.“These members were not chosen based on any partisan affiliation, but based on their commitment to make our schools better, to put our children first,” Beshear said.

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Kentucky was at the forefront of nationwide teacher protests. Teachers swarmed to the Kentucky Capitol in the past two years to protest pension and education policies supported by Bevin.

Bevin criticized them for causing some schools to close as they rallied. He never fully recovered from the feud.

Beshear, 42, sent a different message, declaring that teachers “represent the best of us.”

“They are the ones on the front lines fighting to give our children the opportunity to succeed,” Beshear said. “They are the ones Muhammad Ali — a great Kentuckian — referred to when he said, ‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.'”

The new governor said his proposed state budget will include the $2,000 pay raise for teachers that he campaigned on. The pay raise is needed to help Kentucky overcome its shortage of teachers, he said.