Gov. Beshear builds on pre-K promise, Kentucky Republicans still have questions

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Governor Andy Beshear is launching a new effort to bring universal pre-K to Kentucky.

“I don’t ever want to lose a company to another state that’s able to look at that company and say, well, we have pre-K for all of our four-year-olds, meaning you’re going to have a larger workforce, meaning your employees are going to have fewer costs,” Beshear said at Thursday’s Team Kentucky briefing.

It’s an issue Beshear has brought to lawmakers in his past two budgets, most recently at a projected cost of $172 million in his 2024 proposal. However, universal pre-k is not an issue that’s gained traction among Kentucky Republicans, who have proceeded with their own budget proposal in recent years.

“That’s a school-year, school-based type of resolution. It doesn’t take care of the second shift or the weekend person who has that shift where there isn’t daycare,” Senate President Robert Stivers told FOX 56 in an interview following the 2024 budget session.

On Wednesday, Beshear announced he had signed an executive order to form a 28-person advisory committee that’s going to be hosting five town halls across the state this summer, getting input on the issue. They will be held in:

• Frankfort, June 25th
• Northern Kentucky, July 8th
• Bowling Green, July 23rd
• Morehead, August 5th
• The Kentucky State Fair, TBD

Interested individuals can find more information about the town halls and fill out a lawmaker contact form on a newly launched website accompanying the initiative: prek4all.ky.gov.

“Right now. Childcare, especially for all of those years, is just too expensive. And that’s if you can find it, because 79 of 120 of Kentucky’s counties, nearly two-thirds, don’t have enough child care options,” Beshear said.

Republican lawmakers still have some questions. Senate Education Chair Steve West told FOX 56 in a statement:

Supporting Kentucky’s youngest learners has been a top priority for the General Assembly. Over the last two budget cycles, we’ve increased education funding by more than $1 billion, including full-day kindergarten, early literacy and numeracy initiatives, and other foundational supports to help students succeed from the start. We understand the Governor has appointed a group of stakeholders to explore early childhood education initiatives and the potential expansion of pre-K, and we recognize the value of gathering input from a broad range of perspectives. That said, many details remain unclear. As chair of the Senate Education Committee, I look forward to continued conversations about how best to expand access while ensuring any future proposals are effective, sustainable, and responsible for families, schools, and Kentucky taxpayers.
Senate Education Chair Steve West