Superintendents from 93 school districts in Kentucky — including the leaders of Covington, Dayton, Newport, Ludlow, Walton-Verona, Bracken County, Carroll County and Grant County schools — have endorsed an effort to expand the state's preschool program.
In early February, those superintendents signed a letter addressed to Kentucky's state senators and representatives urging them to support Gov. Andy Beshear's Pre-K for All initiative, which would make preschool free for all students in the state.
Kentucky already funds free preschool for 4-year-olds who come from families living below 160% of the federal poverty line and 3- and 4-year-olds with disabilities. All other students either have to live in a district that offers free preschool or have their family pay out of pocket.
Kentucky Public Radio reports that Beshear wants to appropriate an additional $1.4 billion over the next budget cycle to fund education, which includes more funding for public schools, raises for K-12 employees and the expansion of the state's preschool program.
Ludlow Independent Schools Superintendent Jason Steffen says he endorsed Beshear's proposal because he believes a preschool education can set students up for long-term academic success. Plus, it's a wise investment for Kentucky's education system.
"It's less of a cost than it is an investment," Steffen told WVXU. "We're investing in these families and children. We feel like that's valuable for us, and it's a need that our community wants and that we want to provide."
Steffen says Ludlow and several other Northern Kentucky public school districts can offer free preschool thanks to their relatively small enrollment and geographical size. He says about 74% of 4-year-olds in his school district qualify for free preschool, which allows Ludlow Schools to use money from its general fund to cover the cost for the other 26%.
The city of Ludlow is just over one square mile, and the school district has just 796 students enrolled, which mitigates preschool transportation and staffing costs. Ludlow Schools only needs one classroom and one teacher to run its preschool program.
Kentucky's larger urban districts with thousands of students and rural districts that cover entire counties have much higher costs, making free preschool for all students less practical. That's why Steffen says it was important for him to advocate for preschool expansion, so students around the Commonwealth can access the same educational opportunities as students in his community.
"It just puts everybody on an even playing field," he said. "What we're trying to do is get kids off on the right foot in life, and the way we do that is by providing those enriching early childhood experiences."
Though the leaders of more than half of Kentucky's public school districts are pushing for Pre-K for All, getting lawmakers to agree to fund the program will be an uphill battle.
State Republicans have been largely skeptical of Beshear's proposal because of the funds needed for facilities and transportation to make it possible, and a few weeks ago, House Republicans released their own budget bill, which spends far less on education.
Universal preschool may not make it into Kentucky's next budget, but Steffen says he and other educators throughout the state will continue to advocate for it because he believes it's critical to improving educational outcomes for Kentucky's students.
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