Beshear Pushes Education Priorities Amid Poor Test Scores

Flanked by state education leaders, the Democratic governor urged the Republican dominated legislature to reopen the state budget next year to pump more money into public schools. Beshear said his proposals are intended to overcome teacher shortages, better prepare preschoolers for kindergarten and help students to catch up and thrive.

The governor reoffered hsi priorities about a week after statewide test scores showed fewer than half of Kentucky students tested were reading at grade level. Even lower across-the-board scores were posted in math-science and social studies.

Republicans are trying to pin the blame on Beshear, who is seeking a second term next year. National test scores show it’s a chronic problem across the U.S. as education tries to recover from the virtual learning and staffing shortages caused by the pandemic.