At least 6 Kentucky school districts were forced to close Thursday — including the two largest systems in the state — as a wave of teachers called in sick to protest what one leader called 'half-truths' and 'shadiness' at the state legislature.
Kristin Walker, a Jefferson County teacher sits in a hearing room waiting to protest the passage of a bill that would change how individuals are nominated to the Kentucky teachers retirement systems board of trustees, in Frankfort,, Kentucky, on Feb. 28, 2019.Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.FRANKFORT, Ky.
The protest comes on the same day lawmakers in the Republican-controlled state legislature were scheduled to discuss House Bill 525, a proposal that would change how people are nominated to the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System's board of trustees. But Nema Brewer, one of the group's leaders, said the protest is not targeting one specific bill.
Kentucky's pension systems are among the worst funded in the nation. State officials are at least $39 billion short of the money required to pay benefits over the next 30 years. Thursday, dozens of teachers packed a committee room where lawmakers were scheduled to discuss House bill 525. Karen Schwartz looked at her watch and said she should be teaching a math class. Instead, she was sitting in a hard-backed chair with a sign she made at 4 a.m. urging lawmakers to vote against the bill.
Right now, the Kentucky Education Association controls nominations for seven of the pension board's 11 members. House Bill 525 would change that, letting groups like the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association, the Kentucky School Boards Association and the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents nominate members.
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