Date: 11-02-2017
‘This is what democracy is all about’ Franklin Supt. says…
A rally to protect public pensions on Wednesday drew a crowd of hundreds to the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol.
Local teachers, in particular, turned out to join the hundreds of public employees who chanted, “Don’t cut it; fund it” and “A pension is a promise” in front of a soggy Capitol building.
Proposed pension reforms being protested would, among other changes, move teachers to 401(k)-style “defined contribution” plans and eliminate the ability of teachers to use accumulated sick leave to calculate retirement benefits after 2023.
Frankfort High School teacher Arlene Crabtree takes exception to the idea that teachers hoard sick days intentionally. She said the problem is a deficit of qualified substitutes to cover classes that teachers are being held accountable for.
“If you’re held accountable for the class, you’re dragging yourself to work,” she told The State Journal.
Crabtree, who walked to the rally with her Frankfort colleagues, said she’s OK with “paying her fair share” but thinks lawmakers have neglected other potential revenue sources, including those derived from the legalization of marijuana and sports gambling.
Frankfort resident and retired principal Cynthia Lawson, who started her career as a teacher at Elkhorn Middle School, said she was protesting the process used to craft the draft pension reform bill.
“This bill has been crafted behind closed doors,” Lawson told The State Journal. “We have not been allowed to come to the table and discuss.”
Lawson said she can live with benefit cuts being the only way to fix Kentucky’s unfunded liabilities, but she’s worried about the impact on mid-career teachers.
“We will lose our best and brightest,” Lawson said. “There’s no doubt.”
Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, also attended Wednesday’s rally. Graham is a former educator.
“I think this has awakened a sleeping giant in the sense that educators now see the importance of being active in government and politics in general,” Graham said.
Meanwhile, Franklin County Schools Superintendent Mark Kopp, a former social studies teacher, said he was happy to see so many people turn out in rainy weather.
“This is what democracy is all about,” Kopp said.
By Alfred Miller
The State Journal
