(LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear is pressing state lawmakers to pass his Pre-K For All plan, which would expand access to all four-year-olds in Kentucky.
However, as the budget process continues in the General Assembly, Republican budget leaders say they do not think a universal pre-K program is the right move.
That is not stopping Beshear from advocating for the expansion. He says pre-K expansion is one of the top polling education issues among Kentucky voters.
"Do we think every four-year-old deserves a good start? Do we think it's wrong that half of them are not Kindergarten ready? I mean, every educator [is] crying out for this," Beshear said.
Beshear hopes lawmakers will add the funding during budget negotiations over the next few days. He says Republican lawmakers voted for pre-K expansion in 2016 and argues they should support it now.
"These are people who voted for it then that aren't voting for it now. What changed? It's not the budget situation, because we can use sports betting alone to fund it. It's that somehow in their minds this has become partisan and they don't want to give me a win," said Beshear.
Top budget leaders in the General Assembly maintain they do not see the governor's plan as the right solution for Kentucky. Lawmakers say they are focused on conservatively budgeting for "needs, not wants."
