Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin does not like opponents of pension bill reform, and he especially dislikes teachers who oppose the pension bill. The evidence of his negative disposition towards teachers who challenge his stances is evident in the way he refers to them.
In March, Bevin told a Bowling Green radio station that pension reformers have a "thug mentality" which state lawmakers have to deal with.
In April, at the peak of the teacher protests at The Capitol, Bevin accused educators of being the reason children were, “physically harmed or ingested poison,” because they came to Frankfort to advocate for reform.
In August, in an interview with 55 KRC talk radio show, Bevin compared pension opponents to “drowning victims” who are “pulling you under.”
The Governor’s harsh stances against pension reformers emulates an anti-intellectual awakening in parts of rural Kentucky. Although educators remain in a respected field, there has been more discourse in recent years regarding the public opinion of teachers. This, combined with pension instability, has led to more teachers retiring from the field of public education in order to pursue professions that provide a more balanced income.
“What I witnessed while in Frankfort was frightening. The governor and many of the legislatures made some very hurtful comments about teachers. It made me feel very unappreciated as a teacher,” said Sandra McCoy, a former BGHS teacher who currently teaches at Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tennessee.
One needs to look no further than Bowling Green High School’s large list of retiring or resigning teachers to find evidence of this: Lindsey Houchin, Jonathan Vaughn, Sandra McCoy, Gambia Flemister, Jim Tinius, Chuck Glass, and Kevin Wallace.
The teachers who chose to leave the school did so for a variety of reasons, whether it be to take a more distinguished position in the city school system, to work at a charter school, or to simply retire. But for some, their decision to leave was incited by the instability related to the Kentucky pension bill.
“My decision was impacted by the retirement situation (along with other factors)… I did not have confidence in our legislatures to fully be able to protect teachers benefits… deciding to retire was one of the hardest decisions that I had to make… but, being retired allowed me to go to Frankfort to help fight for all teachers,” said McCoy.
This past May, Kentucky lawmakers passed a 291 page pension overhaul bill which was added onto a previously unrelated bill dealing with sewage governance.
In late June, however, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd declared the pension overhaul bill unconstitutional.
“The underhanded way they tried to get legislature passed was very eye opening about how our current government is operating and all citizens should be taking note what goes on in the legislature not just teachers,” said McCoy.
In late August, attorneys for Gov. Bevin filed a 100-page brief in the lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andy Beshear asking the Kentucky Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling. The Kentucky Supreme Court agreed to take a direct appeal. The oral arguments are scheduled in the case for Sept. 20.
Throughout the whirlwind pension case, however, most teachers have chosen to stay at BGHS and continue to work as educators.
“Even though the climate of education in the commonwealth of Kentucky is aggressively against teachers, getting to work with students transcends the negatives,” said Philip Russell, a teacher at BGHS.
By Ruthie Kesri
In March, Bevin told a Bowling Green radio station that pension reformers have a "thug mentality" which state lawmakers have to deal with.
In April, at the peak of the teacher protests at The Capitol, Bevin accused educators of being the reason children were, “physically harmed or ingested poison,” because they came to Frankfort to advocate for reform.
In August, in an interview with 55 KRC talk radio show, Bevin compared pension opponents to “drowning victims” who are “pulling you under.”
The Governor’s harsh stances against pension reformers emulates an anti-intellectual awakening in parts of rural Kentucky. Although educators remain in a respected field, there has been more discourse in recent years regarding the public opinion of teachers. This, combined with pension instability, has led to more teachers retiring from the field of public education in order to pursue professions that provide a more balanced income.
“What I witnessed while in Frankfort was frightening. The governor and many of the legislatures made some very hurtful comments about teachers. It made me feel very unappreciated as a teacher,” said Sandra McCoy, a former BGHS teacher who currently teaches at Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tennessee.
One needs to look no further than Bowling Green High School’s large list of retiring or resigning teachers to find evidence of this: Lindsey Houchin, Jonathan Vaughn, Sandra McCoy, Gambia Flemister, Jim Tinius, Chuck Glass, and Kevin Wallace.
The teachers who chose to leave the school did so for a variety of reasons, whether it be to take a more distinguished position in the city school system, to work at a charter school, or to simply retire. But for some, their decision to leave was incited by the instability related to the Kentucky pension bill.
“My decision was impacted by the retirement situation (along with other factors)… I did not have confidence in our legislatures to fully be able to protect teachers benefits… deciding to retire was one of the hardest decisions that I had to make… but, being retired allowed me to go to Frankfort to help fight for all teachers,” said McCoy.
This past May, Kentucky lawmakers passed a 291 page pension overhaul bill which was added onto a previously unrelated bill dealing with sewage governance.
In late June, however, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd declared the pension overhaul bill unconstitutional.
“The underhanded way they tried to get legislature passed was very eye opening about how our current government is operating and all citizens should be taking note what goes on in the legislature not just teachers,” said McCoy.
In late August, attorneys for Gov. Bevin filed a 100-page brief in the lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andy Beshear asking the Kentucky Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling. The Kentucky Supreme Court agreed to take a direct appeal. The oral arguments are scheduled in the case for Sept. 20.
Throughout the whirlwind pension case, however, most teachers have chosen to stay at BGHS and continue to work as educators.
“Even though the climate of education in the commonwealth of Kentucky is aggressively against teachers, getting to work with students transcends the negatives,” said Philip Russell, a teacher at BGHS.
By Ruthie Kesri