At least 3 Kentucky school systems will be closed tomorrow. I stand with these teachers.

[MelissaB]

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

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Why?

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Kentucky Pension Overhaul Wins Senate Approval

Defying angry teachers, the Kentucky Senate has approved an overhaul of one of the country's worst-funded public pension systems and has sent it to Gov. Matt Bevin's desk for his signature.

The Senate voted 22-15 Thursday to approve a bill that preserves most benefits for current workers. Most of the changes would impact new hires. But the bill still drew the ire of hundreds of teachers protesting in the Capitol, with many chanting they would vote lawmakers out of office in November.

Republican Sen. Joe Bowen said the bill puts the state on a pathway to paying down its debt while assuring the system's strong financial future.

But Democratic Sen. Ray Jones said the bill would destroy everything teachers have fought for for decades.

More: http://www.lex18.com/story/37840700/sb1-revised-bill-passes-through-committee-already-on-floor

[MelissaB]

1. PS. Teachers in KY don't pay into Social Security.

This state is so screwed up, and my son is considering being a teacher...

[dawg day]

3. My mother worked in a school system like that.

She had other jobs in her career, so she had some paid into FICA, but in the end, after teaching for 35 years, her SS payout was less than half my father's, so she took that-- might as well not have worked at all, I guess.

[dawg day]

2. $15 an hour.

That's about what a new teacher there in Kentucky makes. It's almost unbelievable.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Sadly, it's not just teachers.

Many states, cities, and various municipalities are seriously underfunding their pensions. In that respect they are doing exactly what my corporations did in the 1980s and '90s. I myself am currently getting a bit less than one third of the pension I should be getting. Fortunately for me, that was a company I worked at for ten years from 1969 to 1979, and never expected the pension to amount to much. But coworkers who stayed for thirty or more years have been totally screwed.

Which is why people shouldn't be mocking 401k plans.

[orleans]

5. schools around here are on spring break

but from what i remember they always had "good friday" off

[Hermit-The-Prog]

6. education is an enemy of republicans

An educated electorate would not vote for the Greedy Oligarch Party. An educated electorate votes for its own interests.

If you pay teachers as you do other professionals with their level of education, you might attract the best. Repugs therefore have to trash teachers' salaries and pensions to discourage people from entering the teaching profession. This leads to lower quality public education which makes it easier to attack it in the future.

Bad schools and bad teachers lead to future Republican voters.

[lindysalsagal]

8. You are exactly right. It's all in the plan. Class wars. Only the rich get educated.

[lindysalsagal]

7. Politicians balancing budgets on children, who can't vote.

Because they're "pro-life." They're just not pro:

eating
learning
staying warm
going to a doctor
sleeping in a bed