Economic freedom & quality of life

Whose health care is at stake?

Download the full "An Unsustainable Path" report here!

'An Unsustainable Path' released today

Join us today! The Bluegrass Institute is releasing a new report, entitled “An Unsustainable Path: The Past and Future of Kentucky Medicaid Spending, ” at a policy briefing today, June 29, at 12:30 p.m. in Room 248 of the University of Kentucky’s Carol Gatton Business and Economics Building.

You can now view a full copy of the report here.

Medicaid is on an unsustainable path towards fiscal disaster, putting Kentucky's most vulnerable citizens at risk.

Today, 2 out of 3 children on Medicaid are denied appointments with specialists, compared to only 1 in 10 privately-insured children. Without essential, sweeping reform, Medicaid will continue wasting Kentucky’s resources on a grossly overexpanded enrollee base while failing in its fundamental mission of providing access to health care for the truly impoverished.

“I think the evidence suggests it’s time to turn to more fundamental reforms instead of piecemeal fixes,” said the report’s author, John Garen, Ph.D., Gatton Endowed Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky and a Bluegrass Institute adjunct scholar.

Co-sponsored by the Bluegrass Institute and the BB&T Learning Laboratory on Capitalism, the policy briefing is free and open to the public.

All media inquiries should be directed to Jim Waters, Vice President of Policy and Communication, at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com.

Should the U.S. declare bankruptcy?

A recent CNNMoney article says that Congressman Ron Paul thinks the United States should declare bankruptcy. You can read the article here.

Paul cites Greece as an example that the United States should watch carefully. What do you think - is the best option for the United States to default?

Once again, KY plays favorites with tax incentives

Governor Steve Beshear's office published a press release today to announce $2 million in tax incentives have been granted to the Neogen Corporation in Lexington for expansion. According to the press release this expansion will create 75 new jobs.

We have pointed out time and time again: new jobs are fantastic, especially in this economy BUT if tax incentives are helping do this, the state should extend these "incentives" to ALL business and not just a few, hand-picked businesses.

Event Reminder! Policy Briefing Wed., June 29: 'An Unsustainable Path'

Please join us for a special policy briefing this week!

Medicaid is on an unsustainable path towards fiscal disaster, putting Kentucky's most vulnerable citizens at risk.

Today, 2 out of 3 children on Medicaid are denied appointments with specialists, compared to only 1 in 10 privately-insured children. Without essential, sweeping reform, Medicaid will continue wasting Kentucky’s resources on a grossly overexpanded enrollee base while failing in its fundamental mission of providing access to health care for the truly impoverished.

These findings are highlighted in a new report by the Bluegrass Institute, entitled “An Unsustainable Path: The Past and Future of Kentucky Medicaid Spending.” The report will be released at a policy briefing this Wednesday, June 29, at 12:30 p.m. in Room 248 of the University of Kentucky’s Carol Gatton Business and Economics Building.

“I think the evidence suggests it’s time to turn to more fundamental reforms instead of piecemeal fixes,” said the report’s author, John Garen, Ph.D., Gatton Endowed Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky and a Bluegrass Institute adjunct scholar.

Co-sponsored by the Bluegrass Institute and the BB&T Learning Laboratory on Capitalism, the policy briefing is free and open to the public.

All media inquiries should be directed to Jim Waters, Vice President of Policy and Communication, at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com.

What's next from HHS?

One of the most significant reforms of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare, is the expansion of Medicaid to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Since the bill's passage, many studies have surfaced showing poor health care access and outcomes for patients with Medicaid.

We've written recently on a study by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that found children receiving health care coverage through Medicaid were far more likely to be denied by a specialist than children with private insurance.

Now the government wants to prove the same thing. The New York Times reported yesterday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will begin a new project posing secretly as patients to determine how difficult it is to get access to care when on government health insurance programs, Medicaid and Medicare.

The question remains, why is HHS conducting a study so similar to that of the NEJM and others?

Thomas Lifson of American Thinker surmises, "It is all too easy to see where this is leading. Having expanded demand without addressing the supply of doctors, and paying less for that expanded demand than market prices, the Obama administration needs a fall guy, and doctors fit the bill."

$6.1 million in congressional staffer bonuses

If you are job hunting in the midst of our nation's financial downturn, consider this: there is an organization that, even when rumored it would experience a shutdown, is still handing out taxpayer money in bonuses!

Care to take a guess at who that might be? Yup, you guessed it.

This is exactly why transparency is so important. It is the first step toward keeping our government accountable.

Senate President David Williams also finds Kentucky’s NCLB request premature

One week ago we wrote that a request by Governor Steve Beshear to get out of No Child Left Behind accountability was premature.


It looks like at least one knowledgeable state leader agrees with us.

Per CN2, Kentucky Senate President David Williams also finds the governor’s attempt to scuttle NCLB accountability premature. Like us, Williams knows the new state assessment Beshear wants to use is not yet fully developed, and many elements such as the End of Course high school exams and the lower grade exams are not even available at this time. In fact, some elements won’t be ready for prime time (created with trial runs completed) for several more years.



This is not to say that eventually the state’s system won’t work out well; but, until we see a couple of years of data, I’m not ready to disband the only accountability system currently in use to evaluate our schools. After all, Kentucky failed to get a viable assessment program not once, but twice since KERA began. That isn’t a track record to inspire more gambling with our kids as we rush committing to what could be a home run, but might also be the third strike out.

Few surprises in new ALEC-Laffer report: Ky still not competitive

The new 2011 edition of the ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index is now out. But it contains no surprises for Kentuckians.

Both Kentucky’s economic outlook and performance rankings occupy the same spots from last year at No. 40 and No. 31 respectively. Neighboring Tennessee ranks below Kentucky on ten-year economic performance at No. 36, but much above Kentucky on economic outlook at No. 8.

Tennessee’s absence of a state earned income tax and its status as a right-to-work">right-to-work state has provided Tennessee with the eighth highest absolute domestic migration in the nation over the past ten years.

Kentucky’s dismal economic outlook is based on 15 equally-weighted factors including highest marginal personal and corporate income tax rate (8.2%), debt service as a share of tax revenue (11.8%), percent of workforce in public sector (5.6%), average workers’ compensation costs (2.29% of total payroll), the imposition of the inheritance tax and forced-union status.

The ALEC-Laffer economic outlook index makes clear where Kentucky needs to make serious changes to improve its long-term economic condition: the top marginal personal income tax rate is the tenth highest in the nation; the miscellaneous tax burden (excluding income, sales, and property taxes) is twelfth highest; the ratio of debt service to tax revenue is third highest; and the quality of Kentucky’s legal system (based on tort litigation treatment, judicial impartiality, etc) is the second worst in the nation.

Click here for the full report.

According to this report card, Kentucky has ample room for serious fiscal improvement.

By Phil Impellizzeri, Bluegrass Institute intern

Double-checking 'perfect'

We wrote yesterday about how the Campbellsville Independent School Board turned in a perfect score evaluation for their superintendent.

Today, we submitted an open records request to obtain a copy of the performance evaluation along with the criteria the board uses for evaluation.  You can monitor the progress of the request here.

Campbellsville Independent superintendent’s performance is perfect??

The Campbellsville school board thinks so. The Central Kentucky News-Journal reports in “Deaton doing 'outstanding' job, Board says” (Subscription) that Campbellsville’s superintendent just ‘maxed’ his annual evaluation, getting a full 4.0 points out of 4.0 points possible.

Supposedly, the evaluation included: “Student Achievement and learning.” Per the board, test scores improved in Campbellsville.

On Kentucky’s inflated – and now disbanded – Kentucky Core Content Tests (KCCT), last year’s Interim Performance Report for the district shows proficiency rates did increase for most subjects and school levels, with the exceptions of high school reading and high school social studies. But, the KCCT don’t measure what kids need for college and careers and will not be used again.

Once the KCCT goes away, Campbellsville may be in for some rude surprises. Some of those surprises – like better quality ACT tests – have already started. Others, like better quality graduation rate reporting, are due soon. I took a look at some better quality “stuff” for the district, and the results raise a question about whether the superintendent really is a 4.0 perfect score player.

Read more »

Yogi was right: It’s déjà vu all over again!!!

• What Kentucky was told in the early days of KERA:

“Business is telling us that all students must be able to think and solve problems at the level originally required of a few.”

“Learners initiate, implement, and evaluate their own learning.”

“Student-Directed Learning is characterized by students taking responsibility for setting the direction of their learning and helping determine the types of instruction which are most appropriate for the selected task.”

“Transformations: Kentucky’s Curriculum Framework, Volume II,” 1993, Pages 3, 9 and 11


• What the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence just told us:

“An audience of 225 state education department officials, policymakers, college professors, and leaders of statewide education organizations got a first-hand look at the new wave of classroom teaching and learning strategies on Tuesday (June 14) at a showcase in Louisville. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and organized by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, the event emphasized an approach to math that puts students in the center of problem solving and language arts assignments designed to require deeper thinking and stronger writing in English, science and social studies classes.”

Prichard Blog, June 19, 2011


• What Joe Brothers said in 2009:

“I came on the local (school) board in 1987. What you just said to me is no different than what I heard in 1987. So why should I be hopeful?”

Kentucky Board of Education Chair Joe Brothers’ reaction to proposals to fix Kentucky’s continuing education problems during the October 2009 meeting of the Kentucky Board of Education

Joe, it’s déjà vu all over again in 2011!

Supposedly, our schools have been using student-centered, higher order thinking approaches for two decades. Those approaches haven't worked well. Why does Prichard think they are on to something new?

Louisville mayor takes transparency step

Louisville mayor Greg Fischer is talking spending reduction and transparency in the mayor's office. This is what we need more of! While the cuts and changes he's proposing are small, they are indeed a step forward. There can be no accountability without transparency.

AT&T/T-Mobile merger is good for rural Kentucky

When satellite radio companies XM and Sirius merged in 2008, some industry trade groups labeled it a "merger to monopoly." Similar claims can be heard coming from competitors about the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger. But the claims are without merit. Just like the XM/Sirius merger was good for radio, so an AT&T/T-Mobile merger will benefit rural Kentuckians -- and all Americans.

Click here to read the latest Bluegrass Beacon.

"We've got to live within our means."

"We've gotta be just like the private sector in government. We must be responsible. We've got to live within our means."

-Jim Gray - Lexington's mayor regarding recent budget discussions

Trust me, disc golf is not an essential service

I wrote yesterday about the "Frisbee-golf" spending in the recently proposed Lexington city budget. Brenna Angel from WUKY is reporting that the city council has accepted that budget however there were some dissenting votes.

Council member Dianne Lawless voted against the senseless spending additions in the budget and was quoted as saying:

"There are many things in here that are not essential services. And that's where we are right now."

According to the article, mayor Jim Gray plans to use his line item veto power with regards to the budget.

I commend those who can make tough budget decisions in tough times.

 

Taking liberty to the airwaves: Preview of Medicaid un-sustainability report on the radio ... today

Jim Waters, the institute's vice president of policy and communications, will interview University of Kentucky economist John Garen, Ph.D., about the future of Kentucky's Medicaid program today at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on "The Pulse" on Lexington's NewsRadio 630 WLAP-AM.

Garen is warning in a new report for the institute that will be released next week that Medicaid is on an unsustainable path towards fiscal disaster, putting Kentucky's most vulnerable citizens at risk.

Waters is guest hosting today for Leland Conway on "The Pulse," which airs 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Call in to join the conversation at (859) 280-2287

Click here to listen live.

Knox, Carter County schools records requests

Today, records requests were submitted to Knox and Carter County Schools to obtain the most recent performance evaluations for their superintendents. Both of these school districts were featured in our investigative report "Rewarding Failure: The rubber-stamping of Kentucky's superintendent performance evaluations."

We will be following up the the four districts we profiled to see how this year's evaluations compare with last.

We already know that the Knox County Schools superintendent has received a perfect score this years evaluation...details to come.

Join us for the release of 'An Unsustainable Path'

Medicaid is on an unsustainable path towards fiscal disaster, putting Kentucky's most vulnerable citizens at risk.

Today, 2 out of 3 children on Medicaid are denied appointments with specialists, compared to only 1 in 10 privately-insured children. Without essential, sweeping reform, Medicaid will continue wasting Kentucky’s resources on a grossly overexpanded enrollee base while failing in its fundamental mission of providing access to health care for the truly impoverished.

These findings are highlighted in a new report by the Bluegrass Institute, entitled “An Unsustainable Path: The Past and Future of Kentucky Medicaid Spending.” The report will be released at a policy briefing on Wednesday, June 29, at 12:30 p.m. in Room 248 of the University of Kentucky’s Carol Gatton Business and Economics Building.

“I think the evidence suggests it’s time to turn to more fundamental reforms instead of piecemeal fixes,” said the report’s author, John Garen, Ph.D., Gatton Endowed Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky and a Bluegrass Institute adjunct scholar.

Co-sponsored by the Bluegrass Institute and the BB&T Learning Laboratory on Capitalism, the policy briefing is free and open to the public.

All media inquiries should be directed to Jim Waters, Vice President of Policy and Communication, at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com.

Do you have an extra $1400?

Unfunded pension liabilities are a big problem in Kentucky...at every level. State, county, and local governments are all struggling.

CNBC published a story about a study conducted by two finance professors who claim that local governments will need to tax citizens by an average of $1400 more each year to cover the costs of rising pension liabilities. Yikes!

Sounds like we need pension reform.

Taking liberty to the airwaves: BIPPS on WLAP

Jim Waters, vice president of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, will guest host for Leland Conway on "The Pulse" on Lexington's NewsRadio 630 WLAP-AM today and tomorrow,from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) each day.

Call in to join the conversation at (859) 280-2287

Click here to listen live.

Dr. John Garen on the state budget

Given recent budget shortfalls, pension crises and out-of-control spending, it is worth considering this discussion by Dr. John Garen, professor of economics at the University of Kentucky. In this video, Dr. Garen talks about reductions in spending as a responsible way to relieve budget tensions.

Lexington budget and Frisbee golf

Recently, the Lexington City Council took a look at mayor Jim Gray's proposed budget that featured spending reduction in times of financial distress. According to an article by Beverly Fortune in the Lexington Herald-Leader yesterday, the city council made some changes.

One of the changes is to provide $150,000 for a Frisbee golf addition to a city park. The mayor was unhappy with these changes and was quoted as saying "It's not the right timing to take on issues like Frisbee golf."


I tend to agree. Lexington is suffering serious financial strain with problems like an increasing pension liability and increased sewer costs and taxes imposed by the EPA.


What do you think? Is this the right time for Lexington to be investing in Frisbee golf?

Taking liberty to the airwaves: BIPPS on WLAP

Jim Waters, vice president of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, will guest host for Leland Conway on "The Pulse" on Lexington's NewsRadio 630 WLAP-AM Thursday and Friday,from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) each day.

Call in to join the conversation at (859) 280-2287

Click here to listen live.

Is this what fuzzy math was intended to do?

The Norton Blog, just posted an incredible discussion about the real motivation behind “Constructivist Math,” what we often refer to here simply as “fuzzy” math.

Per Norton, the plan was to teach math in ways such that parents couldn’t help their children. That would diminish the credibility and authority of parents with their kids, opening the door for the school to take over as THE authority figure in young, impressionable minds in areas that have nothing to do with math.

Sound incredible? Go read this thought-provoking blog and the quotes therein; then, let us hear what you think.

Knox County superintendent's perfect score?

It is that time of year again when school boards begin to evaluate their districts' superintendents.

Knox County Public Schools has already been at work and turned in an evaluation that boasts a perfect score (72 out of 72 possible points) for superintendent Walter Hulett. That's a pretty good score. You can only score higher if your teacher offers extra credit.

Earlier in the year we profiled Hulett's performance evaluation in "Rewarding Failure". In our assessment, the evaluation was a bunch of fluff that praised the CEO of the district despite the horrid performance of the schools in Knox County.

Stay posted for more information. In the coming days we will obtain this recent performance evaluation and uncover recent performance data for Knox County.

Legislator pensions better funded than workers? Hmm...

A recent Lexington Herald-Leader article discusses how Kentucky's legislator pension plan is much better funded than the state workers' plan.

You do not have to get much past the title of the article before you say "Well, yeah, no kidding." Should it come as a surprise that those making the rules are somehow in better shape than the rest? Pension systems all over the state are in serious trouble and there needs to be swift and decisive action to get the state back on the right track.

Contact your legislator and ask them what they are doing to move significant pension reform forward in Kentucky.

Taking liberty to the airwaves: BIPPS on WLAP

Jim Waters, vice president of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, will guest host for Leland Conway on "The Pulse" on Lexington's NewsRadio 630 WLAP-AM Thursday and Friday,from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (EDT) each day.

Call in to join the conversation at (859) 280-2287

Click here to listen live.

Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Lexington sewer rates could double, even TRIPLE!

When we covered the big hikes in water and sewer rates in Northern Kentucky earlier this year, we warned the rest of the state that they would be next.

Chickens are now coming home to roost in Lexington, driven by incredible demands from the EPA.

Don’t live in Lexington or N. KY? You will be next, no matter where you live in Kentucky.

What's on the chopping block?

This past spring during the budget showdown in Frankfort, Kentucky's Center for Health and Family Services (CHFS) and the Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) issued a public notice warning of proposed cuts to provider reimbursements. If the governor's plan to borrow funds from next year's Medicaid budget was not passed, DMS threatened to cut reimbursement to providers by 35 percent. The public notice was only available online for a short time.

The Bluegrass Institute issued an Open Records Request to view these proposed cuts again. We recently received a response from CHFS providing a copy of the public notice.

Here's what you'll find in the document: if you're a health care provider, you're in trouble. Across the board, providers would face 35 percent reduction in reimbursements for Medicaid patients. Medicaid currently pays less than both Medicare and private insurance.

Next week, we will release a study on Medicaid spending in Kentucky, and this year's Medicaid budget deficit is only the beginning of our problems. The state and its health care providers will be faced with increasingly difficult choices to make.

Unfortunately, instead of working with providers to improve the efficacy of Medicaid, the state has already determined which areas they're going to cut.

These cuts will turn treating Medicaid patients into a losing proposition for providers, who will have to choose between accepting Medicaid and staying in business; as a result, the most needy Kentuckians are the ones who will suffer.

Digital learning moves into summer schools

It’s no surprise to us that school systems, strapped for cash, are turning to digital learning to keep the costs of summer school within reason.

At Cincinnati.com, they report that use of digital learning is growing on both sides of the Ohio river near the home of the Reds.

Kids are succeeding with this program, including J.R. Stanley, who used digital learning to make up credits and graduate from Campbell County schools in Northern Kentucky recently.

Students are also going on line to take advanced courses so they can qualify for more rigorous studies that will benefit them in college.

The article mentions one example of cost savings:

“Parents save, too. At Reading (in Ohio), parents pay $135 to $175 per online course instead of the $275 to $325 per teacher-led class, said Matt Baker, who coordinates the high school summer school.”

This is in line with some savings we recently highlighted in Kentucky’s on line high school, the Barren Academy of Virtual and Expanded Learning.

Those are cool savings in a hot summer.

Still, digital learning is in a growing stage, and there are hurdles to expanding this innovative way to reach students. So, watch for a Bluegrass Institute report coming this fall on roadblocks to digital learning in Kentucky. You see, the benefits of digital learning are no surprise to us, and we want to do what we can to expand use of this great new tool throughout Kentucky.

What do Utah, South Dakota and Virginia have that Kentucky doesn't?

According to the soon-to-be released fourth edition of the ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, Utah once again ranks as the state with the best economic outlook in the nation.

South Dakota ranks second while Virginia leaped five spots from last year to third. The bottom three consists of the usual suspects: Maine, Vermont and New York rank No. 48 to No. 50 respectively.

Until the full report becomes available on Wednesday, we won’t know for sure if Kentucky has improved from last year’s ranking of No. 40. However, if we can get any indication from former Reagan administration economist Arthur Laffer’s repeated comparisons of Kentucky with neighboring Tennessee, a region free of state income taxes, Kentucky’s odds of significant improvement are long.

The ALEC-Laffer State Economic Outlook ranking is a forecast based on level of current state spending, mode of taxation, and what the states are actually spending on. Here is a link to the 2010 report.

Urging advocates to continue the good fight against excessive state taxation, Laffer left reporters with an unexpected nod to the Rastafarian, Bob Marley: “Those who are trying to make the world worse never take a day off. How can we?”

Visit back this Wednesday for an update on Kentucky’s 2011 economic outlook.

By Phil Impellizzeri, Bluegrass Institute intern

Wow! Other Louisville media jumping on the Courier-Journal

Stirred by Courier’s inept editorializing about new school superintendent

Louisville’s only daily newspaper has a real knack for making enemies.

As an unabashed, ultra-liberal advocacy journalism house, the Courier-Journal’s biases invite opposition from a wide-ranging group of people who long for a little balance in the newspaper’s extreme editorializing.

A great case in point is the story about the recent selection of Donna Hargens to be the new superintendent in the Jefferson County Public School District.

The tale starts with the Courier offering astonishing evidence that its editors consider Louisville’s train wreck of busing for school integration to be much more important than improving dismal academic performance in many of the city’s schools.

While admitting some Jefferson County schools “have been labeled ‘failures’ by the state,” the editor claimed that busing was “the most significant issue facing our schools.”

That diatribe continued with the Courier’s editors trashing Hargens, claiming she was not a sound candidate.

Only days later, in what may be a hopeful sign that the Jefferson County Board of Education is finally starting to distance itself a bit from the Courier’s misguided busing first nonsense, Hargens was selected as the next superintendent in Louisville.

Somewhere along the way, 84 WHAS-AM’s morning talk show host Mandy Connell took flak from the paper about comments on the superintendent selection. Connell, true to form, is giving back better than she got, including lining up the Bluegrass Institute’s Jim Waters as a regular show guest to talk facts about education in Kentucky and Louisville (listen for Jim every other Monday between 9 and 12 AM, starting today).

Now, another shot has been fired at Louisville’s only daily paper. It comes from Business First, Louisville’s local edition of the Business Journal.

Business First writes to Hargens:

“You’ll be reassured to know that most Louisvillians aren’t as narrow-minded and judgmental as a certain daily newspaper that threw you under the proverbial school bus before you even were selected for the job.”

Great insight, BizFirst!

Get some balance, Courier-Journal.

Or, how about this suggestion, Courier editors? Start running point-counterpoints on your editorial page. You will wind up looking pretty silly, but you might start to swell your bottom line once the only daily in Louisville starts to offer some reason in at least some of its editorial page offerings.

After all, this point-counterpoint works for the Gannett Papers flagship, USA Today. Are egos too small in Louisville to stand the same sort of discussions?

I am sure the Bluegrass Institute would be happy to offer counterpoints for you, as would the Family Foundation of Kentucky. I’ll bet those Tea Party guys you like to trash can offer a little fact instead of fiction to offset your more outrageous offerings, too.

Don’t forget, it works for USA Today.

Governor’s testing request is premature

Would drop NCLB for school assessment program that still doesn’t even exist

In a bid to escape the accountability provisions of No Child Left Behind, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is asking the US Department of Education to allow Kentucky to use its own state system of accountability, instead.

One big problem here is that a Kentucky state assessment system currently does not exist. A new system is in development (presently being called the Kentucky Performance Rating for Education Progress, or K-PREP), but no-one yet knows how well it will actually work.

In fact, the new assessment’s scoring scheme, tentatively approved by the Kentucky Board of Education at its June 2011 meeting, repeats precisely the same mistake the state made with the now defunct KIRIS and CATS assessments. The new assessment program would average all the individual scores for academic tests and other areas together under one, final score. That one final score would then be used to determine the school’s accountability rating.

This inadequate scoring approach allows really bad, completely unacceptable performance in some areas to be offset by better scores from other areas. Under this approach, a school can wind up with terrible math scores, maybe just for African-American kids or poor kids, and still escape all accountability (to see examples of how that worked with CATS, check this out).

This serious assessment flaw that can leave some kids behind isn’t what the Congress wanted when it passed NCLB, and it still isn’t what many of us want, either (of course, those who want to duck accountability probably think the idea is great).

I admit to being hopeful that, once all the kinks are worked out, the new Kentucky assessments will turn out to be a very good program.

But, that remains to be seen.

NCLB certainly isn’t perfect, but it has helped to finally bring some real accountability to schools that have badly needed it for years. KIRIS and CATS never did that. Stopping the NCLB process cold and proposing to replace it with something that right now doesn’t even exist strikes me as premature.

I’m surprised the governor doesn’t see that.

Rewarding failure: Fayette County Public Schools

Fayette County is Kentucky's second-largest school district. Yet despite the district's proven inability to meet even the most watered-down standards of No Child Left Behind, its superintendent received nothing but positive feedback during the evaluation.

Click here to read the article.

Superintendent reviews changing?

This year's round of superintendent reviews is starting to appear and some districts seem to be providing a bit more scrutiny than they have in the past.

Last year, Franklin County Schools' superintendent Harrie Buecker received a fairly glowing review from the local school board. You can view that evaluation here. That evaluation did not give much attention to student, school, or district performance.

This year, while still a positive review, superintendent Buecker received some feedback that was a bit more stern than last year. One board member commented:

“I think the code of ethics and the personal integrity leaves a lot to be desired"

This type of feedback for a superintendent was almost non-existent when the Bluegrass Institute reviewed the superintendent evaluation process last year in "Rewarding Failure". While it is desirable to have more discussion on student achievement and progress toward specific and measurable goals, could this be a step in the direction of applying more accountability the CEO's of our school districts?

Media alert: BIPPS on Louisville's 84WHAS today, every other Monday

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, will be on the Mandy Connell show on 84WHAS today and every other Monday.

Waters will be on at 10 a.m. (EDT).

He will be empowering Kentuckians to take back their freedoms on Connell's Show, which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon (EDT).

Call in to participate in the conversation at (502)571-8484 or (800)444-8484

Listen live to the Mandy Connell show here.

Media alert: BIPPS on Louisville's 84WHAS every other Monday

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, will be on the Mandy Connell show on 84WHAS every other Monday beginning June 20, 2011.

Waters will be on at 10 a.m. (EDT).

He will be empowering Kentuckians to take back their freedoms on Connell's Show, which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon (EDT).

Call in to participate in the conversation at (502)571-8484 or (800)444-8484

Listen live to the Mandy Connell show here.

Media alert: BIPPS on Louisville's 84WHAS every other Monday

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, will be on the Mandy Connell show on 84WHAS every other Monday beginning June 20, 2011.

Waters will be on at 10 a.m. (EDT).

He will be empowering Kentuckians to take back their freedoms on Connell's Show, which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon (EDT).

Call in to participate in the conversation at (502)571-8484 or (800)444-8484

Listen live to the Mandy Connell show here.

Sure, some people got jobs...but what KIND of jobs?

I'm sure we'll hear the administration crowing about the fact that Kentucky's jobless rate dropped below 10 percent for the first time in more than two years.

And yes, it's good anytime the jobless rate drops.

But look closely here at May's unemployment numbers, compared to a year ago:

*Jobs in Kentucky's trade, transportation and utilities sector -- the largest sector in Kentucky: Down.

*Jobs in the educational and health services sector: Down.

*Jobs in the manufacturing sector: Down.

*Jobs in the professional and business services sector: Down.

*Jobs in the construction sector: Down.

About the only bright spot as far as jobless numbers go is in the leisure and hospitality sector, where presumably seasonal job gains increased. This sector includes "arts, entertainment and recreation, accomodations and food services, and drinking places industries."

The experts attribute job increases in this sector to the fact that numerous restaurants had opened. Not exactly the high-paying, lucrative jobs we need to claim that Kentucky has turned the employment corner.

But there is one other piece of good news here. Jobs in the government sector: Down, too.

A cloud of fear mongering mushrooms after Japan's tsunami

When it comes to building nuclear power plants in Kentucky, the words of FDR ring true: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Click here to read the latest Bluegrass Beacon.

Media alert: BIPPS on Louisville's 84WHAS every other Monday

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, will be on the Mandy Connell show on 84WHAS every other Monday beginning June 20, 2011.

Waters will be on at 10 a.m. (EDT).

He will be empowering Kentuckians to take back their freedoms on Connell's Show, which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon (EDT).

Call in to participate in the conversation at (502)571-8484 or (800)444-8484

Listen live to the Mandy Connell show here.

New Associate Commissioner at KDE knows about turning around low-performing schools

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) just announced that former J.B. Atkinson Elementary School Principal Dewey Hensley has just been named an associate commissioner at the department.

Hensley is being placed in charge of efforts to “support low-performing schools and districts that are identified for educational recovery based on state and federal guidelines and requirements. The office includes the Division of Student Success, which is focused on alternative education programs and virtual delivery of instruction.”

Hensley should offer outstanding potential in his new position. He knows Louisville, where the majority of the state’s lowest performing schools are located. He knows how to improve schools. And, he has excellent contacts with the very forward-thinking education school at the University of Louisville, which actually conducts college courses for student teachers inside of Atkinson Elementary.

We highlighted Hensley and his school several times in the Bluegrass Policy Blog here and here.

You can hear Hensley talk about his activities in J.B. Atkinson in this video.

Dewey Hensley- Principal of Atkinson Elementary from CTL on Vimeo.

If Hensley gets the support he deserves, his new job should really make a difference for a whole lot of Kentucky kids.

Media alert: BIPPS on Louisville's 84WHAS every other Monday

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, will be on the Mandy Connell show on 84WHAS every other Monday beginning June 20, 2011.

Waters will be on at 10 a.m. (EDT).

He will be empowering Kentuckians to take back their freedoms on Connell's Show, which airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to Noon (EDT).

Call in to participate in the conversation at (502)571-8484 or (800)444-8484

Listen live to the Mandy Connell show here.

New study: children on Medicaid receive less access to care

A recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that children on Medicaid receive less access to health care.

66 percent of children with Medicaid or SCHIP were denied an appointment, while only 11 percent of children covered by private insurance were denied.

The most troubling news of all is that Obamacare dramatically expands Medicaid to significantly more Americans.

In a commentary today, Avik Roy of Forbes calls this into question: "If patients on Medicaid fare worse than those who aren’t, then spending $100 billion a year to expand the program is a disastrous choice."

We should be looking for ways to improve health care access and outcomes; unfortunately, expanding the government option in its current state won't do either of these.

Freedom in Kentucky

I had an opportunity to speak with the authors of the new Mercatus Center report, "Freedom in the 50 States." Here's the audio:

Jason Sorens


William Ruger

As you're probably aware, Kentucky landed in the bottom half of the rankings among the states. The advice the authors gave to Kentucky policymakers was fairly simple:

• Tighten the rules for municipal-bond issuance and cut spending, particularly on grants to local school districts and employee compensation (repeal the prevailing-wage law), in order to retire debt.
• Reduce homeschool recordkeeping requirements to a simple record of attendance, like Indiana and Tennessee require.
• Dramatically raise contribution limits for grassroots PACs and individuals.

Interestingly, what brought Kentucky down was its score in economic freedom, where the state ranked 34th overall. The authors noted that Kentucky's fiscal structure means a large share of tax revenues go through Frankfort rather than through local governments.

There is no immediately compelling reason why Frankfort should be charged with collecting and spending such a large share of the commonwealth's total government revenues. It serves to prevent local government innovation in the delivery of services since Frankfort plays a greater role in funding and therefore controlling the direction of local projects. It also means that localities receive muted incentives to compete for a greater share of area populations through varying tax rates, service provision and local amenities.

Taking liberty to the airwaves: BIPPS on WGTK

Jim Waters, vice president of policy and communication for the Bluegrass Institute, will be on the Joe Elliott Show on Louisville's 970 WGTK-AM today at 1 p.m. EDT.

Waters will be discussing the current education and Medicaid challenges in Kentucky.

The Joe Elliott Show is broadcast weekdays from Noon to 3 p.m. EDT.

Call in to join the conversation at (502) 571-0970

Listen live here.

Taking liberty to the airwaves: BIPPS on WGTK

Jim Waters, vice president of policy and communication for the Bluegrass Institute, will be on the Joe Elliott Show on Louisville's 970 WGTK-AM on Thursday, June 16, at 1 p.m. EDT.

Waters will be discussing the current education and Medicaid challenges in Kentucky.

The Joe Elliott Show is broadcast weekdays from Noon to 3 p.m. EDT.

Call in to join the conversation at (502) 571-0970

Listen live here.

School board vs. Courier-Journal

Courier Journal Editorial – June 11, 2011

“JCPS Board fails to find sound candidate; search must resume”


Jefferson County Board of Education – June 14, 2011

“Donna Hargens named JCPS superintendent”

Looks like the board has had enough of the Courier’s editorial advice.

Jefferson County: Never going to get it???

Once again, Jefferson County Public Schools have opted to use the “Staff Replacement” option to turn around Knight Middle School, the latest school in the district to join the Persistently Low-Achieving Schools list in Kentucky.

This same model is now being used in ALL 13 the Jefferson County Low-Achieving schools. However, application in Jefferson County is being corrupted with a claim that teachers who have been in the school less than three years can be counted as a replaced teacher even though they don’t leave the school.

So far, every Persistently Low-Achieving School outside of Jefferson County has selected another option, the “Transformation Option,” which requires teachers in the school to be evaluated on student performance and other measures. The hyper-aggressive teachers’ union local in Jefferson County wants none of that. The union would rather not have any members identified for poor performance. Gaming the system is a much better ‘solution’ in the eyes of these adults in the Louisville school system.

Meanwhile, limited data from fall testing with the EXPLORE and PLAN assessments in the first group of 10 schools identified as Persistently Low-Achieving indicate that the “Staff Replacement” turn-around option used exclusively in Louisville is not working as well as the “Transformation Option” being used elsewhere.

Also, Jefferson County high schools in the Persistently Low-Achieving List continue to provide dismal evidence of problems in the district, as these new, 2011 graduation rates (which I calculated from the Johns Hopkins Promoting Power Index Formula) gruesomely attest.

(Note: Calculated from School Level Growth Factor Reports from the Kentucky Department of Education which are not available on line)

By the way, Johns Hopkins says a Promoting Power Index below 60% is evidence of a “dropout factory.” Rates below that value are in red.

The red ‘digital ink’ shows two schools, Iroquois and The Academy at Shawnee, qualify as dropout factories across the board for white and black students of both sexes.

Only one school, Fairdale High, escapes the dropout factory label across all four race and sex categories. It didn’t escape by much in the white male category, however.

The Johns Hopkins formula isn’t perfect, but it is the only one available until the Kentucky Department of Education finally gets off the dime and releases better data for the first time in August. Why that better data wasn’t released earlier is a big mystery, despite some department excuses.

Don’t know much about history - STILL

“Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.”

Edmund Burke

The new National Assessment of Educational Progress in History report is out, and it looks like our kids still don’t know much about history. Average scores for grades 4 and 12 are not statistically significantly different in 2010 from what they were in 2006. In fact, the US high school seniors’ score isn’t statistically different from the score a decade ago in 2001. Only the grade 8 kids saw a little improvement.


Want to know why voters get so confused.

In fourth grade, only 20 percent of the students performed at or above the Proficient level in history. In eighth grade it was only 17 percent and by high school only 12 percent – little more than one in ten! – met muster!!! This has been going on for years, thanks to inadequate performance of our public schools. Now, generations of Americans lack the historical background needed to really understand many issues and vote intelligently.

Want more specifics about what our kids (and many adults) don’t know? Click the “Read more” link.

Read more »

An auto-tax robot from 1980

Okay, help me understand this:

• In 1980, Kentucky passed a law that automatically adjusted the gas tax based on the average wholesale price of gas.
• This tax goes to the Kentucky Road Fund
• The Road Fund is up 11.6% for the fiscal year
• Despite the increase in the available road funds, Kentuckians will be hit with a 1.9 cent/gallon tax increase at the pump.

Why do we have a law that automatically adjusts taxes? Perhaps this one should be reviewed, especially since the Road Fund has enough discretionary funds to hand out tax incentive favors to a handful of businesses and large recreated arks.

Bluegrass Institute interviewed about JCPS superintendent search

Yesterday, The Bluegrass Institute's own Jim Waters was interviewed by WHAS about the superintendent search in Jefferson County. Waters was quoted as saying:

"The system has a lot of issues that need to be addressed.  Superintendents need to have the flexibility to put the most experienced teachers in low performing schools"

Read the full article here.

Transparency, accountability and cuts are easier to talk than walk

The White House has announced a new initiative to cut government waste and reduce deficit spending starting with the removal of nearly 500 websites managed by the federal government. It is certainly a nice gesture.



Toward the end of the video Vice President Biden discusses transparency and accountability and how taxpayers deserve to know how their money is spent. He's speaking The Bluegrass Institute's language BUT as always, it is easier to make claims of transparency and accountability than it is to follow through on them. It reminds me of another video...



Unfortunately, Kentucky never saw that efficiency study. Wouldn't it be great if Kentucky could set the standard for reducing costs associated with government? Do you think this is possible?

Watching other states take steps toward reform

This week starts off on a sour note (cue trombone) with Kentuckians having to sit back and watch other states' leadership take steps towards education system change while we continue to talk in circles.

In Tennessee, lawmakers have empowered local school boards to guide the decisions of teachers rather than unions. This is an important step in improving an education system for the kids. In New Jersey, Governor Christie is implementing a policy that would allow private companies to manage chronically under-perfoming school districts. We have chroniclly under-performing districts in our own state!

While neither of these new initiatives are magic bullet solutions for school systems, they are a step in the right direction. When will leadership in Kentucky start to take similar steps? Ask your legislator when he/she plans to take a stand and put kids first in education.

Media Alert: BIPPS talking education reform on Louisville's WHAS 11 tonight

Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute vice president of policy and communications, addresses the challenges facing the Jefferson County Public Schools in a story that will air on Louisville's WHAS 11 at 6 p.m. EDT tonight.

In an interview with reporter Renee Murphy earlier today, Waters stressed the need for the Jefferson County Public Schools to emphasize accountability and improved student academic performance in the search for a new superintendent.

Bluegrass Institute supporters who live in the greater Louisville area can see the story during the 6 p.m. newscast. Those outside the viewing area can view it following the newscast on WHAS11.com.

Read recent blog articles on Jefferson County Public Schools here.

Hey, we could really use that $11 million!

Today the governor announced that he is directing the Kentucky Department of Transportation to spend $13.6 million of contingency funds to make emergency repairs to highways damaged in winter storms. $13.6 million from contingency funds.

A better idea to help fund these emergency repairs would be to not allocate $11 million for highway enhancements and tax incentives for theme parks. 

That $11 million would be a good chunk of the 13.6 needed.

A reminder of the situation in Jefferson County

With the search for a new superintendent in full swing in Jefferson County Public Schools, here is a reminder of what the situation looks like in one of Kentucky's most troubled school districts...

A Tea Party plan to put "Big Government' on a diet

Homeowners and employers are downsizing. Why shouldn’t government, too?

Click here to read the latest Bluegrass Beacon.

New transparency feature

A new transparency feature was added to FreedomKentucky.org today. If you go to the front page you can find an icon called "help force government transparency". Just like the "be heard" link we posted yesterday this function allows you to share information about where government is wasting money and/or not being held accountable.

Remember, transparency is the first step toward accountability.

This is a way YOU can make a difference!

Board of Education adopts fuzzier weighting for new state assessment program

Could adversely impact validity and reliability significantly

The Kentucky Department of Education just announced action by the Kentucky Board of Education to change important weighting of various assessment elements that will be used in the states new public school assessment and accountability system. This new assessment is scheduled to replace the state’s defunct CATS assessment, which developed credibility issues and was disbanded in 2009.

Unfortunately, in the process of suddenly shifting weightings around, the board has now created a potential monster, a program with a high reliance on assessment elements that have a high degree of subjectivity.

Even worse, the assessment elements getting added weight are going to be self-graded by the schools and only inadequately audited by the Kentucky Department of Education, opening the door wide to exactly the issues of score inflation that always plagued the schools self-grading their own students’ writing portfolios under the old CATS system.

It’s going to be a classic ‘fox guarding the henhouse’ situation, perhaps much worse than we had with CATS Writing Portfolios, if the board doesn’t step back and take a look at the big picture surrounding the assignment of weights in the new assessment program.

Read more »

Will 'Mediscare' tactic work?

Congressional leftists claim Congressman Paul Ryan's plan "ends Medicare as we know it."

But, as conservative columnist and talk-show host Leland Conway suggests: "perhaps they don't want you to know what 'Medicare as we know it' really is. Put simply, Medicare will be broke in less than a decade if we don’t address it now."

Read Conway's column on "Mediscare" here and answer this question: Do you agree with this article's assessment of the problem?

Newport Independent Schools in 'Rewarding Failure' video

Given recent events with Newport Independent Schools I thought it would be worth it to post this video again...



Newport Independent Schools was one of four districts profiled in Rewarding Failure: The rubber- stamping of Kentucky superintendent evaluations.

Just what is prevailing wage?

I wrote yesterday about how researchers at the Mercatus Center suggested that Kentucky repeal prevailing wage laws. The term prevailing wage is probably confusing to those unfamiliar with labor and wage law.

Here is a great resource for understanding just what prevailing wage is and how it applies in Kentucky.

Parents, educators, citizens - make your voice heard!

Are you concerned about education in Kentucky? Have a question about the bloated, difficult-to-navigate education system? Is there an open records request you want to see submitted?

If you know of examples of unacceptable performance, poor responsiveness to your concerns, waste, ineffective instruction, ineffective policies, etc. - we want to hear from you!

Click here to make your voice heard!

Freedom in the 50 States

Take Bluegrass Policy Blog with you!

The fine folks at Blogger have made it that much easier to view blogs on mobile devices. We just activated the mobile version of our blog.

If you have a smart phone drop everything you are doing and check it out! The new format should make Bluegrass Policy Blog much easier to view on your mobile device. Sign up on the right hand side to receive daily email updates and take BPB with you on the go!

Researchers say Kentucky needs to repeal prevailing wage laws

We posted yesterday that the Mercatus Center has released its annual freedom index of the states.

Among their recommendations for Kentucky: repeal prevailing-wage laws and cut spending...

Tighten the rules for municipal-bond issuance and cut spending, particularly on grants to local school districts and employee compensation (repeal the prevailing-wage law), in order to retire debt.

The Bluegrass Institute has long been an advocate of repealing prevailing wage laws.

Quote of the Day: Outside educator sees big problems in Louisville’s schools

“Reviewing your student achievement gap, I’m very concerned.”

Christine Johns-Haines, superintendent of Utica Community Schools in Michigan and candidate for superintendent in Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky

Freedom Index of the states released

How free is Kentucky? A new study seeks to answer that question in all 50 states.

Today the Mercatus Center released a comprehensive study of the economic and personal of the states. You can read the report here and tune in online tomorrow, June 8 at 4 pm EDT, for a policy forum featuring the report's authors.

Kentucky's overall index rating placed us 32nd in the nation; the commonwealth was categorized as one of the least free states in the country.

Do these results come as a surprise to you?

Digital learning in Ky: More learning, large savings

Innovative education ideas not only give parents more choices and help improve students' learning opportunities, they cost less, too. The Bluegrass Institute's latest Fact Check reports that one Kentucky online academy successfully educates students for less than 40 percent of the cost of regular schools.

Click here to read the latest Fact Check.

Newport Independent superintendent steps down

Recently Newport Independent Schools made some waves with a leadership assessment report that concluded:

"The dysfunctional relationship among the local school board, superintendent, high school staff, school council and union is impeding the district's ability to meet the needs of the students."

This week, the superintendent stepped down.

Newport Independent Schools was one of four districts profiled in the Bluegrass Institute's "Rewarding Failure" commentary that outlined how superintendents are not being held accountable for results. The commentary features copies of the actual performance reviews of superintendents.

Check it out here!

Watch KET's 'Kentucky Tonight' discussion about the debt limit

Bluegrass Institute adjunct scholar John Garen took part in a panel discussion last night about the United States debt limit and the size/scope of government.

You can watch it here!

Kentucky should look to...Vermont?

This week Vermont strengthened its open records laws to reimburse the requesting citizen's legal fees if they win in a denial appeal. This is a small but great win for the transparency movement! There were other minor changes to the law that enhanced transparency as well.

Kentucky's lawmakers need to follow suit and continue to enhance transparency in Kentucky. For starters they could begin releasing preliminary documents so citizens can see the process behind decision making.

Contact your legislator and tell them you want to talk about transparency!

Bluegrass Institute on Twitter!

You can keep up with Bluegrass Institute happenings on Twitter!

• @BIPPS - The official BIPPS twitter feed! Keep up with the most up-to-date blogs, articles and news!
• @hollyhallcarter - Follow Holly for updates and insight to health care issues and Kentucky political news!
• @loganbipps - Follow Logan for updates and news related to transparency and accountability!

Records request for Passport Health Plan proposal

We recently submitted an open records request to obtain the proposal that was provided to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services by University Health Care, Inc. (Passport Health Plan) for Fiscal Year 2011 services including all exhibits, appendices, attachments, and other associated documentation that was part of the negotiation basis for the contract negotiated with University Health Care, Inc.


You can can up with the request process here.

This is a part of Operation: Open Records 2011

Quote of the day: And we're supposed to feel good about this?

“The Bush and Obama administrations pumped $80 billion in taxpayer money into Chrysler and GM, with Obama guiding the companies into bankruptcy. The companies are now reporting profits, Chrysler has paid back all but $1.3 billion of its federal infusion, and the White House says the overall loss to taxpayers will be $14 billion, far less than first expected." --Associated Press

Quote of the day: New teachers were needed at low-achieving school

“Last year, we had teachers giving up on us.”

“Nobody was pushing me.”

“This year is just so much better.”

Raven Smock, Senior Class Student, The Academy at Shawnee in Louisville

Quoted in Education Week

Note: Smock made these comments while recalling a teacher who walked out of class last year due to frustration with student behavior. Why did it have to take the federal government pushing us to finally do the right thing to get those “give up” teachers out of Ms. Smock’s school?

BIPPS adjunct scholar John Garen on Kentucky Tonight talking deficits and the debt ceiling

John Garen, Ph.D., University of Kentucky economics professor and adjunct scholar for the Bluegrass Institute, will join three other economists on KET's Kentucky Tonight on Monday at 8 p.m. (EDT).

Garen will be joined by fellow economic professors Brian Strow of Western Kentucky University, Chris Phillips of Somerset Community College and Malcolm Robinson of Thomas More College.

The panel will discuss the nation's economic condition, including the federal budget and debt limit.

Kentucky Tonight is hosted by Bill Goodman and will be replayed Wednesday at 2 a.m.

Garen is the author of the Bluegrass Institute publication "Fears versus facts about school choice: An overview of issues surrounding the effects of competition on public education."

To see other Bluegrass Institute articles by Garen, click here.

Quote of the day: Louisville Tea Party and JCPS superintendent finalists

“It's time to get involved and find out what these candidates are going to do about our failing schools. We have high dropout rates, the most failing schools of any county in KY, and KY is ranked as one of the worst states in the Nation for public education. If we're ever going to change the future and have a more knowledgeable, engaged society, we have to get involved in our children's futures TODAY." --Wendy Caswell, Louisville Tea Party

Getting serious about teacher quality in Indiana

Indiana is adopting a teacher evaluation system in six pilot programs that will link pay to student performance.

Meanwhile, Kentucky talks the talk, but isn’t even crawling as adults in the school system block all efforts to do the right thing for students.

Jefferson County school bus director clueless about increase in incidents

I guess the violence on Jefferson County school buses will finally stop – after school shuts down.

Meanwhile, the Courier-Journal reports that the director of transportation, Rick Caple, says he didn’t know that there had been a sharp rise in reported bus incidents in the last two years.

Yeah, Right!

Someone in Jefferson County must have learning disabilities, and they are running this crazy system.

It’s time to split this monster school district up and return to a neighborhood schools system. We need to do that so proper focus can finally be directed to those schools where staff doesn’t perform.

Right now, Jefferson County is just hiding problems by moving kids all over the place while a superintendent with too many schools to watch inevitably winds up missing some really big problems. Problems like the fact that the majority of the Persistently Low-Achieving Schools in Kentucky are found in this one district.

It’s clearly time for the state to move in, as Jefferson County seems incapable of learning the obvious lessons here, and thousands of kids are suffering for that ignorance.

Quote of the day: Are site-based councils an acceptable substitute?

“We certainly feel that we have an alternative that is meeting many of the same things, particularly in the areas of autonomy and being able to make decisions at the school level, in managing a budget, in hiring staff, in choosing instructional materials and so on.” --former Education Cabinet Secretary Helen Mountjoy, who told a radio reporter that site-based councils represent an acceptable substitute for charter schools.

Read more in "Charter schools needed, would thrive in Kentucky," a Bluegrass Institute perspective by former intern Tabitha Waggoner.

Statewide Real Transition to Adult Life

This graph compares the recently reported success rate of our high school graduates in going on to college and careers versus the much lower rate of success when we consider ALL of the students who entered high school with each graduating class.


Clearly, a lot of kids are being left behind once we consider EVERYONE.

For more details, check out this freedomkentucky.org article.

BIPPS' education efforts get boost from national organizations

Two national groups have come alongside the Bluegrass Institute to help bring true education reform, including parental school choice, to Kentucky.

On May 13, Kevin Chavous, the new chairman of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, spoke at a dinner officially announcing BAEO's presence in Kentucky. Pastor Jerry L. Stephenson, an inner-city Louisville minister, has been named the first state coordinator of BAEO, which now has chapters in eight different states.

Chavous, a former Washington, D.C. city councilman, joined Joel Adams, the new state coordinator for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, to pledge their support in working with the Kentucky Education Restoration Alliance coalition to convince lawmakers to bring charter schools to the commonwealth.

"What we are saying is, it's time for Kentucky to step up," Chavous said at the event. "There is a movement in America to change education. You can either get on the train or you can get left at the station. We need you to commit for these kids."

Read more »