Grayson Senate Robin Webb Addresses a Group of Teachers Following Senate Education Committee Meeting Last Week CREDIT STU JOHNSON

Kentucky educators, both past and present, have been busy making a visible presence at Frankfort’s State Capitol over the past couple of weeks.  That’s likely to continue during this last full week of the 2018 session.

A common sight over the last two weeks in Frankfort has been committee rooms virtually filled with teachers – mostly retired ones – wearing red shirts emblazoned with “a pension is a promise’. Gene Toth has been one of those at the Capitol. He taught chemistry and physics at Lexington’s Lafayette High School for more than three decades. He has his own theory about pensions, tax reform and politics.  “They’d like to do tax reform and then give the money they are taking from the teachers to the businesses.  That’s my take on the behind the scenes goings on in politics.”

Proponents of pension reforms like Bill Sponsor Joe Bowen say changes like lowering cost of living increases are needed to save the system long term.  The senate bill has been pulled and sent back to committee.  Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer said Friday, quote, “all things are possible” when asked about a pension vote in the remaining days of the current legislative session.