Governor Andy Beshear has unveiled his proposal for a two-year budget, and it includes a lot of familiar wants, including pay raises for teachers and universal pre-k in the state.
The proposed $136.6 billion spending plan includes infrastructure projects, health care expansion, local and state employee support and more—it also includes an 11 percent pay raise for educators in the state, which would bump the average teacher starting pay to $42,191. The governor also wants to include $172 million each year to fund universal pre-k, saying it would be a significant investment in the future of Kentucky.
His budget plan would have another $500 million in grants to county and local government for water projects—he says he would also like to continue expanding high-speed internet to underserved areas of the state.
The plan also makes room for additional pay raises for state employees.
Governor Beshear says this budget reflects the shared values of Kentuckians.
The Governor’s budget provides funding for two new female-only juvenile detention centers, the renovation of the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center and retrofits to four other detention centers. He says he is focused on fully funding state employees’ pension, and would include $209 million over the biennium to continue paying down the pension liability.