Kentucky’s education leaders are getting behind the latest push for casino gambling. Legislation has already been filed for the 2014 General Assembly.
The Kentucky School Boards Association recently voiced its support for letting voters decide whether to allow expanded gaming. KSBA Spokesman Brad Hughes says education has lost tens of millions of dollars since 2008.
"We have textbooks that have zero funding right now, preschool has been cut dramatically, teacher training has been cut dramatically, so the revenues are needed," insisted Hughes.
The School Boards Association also believes that until casino gambling is given an up or down vote, the state won’t seek out other means of new revenue. Hughes is quite certain tax reform won’t come in 2014.
"Everybody agrees there's the probability of increasing state revenue by modernizing the tax code, but it is an election year, and what we're hearing isn't very positive," he added.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday will ask lawmakers next year for 300 million dollars more than what’s in the current budget.
