KENTUCKY — On this week’s “In Focus Kentucky” program, we’re looking at K-12 public education in the Commonwealth.

The 2024-2025 academic school year started in August for thousands of students across Kentucky’s 171 school districts, which include 120 public school districts and 51 independent districts. These districts serve 1,484 public schools and 634,424 students in grades preschool through 12th.

Sen. Steven West, R-Paris, is the chairman of the state senate standing committee on education and joins this segment to discuss Kentucky’s education system and efforts to improve it. West acknowledges that Kentucky’s ​​National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, also known as “the Nation’s Report Card”, particularly in reading and math, are subpar and emphasizes the importance of ensuring all children can read by third grade and that high school diplomas hold value.

Over the past two budgets cycles in the General Assembly, West also details the significant investments in K-12 public education that lawmakers have been made, with an additional billion dollars in new tax funds allocated.

West also discusses a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would give the authority to the General Assembly to create legislation to allow for school choice, such as tax credits and charter schools, which have been previously struck down by courts. Finally, West highlights the serious issue of chronic absenteeism, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with high rates persisting even after schools reopened.

You can watch the full 'In Focus Kentucky' segment in the player above.