Posted on 05/22/2018 9:25:40 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
As upset teachers across Kentucky Tuesday tried to flex their political muscle, Rockcastle County High School math teacher R. Travis Brenda narrowly defeated House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Shell of Garrard County in one of the most-watched races for the state House, according to unofficial results.
Brenda tried in the Republican primary election for the 71st House District seat to capitalize on teacher anger against legislators who backed a controversial pension bill in this year's law-making session. It was Brenda's first bid for public office.
...
Brenda, 43, was not a member of the Kentucky Education Association, which tends to support Democrats, because he has had issues with candidates backed by the National Education Association. But he attracted support from teachers in the district made up of Garrard, Rockcastle and part of Madison counties.
Shell, 30, claimed Brenda supporters were using scare tactics with teachers to oppose him. He said lawmakers did no harm to current teachers in voting to put new teachers in a hybrid pension plan similar to a 401(k) plan, fully funding the teachers' retirement system for the next two years and raising basic school funding to an all-time high of more than $4,000 per student.
Amy Floyd, a Lancaster resident who teaches special education, said there's no question the pension changes were an issue in the race. "I know a lot of the teachers are upset with Shell," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at kentucky.com ...
I have no patience with public school teachers or the teacher’s union on this issue. This state is financially doomed.
None.
They should have started their protests 20+ years ago - the Democrats spent their pension - the GOP is just dealing with the aftermath of that disaster and now they show up and protest and blame the GOP. It’s ridiculous. The Democrats just treating their pension fund as another contribution to the General Fund for decades...and no protests, because the “right people” were in charge - Democrats.
Any election central to educators is swamped with like minded educators. They enlist their kids, neighbors, and crossing guards to vote their way... they’re annoying parasites.
Nice to see Jim Gray go down. F that guy.
I pray that the public soon recognizes the fact that Teachers’ Unions are RUINING so many states like:
California
New Jersey
Wisconsin
and any place where the hated and demanding teachers practically control the state.
The ruined the beautiful state (yes, it was beautiful) of New Jersey.
It got so bad with high taxes we had to move. Isn’t that pathetic?
Yep. F any pol that thinks tearing down historic monuments is a path to higher office.
This is not a step forward. what makes you think this is a good thing - you appear to be uninformed.
Too bad we can’t outlaw public employee unions.
The teachers didn’t ruin NJ,the voters who elected the legislator’s did.Look at the Azzhat gov. they elected this time.
In 2011, the US had over 4.4 million state employees. All those people have family and friends. Last I knew KY had over 30,000 of those 4.4 million.
You do the math. :-(
“........to capitalize on teacher anger against legislators who backed a controversial pension bill.”.......
NEVER run for political office if you have an agenda to correct a single “wrong”, you will drive yourself crazy as those “wrongs” never seem to go away.
The single issue thing seems to be working for the folks who want to keep their gravy train chugging along. Unfortunately.
I can’t believe the teachers behavior over this issues. Bevin, the guy sounding the alarm over the pension is demonized by the teachers and they are praising the little punk Breashers who spend a good portion of their retirement funds is praised.
The teachers were looking like total cry baby’s until Bevin stupidly started calling them names. He went from looking like the adult in the room to getting down in the mud with the wailing teachers. Then the legislature passes the so-called pension reform which did nothing but kick the can a little further down the road. They took a hell of a hit politically for essentially doing nothing.
I look for the dufus secretary of state Grimes to be the next governor over this issue and she doesn’t have the brain power to light up a lightening bugs ass.
Right on all counts.
Depressing.
For the general record, I am tired of teachers painting themselves as somehow being more special and deserving humans than the rest of us whom they seem to consider “the great unwashed”. They are not smarter, they are not better, they are not more moral, they are no more owed to by society than anyone else. They...are...not...special.
I am also sick of the teachers unions pretending that their purpose in life is “for the children”. They are not. They are for furthering the interests of the teachers - if that happens at the expense of the children and the taxpayer. Well, that’s too bad, right?
AND the Leftist Big Government cause.
When I went to school the dumbest students majored in education and journalism.
Actually, according to my daughter some years ago, of entering freshmen who declared a major, the groups with the lowest SAT scores were education and....drum roll please.....law.
It’s ALL government unions.
They simply should not be permitted. In negotiations, there are supposed to be two sides. In government union negotiations, there is only one. The adversary to the unions is the people, whose representatives are happy to side with the peoples’ opponent.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.