Re: Email from KY Representative Jim DeCesare from Rockfield,

Of the sixty-something personal emails I sent individually to all of our Senators and Representatives in the state of KY(who's contact information is directly listed on the state site) regarding my query to slated budget cuts to education, I received one response. Jim DeCesare from Rockfield answered my request by email and would like to express himself on this issue with either a visit in Frankfort or a phone call(probably the latter). Rockfield riding one of the more rural areas of the state suggests that in his area the cuts are likely to be more staggering than around the Fayette, Louisville, and Newport areas (what's been impressed upon me by several faculty as being "the triangle" of power in KY). I hope for optimistic responses from Representative DeCesare, and that my questions will answered directly instead of being dodged with facts irrelevant to what I am asking. I have prepared a short set of direct questions that Mr. DeCesare should be able to answer without much hesitation unless things aren't on the up and up. Those questions are -

1. How can I find out what the absolute total budget was for the last fiscal year (including everything the state received and distributed from all sources inside and outside the state)?

2. What is your particular stance on the cuts? (Do you favor or oppose the cuts and why?)

3. How does the state consider it reasonable that education should foot 5% of the budget shortfall when it doesn't receive 5% of the budget?

4. What projects or subsidies aren't receiving cuts in the next fiscal year's budget and why not?

5. What are the ways in which it is possible to force revision of the cuts?

I don't recognize any of these questions as being too involved for a direct answer. Hopefully, I will be able to speak with Representative DeCesare promptly and have very positive and enlightening answers in addition to more information. I'll post the results of the interview in the Budget Questions section.

Is there an answer? Who knows...

I've prepared the next set of questions which would have kept with the timeline I proposed in the last posting. I intend to propose and answer these next four questions successively in individual posts in the Budget Questions sidebar section.

1. What is KY's full state budget? How is that money appropriated?
2. Are there other subsidies that can be cut vs. the $46M for education? What makes other state investments more or less likely to be scheduled for cuts?
3. How do our representatives determine amount per person allotted for education in KY? Is there a difference in the value of an education in different portions of the state in relation to the average a county/district receieves per student?
4. Is the course of action our representatives have taken towards education desireable and comparable to what we expect? Does the way the system is currently run limit or direct the potential of those in the education system? Is it deliberate?

Supposing that these questions are legitimate, the answers to which should help us construct a more complete idea of how our legislators determined that cuts to education were a reasonable part of the solution to the immediate budget shortfall.

No Sign of Progress

Finding a way to present my questions to each group involved requires that I make each question distinguished from the others without being irrelevant or rhetorical. If each question is answered sufficiently with its specific content in mind, a general statement or idea might be drawn or concluded. To get the best response from the most people I've decided to present all my questions individually in sequence they are presented in my original post, and using a different method for each.

I'm inquiring sixteen questions from college members, community members, and the leaders of our state at different levels. I will make a new post when I pose each question and comment after getting responses. There will be new questions posted every Tuesday and Thursday. I'm not a pro at writing correspondence, conducting surveys, or extracting information from professionals in their field in attempt to expose a fault. In order to elicit honest and hopefully revealing answers I will not present any of my questioning in a suggestive way. Although together the questioning itself is suggestive of failure by the proprietors of our society.

The introduction of each form of inquisition will begin with a brief introduction of myself follwed by my status at the college and the statement that the question is to satisfy a necessary portion required to complete a scientific study. I will mention Gil's home telephone number for those who feel strongly to express themselves in response to being questioned. An invitation for comments to the blog will also conclude each so to open the door for comments from those most involved in the study. Thanks for your patience while I have debated which approach to use.

Active Activism?

A college group I have shown interest in had its first event last week in support of eliminating proposed cuts to the state education budget. The group BCTC Republicans took electronic signatures for a petition against the Governor's proposed cuts 2/18 & 2/23 from 10-2 at a reserved table on Cooper campus. Organized and supported by faculty advisors, club members signed a meager 41 student requests through KCTCS' Advance the petition campaign.

Inspiring Quotes on Education

http://hubpages.com/hub/Inspiring-Quotes-on-Education-Quotes-about-Education-and-Learning

2010 KY budget shortfall?

As part of President Obama's 2009 stimulus, Kentucky was awarded $2,458,869,526. Yet there is a projected shortfall of over $1B in the state's '10-'11 fiscal year budget. I would like to know what our state budget was for the '09-'10 year and what percent was spent on education.

SOC 260: Spring '10 - Case Study

In a nutshell, I'm disappointed to hear that KCTCS/BCTC and the entire school system is about to take a hit among the various other public works programs in the state. While education has already taken a back seat to funding by the state, the scheduled cuts to education represent a larger percentage than the percentage that is alloted for funding annually. There may be valid reasons for this that I do not understand. I will report on the facts as I am able to get them. I will cite only government documented statistics for this study to keep the integrity of my information level with the subject I am documenting.

KCTCS has embraced a stance of opposition to the cuts. Organizing in the form of protests in Frankfort on 2/25 (Thurs) and 3/9-3/11, SGA from BCTC Cooper campus has attempted to reach all of our students to raise awareness of the issue. And KCTCS has circulated an online petition to present to Governor Steve Beshear next month in hopes of persuading his counsel to draw a different proposal for budget cuts that don't include education, or at least not the level that is being suggested.

The budget cuts have the potential to affect the college and community directly in several ways. The immediate situation for community college students and faculty is the concern of loss of revenue from state subsidies which allow us to maintain an affordable tuition rate and smaller class sizes with more available classes. I've been informed by Audra French,(a member of the KCTCS committee who represents BCTC in this matter) that if there are cuts, there will definitely be an increase in tuition as well as cuts in services and classes.

The purpose of my study is to determine who has become involved in this at what levels. What - if anything, would be a definite turn around for the proposal for cuts to education? What the state's budget actually is(this may be harder than it sounds) and how does it get spent(who else is getting subsidies)? What other subsidies could be cut instead of the proposed $46M for education? And if at all possible, find out straight from the horses mouth why education does not receive a larger percentage of the state budget especially around rural areas.

On a personal note, I would like to know what the absolute value our senators and representatives place in the youth of our state. We should all know by now that education is key to success in life, but is the direction our primary, secondary, and post-secondary students are being led one that encourages growth as individuals or stimulates progressive thought for our modern age? I am inclined to question whether we as citizens of the US are being pigeon-holed en-masse in this very significant portion of our country. And further curious if the people of the state have the will to take it upon themselves for change if that opportunity even exists with current legislation.

Very specifically, I want to understand who matters most to our state legislator and why. I want to know what it would take to prevent the proposed cuts. And I want to know who in this state is willing to take steps toward ensuring we have a fighting chance at preventing them. I want to know what the value of life is to everyone I meet during this study. That means what is the value of the success of an ordinary citizen to a legislator? What is the value of a person's own success or ability to control their own livelihood in the state? What is the value of each person's health as determined by their ability to provide for themselves? What is the value of the future to everyone in relation to the doors we either open or let close on us by refusing to acknowledge the importance of what is happening?

I believe there is a definite price put on each person's life and welfare here in Kentucky by our representatives. I am hoping the budget cuts will provide the lens with which to examine that price in comparison to other issues of importance to our legislators.