Educators on the Ballot: #120Strong to the Statehouse

By Seth Woods

One of the most unique events of the 2018 election campaign was the increased number of public workers who ran for office, including police officers, firefighters, and first responders. The most prominent group of candidates running in 2018, however, were public educators. According to the National Education Association, over 1800 educators filed as candidates this year. In Kentucky, 36 current or former educators ran for positions in the General Assembly.

For many of these Kentucky teachers-turned-candidates, their motivation for running stemmed from the passage of Kentucky Senate Bill 151, the public educators’ pension reform plan, in March of this year. The bill was introduced and passed by a slim majority on the last non-veto legislative day of the 2018 session, without consultation from educators’ groups or minority party legislators, and without undergoing a legally-required actuarial analysis. In June, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled the law unconstitutional.

Many educators feared losing the benefits they had accrued, and used those concerns to mobilize communities to support their cause. In April, most of Kentucky’s public school districts closed their doors while teachers rallied on the steps of the state capitol, garnering national attention in the process. Their first victory happened in the May primary, when a math teacher from Rockcastle County upset the state House majority floor leader by 123 votes. Support for the educators’ cause developed momentum throughout the general campaign. In September, a high school teacher from Woodford County working two extra jobs was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Just a few weeks earlier, a national poll found that 78% of public school parents would support educators if they went on strike for more pay.

Tonight, nine educators were elected to the Kentucky General Assembly, with another (Owensboro professor Jim Glenn) with a one-vote lead and likely heading to a recanvass. While most of the first-time candidates were defeated by incumbents, educators impacted the state’s political discourse–and with an increase in ranks, educators are likely to remain a significant presence in the near future.