In a Nov. 6 letter to the editor, I was dismayed to see my name and a dated quote from me taken out of context to wrongly criticize State Rep. Will Coursey for his votes on three bills that included provisions sweeping funds from
the Kentucky Employee Health Plan (KEHP).
For example, HB 235 from 2014 was the 260 page state budget which included hundreds of financial policy directives. One of those provisions, which both teachers and Rep. Coursey opposed, called for sweeping the KEHP fund. I appreciate the support teachers received from Rep. Coursey as we tried to remove that provision.
In the end, we were not successful in removing this provision and, for a greater good, Rep. Coursey voted to approve the state budget.
It is worth considering that if every legislator voted against the state budget if it contained a single provision with which he or she disagreed, the Commonwealth would never have a budget or be able to operate. The other votes mentioned in the letter were similarly taken out of context.
I was particularly disturbed to see my quote used against Rep. Coursey as it was because, during my two decades of public education advocacy in Frankfort, I have never worked with a legislator more passionately committed to our public schools and the students they serve than Will Coursey. As a teacher, I appreciate his heartfelt advocacy for the children of Kentucky and the public educators who serve them.
Brent McKim
President, Jefferson County Teachers Association