Blogs | Bluegrass Institute

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Dive into a wealth of knowledge and perspectives from the Bluegrass Institute team through our categorized articles.

9/5/22

End practice of using sick-day benefit to spike pensions

8/1/22

Inflation no reason to lose ground on pension progress

6/26/21

Sick leave reform estimated to save taxpayers $50 million per year

4/23/20

Why no seat for taxpayers on new pension board?

10/8/19

Bluegrass Institute commends progress toward increased KRS investment transparency

11/5/18

Bluegrass Institute applauds 'heroes of transparency'

8/23/22

Pension spiking problems persist

11/21/21

Reform current pension benefits, ensure systems' future survival

6/9/21

Next steps: More must be done to stabilize teachers' retirement system

1/19/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Pension contract inviolable, not inflexible

2/21/19

News Release: Pension legislation reflects Bluegrass Institute's paradigm regarding future – but not past – benefits

4/17/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Pension class is in session

8/1/22

Pension reform: Will past performance be the best predictor of future behavior?

10/1/21

Pension-surplus funds not meant to be spent on higher benefits

2/8/21

BIPPS pension reform ideas move forward in the General Assembly

12/2/19

Beshear should end pension spiking for legislators who join his team

2/8/19

Pension spiking for part-time legislators

9/26/24

Why homeschooling families should support school choice

8/23/24

Bluegrass Institute research cited in WSJ editorial on Amendment 2

6/23/23

The story about improvement in reading in Mississippi continues to get better

1/20/23

Wow! Hispanic students in Florida’s charter schools have eliminated their achievement gap with Kentucky’s white students

11/30/22

KIDS need to be in-person at school , 2022 KENTUCKY school testing results show it

10/31/22

Jefferson County’s NAEP performance – Grade 4 reading

10/27/22

More on the top-performing Kentucky school districts in 2022 Grade 11 ACT testing

9/4/22

Quote of the Day – PLUS – New NAEP results show the negative impacts of the Pandemic

6/1/22

Kentucky’s embarrassing public school social studies standards get even more embarrassing

4/25/22

Reading instruction in Kentucky, bad news and good

1/27/22

Why Kentucky Needs School Choice #3 – High Charter School Enrollment States and Grade 8 Reading

1/21/22

If you get reading right, other subjects can get better, too

1/11/22

Kentucky's school based decision making - 2 - Some background

12/6/21

Will obstruction of better reading instruction continue in Kentucky?

9/30/20

Bluegrass Institute supports former state education board members' request to recall, revise social studies standards

1/10/20

Getting critical thinking wrong

11/1/19

New NAEP shows charter schools in Cleveland also outperforming

3/14/19

Reading Wars Update – Part 2

9/25/18

Which Kentucky education funding source – local, state or federal – saw the largest increase between 2008 and 2017?

4/12/18

When will Kentucky get actionable school financial data to comply with its constitution?

4/29/12

Reading war re-igniting?

Blogs about Mississippi since 2019

9/4/24

WATCH Voice for Change: Dr. Jerry Stephenson on Amendment 2, empowering parents

6/12/24

Amendment 2 takes ‘handcuffs’ off legislators

3/21/23

Common Core state tests don’t produce “common” results

1/2/23

Here's the rest of the high school graduation rate story

11/15/22

More on how teaching reading properly works for students

10/29/22

What happened to Kentucky’s NAEP achievement gaps for reading?

10/19/22

Report: Don’t shoot the messenger! Heed NAEP’s message about Kentucky’s education performance

8/18/22

No – Poverty doesn’t excuse low school performance

5/23/22

Quote of the Day – PLUS – Why US students test low on international tests

4/4/22

Who says charter schools don’t perform? Take a look at a New York City story!

1/25/22

Why Kentucky Needs School Choice #2 – High Charter School Enrollment States and Grade 4 Math

1/13/22

Time to get serious about Kentucky’s reading instruction problem – 2

1/10/22

Kentucky needs to rework school based decision making - 1

10/13/21

ACT indicates many fewer Kentucky students prepared for college

2/4/20

Since many missed it — Kentucky education can’t say thank goodness for Mississippi anymore!

12/9/19

Some more food for thought on the Mississippi NAEP situation

10/31/19

New NAEP shows charter schools in Atlanta make difference for black students, and it’s getting better!

3/4/19

Kentuckians being warned about education in Arizona – Really???!!!

7/18/18

Educators complain about education spending, but do they even know how much they’re getting?

4/10/18

White minus Black score gaps on NAEP Grade 4 Math widen in Jefferson County

What Amendment 2 won’t do, opponents ignore

More on the grading issues in Kentucky’s schools

8/27/24

School Choice and Competition Lead to Higher Teacher Pay

6/10/24

Amendment 2: A constitutional ‘bush hog' clearing the way for education freedom

2/20/23

About Kentucky’s teacher “CRISIS”

12/14/22

You can’t make good decisions with the wrong data

11/1/22

Jefferson County’s NAEP performance – Grade 4 math

10/28/22

My first surprise in the new NAEP results – And, it isn’t scores

10/18/22

Surprise in the new Kentucky Grade 11 ACT test results

6/17/22

You won’t fix Kentucky’s reading problems by looking at the wrong ‘stuff’

5/9/22

Oh, My! Blacks in Georgia's Charter Schools Now Tie Kentucky's White Students in Math and Reading!

1/28/22

Why Kentucky Needs School Choice #4 – High Charter School Enrollment States and Grade 8 Math

1/21/22

Kentucky needs to rework school based decision making - 3 – Parents don’t care

1/12/22

Time to get serious about Kentucky’s reading instruction problem - 1

1/6/22

No Kentucky, our education system has not made that much progress

10/1/21

About Kentucky’s just released school system test results for 2021

1/22/20

Like I said, Parents are getting even less interested in school councils

11/2/19

Kentucky education can’t say thank goodness for Mississippi anymore!

5/25/19

School-Based Decision-Making (SBDM) and Kentucky’s proposed social studies standards

11/29/18

Can it be even the Kentucky’s Legislature doesn’t value state’s high school diplomas – More information

5/8/18

Jefferson County’s NAEP performance – some of the rest of the story

2/19/18

Why do our schools consistently avoid the most successful teaching approach of all?

Shortchanging the taxpayer on the full information

Parents getting even less interested in Kentucky’s school councils

10/4/24

What Amendment 2 won’t do, opponents ignore

10/17/23

Anticompetitive certificate of need laws: Wrong prescription with serious side effects

7/23/23

Growing mountain of evidence confirms denying parental choice the wrong song for Kentucky

4/15/23

Court’s ruling: A disguised blessing?

3/24/23

Changing policy, saving lives

3/6/23

Bill to end anti-competitive barrel tax ‘a positive start’

2/12/23

Know much about Black history?

1/13/23

State of the Commonwealth: Getting stronger due to free-market policies, not gubernatorial politics

12/20/22

Bias against charter schools requires independent authorizers

11/21/22

With midterm elections over, 2023 moves into the spotlight

9/28/22

Some school districts hiking taxes despite rising property values, revenues

9/5/22

End practice of using sick-day benefit to spike pensions

8/8/22

Report confirms need for reforms in Newport schools, more options for parents

7/12/22

‘American Birthright’ a model for Ky standards do-over

6/10/22

Best practices for a better Kentucky: Managing debt

5/10/22

Higher gas taxes not needed for unprecedented investment in Kentucky’s highways

4/18/22

Not all superintendents oppose school choice

3/22/22

‘We need more jam’

2/27/22

Well-designed rainy day policy an umbrella for reserve funds

2/6/22

Budget belies big spenders’ misleading claims, provides funding for teacher raises

12/11/21

Poor district’s approach to teaching reading bears dramatic results, worth emulating

11/15/21

Solid recovery a roadblock for gas-tax hike

10/17/21

Facts don’t mesh with more-money better-education myth

9/10/21

Special session should focus on less – and better – government

8/22/21

The mask wars: Local choice better than Frankfort’s coercion

7/21/21

Teaching Reading: Thank God for Mississippi’s approach

7/6/21

Washington’s gravy train slowing Kentucky’s recovery

5/22/21

Competition via innovation trumps regulation by limitation

4/27/21

Liberty is not a luxury

4/8/21

Tax-hiking zealots’ Plan B: Sneaky legislative gimmicks

3/14/21

Opponents’ fibs falter in view of school choice facts

2/18/21

Nothing complicated about this pension plan

1/22/21

New year, same old unemployment system

10/29/20

Return ‘balance’ to ‘balance of power’

8/28/20

Legislators must limit scope of emergency executive power

8/14/20

Return to bustling economy rather than turning to D.C.

7/24/20

Court affirms small program, fuels national movement

6/1/20

Tax hikes during the pandemic? Perish the thought!

5/10/20

Individual liberty strengthens the common good

4/11/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Kentucky not built to shut down

3/22/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Quasi-pension bill good but Kentucky Senate could make it great

2/28/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Will governor strike out on board disruption?

2/9/20

Frankfort buzzes with bipartisan talk of tax hikes

1/19/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Pension contract inviolable, not inflexible

11/10/19

School-choice opponents’ hypocrisy unmasked

10/25/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Don’t force taxpayers to finance failing projects

10/4/19

Bluegrass Beacon: KEA chief’s ditty full of fearmongering, misinformation

9/1/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Is capitalism to blame?

5/30/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Retrofit Kentucky’s odd, off-year elections

5/12/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Opportunity costs of pleasing unions tragically high for charter-less minorities

2/24/19

Bluegrass Beacon – Pension-reform reset: A win-win for teachers, taxpayers

11/16/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Voters got it right … again

10/16/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Pledge calls for full pension transparency

9/2/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Innovate to make KASPER more Kentucky-friendly

8/19/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Minor-league fare abounds at ‘Super Bowl of Kentucky politics’

7/6/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Union contracts squeeze school districts’ flexibility

5/27/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Charter opponents don’t have Ohio to kick around anymore

4/29/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Intimidated conservatives lose focus

3/21/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Boosting term limits, busting bad homeschooling bills

3/2/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Real reformers aren’t name callers

2/11/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Councils just another failed fad of KERA

1/22/18

Kentucky Can't Wait 100+ Years to Improve Our Schools

1/5/18

Bluegrass Beacon: New pension paradigm protects taxpayers, benefits workers

12/15/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Keep making the General Assembly great again

12/4/17

Bluegrass Beacon - Drug pricing: Bustling marketplace or stifling monopoly?

10/29/17

Bluegrass Beacon: End mooching off taxpayers for sports stadiums

10/14/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Storms squeeze the best out of us

3/14/24

Education choice saving Arizona millions

8/26/23

More for taxpayers means more for government, too

7/5/23

Kentucky’s education system: Is it time to declare a State of Emergency?

4/10/23

School choice, school politicking and public school legislation

3/18/23

Sound policy, not divisive politics, must be Kentucky’s priority

2/24/23

‘Abundance of caution’ appropriate concerning donors’ privacy

2/3/23

Eliminating occupational tax is the key to local tax reform

1/3/23

What a difference a word makes

12/9/22

Ball is in General Assembly’s court to stop higher gas taxes

10/23/22

School choice and legacies

9/21/22

Best practices for a better Kentucky: More work, less welfare

8/31/22

Paying unions: Recurring opt-in requirements protect public workers

8/1/22

Inflation no reason to lose ground on pension progress

7/3/22

Educational freedom surges among Supremes

5/29/22

Big Biz, Big Govt: Voters are wary

4/29/22

Kentucky’s education results: Claim doesn’t match facts

4/8/22

Bolstered reserves, lower tax burden increase Kentucky’s competitiveness

3/14/22

Legislation funds, adds authorizers for public charter schools

2/20/22

Black students benefit in charter-school states: When will Kentucky become one?

1/14/22

Tis the season for true tax reform

12/6/21

Stakes are too high to deny school choice, competition

11/10/21

Rental car companies attempt to manipulate tax policy, drive up competitors’ costs

10/1/21

Pension-surplus funds not meant to be spent on higher benefits

9/3/21

Count your legal and pension blessings, and respond rightly

8/8/21

Legislative chicanery aids harmful policies

7/21/21

Teaching Reading: Thank God for Mississippi’s approach

6/25/21

Lawsuit uses tax dollars to sue taxpayers

5/22/21

How much is enough?

4/17/21

School choice will help ‘step up’ Ky’s education game

3/28/21

HB 249: Slimy fat in a slippery pot

3/7/21

Protect journalists, activists from vindictive lawsuits

2/9/21

Learning pods: Retro, yet innovative, school choice

11/8/20

Denying charter schools ‘a form of institutional racism’

10/13/20

‘Clear and convincing’ missing from proposed amendments on Kentucky's ballot

8/21/20

Unmask COVID-19 funding for states

8/11/20

COVID-19 crisis: A terrible thing to waste

7/3/20

Revisit history standards, lack of school choice

5/30/20

Governing through COVID-19: Sledgehammer or scalpel?

5/3/20

Congress should quash states’ bailout expectations

4/10/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Some government distancing, anyone?

3/20/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Legislature should dump proposed fuel-tax hike

2/18/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Frankfort should butt out of private-sector’s purview

2/8/20

Ousted KBE members take stand; hospital ruse offers ‘myopic malarkey’

1/5/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Will Beshear consider ‘common goals’ of non-teaching taxpayers?

11/3/19

Ring education’s liberty bell in Kentucky, too

10/22/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Was Jesus a ‘Super Socialist’?

9/27/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Will the real AARP please stand up?

9/1/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Simple awareness can thwart threats

5/24/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Adkins could reap millions in pension windfall

3/15/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Bigoted anti-choice statement a new low

1/25/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Education facelift incomplete without school choice

11/9/18

Bluegrass Beacon: More government for all!

10/15/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Dodging pension crisis won’t fix it

8/23/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Judge hides behind black robe of procedure in pension case

7/27/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Charter opponents don’t have New Orleans to kick around anymore Copy

6/18/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Abuse cover-up seals deal for JCPS takeover

5/22/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Time for an all-out offensive against failure

4/13/18

Kentucky Wired: A long marriage to a real loser

3/9/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Pension dispute lacks facts, not funding

2/19/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Inconvenient truth about teachers’ salaries

2/11/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Reforming Medicaid, tweaking elections and overcoming evil

1/18/18

Bluegrass Beacon - Fighting open-meetings offenses: Short-term pain, long-term gain

12/31/17

Bluegrass Beacon - Education’s holy grail: Achievement, not racial quotas

12/10/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Stay the course despite the scandal

12/3/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Claims of paltry pension funding ring hollow

10/27/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Pension plan cools, but freeze still needed

10/12/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Kentucky Wired versus the Big Dig

11/6/23

Energy one of the three ‘E’s’ of Kentucky campaigns

8/2/23

Celebrating Calvin Coolidge: An overlooked above-average president

5/14/23

Come-from-behind wins aren’t just for horse races

4/2/23

Let’s refocus on education

3/10/23

Legislators stepping up, want government to step back from collecting union dollars

2/19/23

Get ready, stay ready for ESG attempts

1/29/23

Symphony of spending off-key, full of wrong notes

12/24/22

Naughty to nice: A gift idea for UofL

12/9/22

Districts must follow law giving citizens access to school curriculum

10/3/22

‘Refundable’ tax credits wrong policy for boosting signature industries

9/12/22

Student-debt cancellation order: Bad policy, overtly political

8/22/22

It’s back to (nonpublic) school for thousands of students

7/17/22

Calm inflation fears: Favor meaningful policies

6/18/22

Best practices for a better Kentucky: Keep ‘rainy day’ fund pedal to the medal

5/15/22

Biden’s political hacks won’t stop charter schools’ growth

4/24/22

Not all gridlock thwarts legislative achievement

3/27/22

Flat rates work for tithes, taxes

3/4/22

Liberty-boosting-and-busting moves, movers and shakers

2/13/22

‘Double jeopardy’ tax policy: Fix it or end it

12/26/21

Nothing like a storm to bring us together

11/21/21

Reform current pension benefits, ensure systems' future survival

10/31/21

School choice’s legacy: Segregation or integration?

9/26/21

Don’t hinder solar’s promise, farmers’ property rights

8/29/21

Could constitutional amendment help balance power in Frankfort?

8/1/21

Pension reform: Will past performance be the best predictor of future behavior?

7/21/21

Less CRT, more ABCs?

5/23/21

Kentucky not growing up to its potential

5/22/21

Incompetence on the loose in Frankfort

4/12/21

Session featured Override-O-Rama, last-day spendalooza

3/21/21

Proponents of gas-tax hike running on empty

2/28/21

Amend education bill, get kids back to school

1/31/21

New progressive pension plan positive for future teachers

10/31/20

More than 90,000 jobless claims unresolved despite $17 million no-bid contract

9/11/20

Private broadband investment key to sturdy long game

8/21/20

Current environment provides opportunity to advance school choice

7/30/20

Let parents use SEEK dollars for online learning options

6/13/20

Higher taxes plus more spending equals deeper hole

5/18/20

Beware of the virus of mistrust

4/23/20

Why no seat for taxpayers on new pension board?

4/8/20

Use COVID-19 crisis to make good spending decisions

3/13/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Taxpayers should be wary of changing Kentucky’s Constitution

2/14/20

Bluegrass Beacon: Ky. should ride Trump’s coattails to school-choice victory

2/7/20

Scholarship program offers the right kind of tax credit

11/24/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Loan for failing hospital a bad deal for taxpayers

10/27/19

Bluegrass Beacon: The politics of priorities

10/11/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Drama of disruptive protests exacerbates testing woes

9/27/19

Bluegrass Beacon - Lacking: Transparency and judicial good sense

5/31/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Kentucky’s campaigns: Right-left or rural-suburban?

5/17/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Salvation for sins of the pension fathers

3/1/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Defective SBDM policy foils education reforms

1/4/19

Bluegrass Beacon: Avoid ‘fatal’ delay-of-game penalties for needed policies

11/6/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Anti-right-to-work candidate’s confusing contradictions

9/9/18

Bluegrass Beacon - Critically needed: New pension system for incoming teachers

8/20/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Why the political war dance against pension reform?

7/27/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Tax-raising politicians should choose transparency over comfort

6/14/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Reforms free able-bodied from welfare’s sticky web

5/19/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Both parties scheme to soak taxpayers

3/25/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Bill clouds citizens’ access

3/2/18

Bluegrass Beacon - Eye bill’s focus: Keep online examiners out

2/16/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Hit drug program’s PAUSE button

1/29/18

Bluegrass Beacon: Will pension funding engulf entire budget?

1/12/18

Bluegrass Beacon: How many ways can you say ‘distraction’?

12/18/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Applying the Yellow Pages test to utility ownership

12/8/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Christmas coal, meet government grinches

11/26/17

Bluegrass Beacon - Clear the air: Reveal retirees’ benefits

10/20/17

Bluegrass Beacon: Merit pay for teachers merits consideration

10/11/17

Bluegrass Beacon - Pension deliberations: Nothing but uncomfortable

8/26/23

More for taxpayers means more for government, too

9/21/22

Best practices for a better Kentucky: More work, less welfare

1/14/22

Tis the season for true tax reform

8/23/23

BIPPS @ the Table: CON laws interfere with competition, 'impedes entry of additional providers into markets'

5/17/22

Kentucky's big move in the Rainy Day Fund rankings

12/1/20

Report: Economic freedom best path to make Kentucky competitive again

1/13/23

State of the Commonwealth: Getting stronger due to free-market policies, not gubernatorial politics

4/8/22

Bolstered reserves, lower tax burden increase Kentucky’s competitiveness