Requests for such extensive records are not uncommon among political operatives.
Kentucky Republicans are looking for opportunities to delve into pandemic-era communications sent and received by Beshear and key administration members and undermine the issues of education and pandemic management that Beshear has championed as governor. I have asked to be contacted about the closure of the school, distance learning, and non-traditional instruction.
Republican lawmakers who control the Kentucky legislature were relegated to the sidelines in the early stages of the outbreak, with the governor largely in control of the state’s pandemic policy. Their aim is to link governors to flagging test scores statewide, reflecting pandemic-related setbacks in students that have been part of a national trend.
Beshear said his management of the state during the pandemic saved his life and that he followed the guidance of former President Donald Trump’s administration. “Politics is over,” he said.
Now, efforts to unearth records related to school closures have sparked a new round of accusations.
A Republican request for a letter late last year was denied by the governor’s office for failing to “accurately describe identifiable records.” The case was then brought to the State Attorney General’s Office, which resulted in a legally binding decision in an undisclosed records dispute.
Attorney General Daniel Cameron is one of the Republicans running for governor, so this added to the already considerable political base of the case. The office said it must rule public records disputes under state law.
The attorney general’s office added a review this week. The governor’s office’s failure to turn over the sought correspondence was a violation of the state’s public records law, drawing fierce opposition from Beshear’s side. It was based on a request to revise the records — a development the governor’s office never had a chance to respond to, a spokesperson for Beshear claimed.
In denying the request, the governor’s office suggested the pursuit of communications related to issues related to school closures was overly broad. ‘s office “clarified” that the request could be fulfilled by searching the e-mail accounts of named individuals using specific search terms.
Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley claimed that “the rules of the game” had changed when the GOP appealed to the Office of the Attorney General.
“Our office was not given the opportunity to respond to the specific requests they (the Attorney General’s Office) determined,” she said in a statement.
A Republican spokesman said the request was about accountability.
State Republican spokesman Sean Southard said, “Andy Beshear continues to escape scrutiny over how he and his team made decisions related to school closures during the pandemic. increase.
According to test scores released last fall, less than half of Kentucky students tested had grade-level reading. Mathematics, science and social studies posted even lower scores overall.
But Kentucky’s student performance was part of a larger trend of sharp declines in math and reading skills nationwide during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Beshear uses the bully’s pulpit to pressure the Republican-controlled Congress to reopen the state’s two-year budget and increase funding for K-12 education. The governor is calling for teacher salary increases and state-funded preschool for her 4-year-old. Beshear is also seeking additional funding for textbooks and professional development, as well as the development of regional centers to train educators on how best to help students deal with mental health issues.
Beshear said his proposal aims to overcome teacher shortages, prepare preschoolers for kindergarten, and help students catch up and grow.
Republican lawmakers in Kentucky have typically followed their own course in setting education policy. A budget passed last year funded full-time kindergartens and poured money into teacher pensions and infrastructure. was far short of the amount proposed by
Now, Republicans are trying to derail Beshear’s re-election prospects by highlighting declining test scores across the state, while snooping on internal communications about school closures.
“After managing a student’s historic learning loss, doesn’t Andy Beshear have a duty to parents to be transparent about who gave him advice and how decisions were made? said Southard.
