I am not for sure but I think that only a small percentage of lottery money actually makes it to education.

 

Since it started in 1989, the Kentucky Lottery has earned over $2.5 billion for Kentucky's state treasury.

Since Fiscal Year 1999, the Kentucky Lottery has provided over $950 million to the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) Program, the College Access Program and the Kentucky Tuition Grants Program. Combined, this money has been used to make nearly 900,000 financial awards to help Kentucky's best and brightest students remain in Kentucky for their post-secondary education. To learn more about these merit-based and need-based scholarship programs, call the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority toll free at 1-800-928-8926 or visit their web site at www.kheaa.com.

 

In addition to the $950 million for college grants and scholarships noted above, $24 million has gone to Kentucky's Early Childhood Reading Incentive Fund, 'Read to Achieve' and Kentucky's Collaborative Center for Literacy Development since 1999. $21 million supported the Kentucky Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Trust Fund from 1999 - 2003, helping to build over 2,770 units of housing for some of the state's neediest citizens.

In addition, $32 million of Lottery money was set aside by the legislature in the early 1990's as a one-time bonus for Kentucky Vietnam veterans. $214 million was earmarked for elementary and secondary education in 1993 and 1994, and, over the years, more than $1.4 billion has gone to the General Fund, as designated by members of the General Assembly. The General Fund pays for a wide variety of programs and projects that benefit all Kentuckians.

 

http://www.kylottery.com/apps/player/news/where_money_goes.html?name=Where%20the%20Money%20Goes&id=news

Fletcher done a lot of damage to almost every state funded organization ran. He used a lot of the money for certain programs in other areas (Lord knows what).......because of this I know for a fact that the State Police Programs, Highway Department, among many others have suspended hiring because they do not have enough funds due to their normal funds being cut to help with what Fletcher depleated.

Fletcher done a lot of damage to almost every state funded organization ran. He used a lot of the money for certain programs in other areas (Lord knows what).......because of this I know for a fact that the State Police Programs, Highway Department, among many others have suspended hiring because they do not have enough funds due to their normal funds being cut to help with what Fletcher depleated.

 

Yep, they had all the money they needed before that, right?

Yep, they had all the money they needed before that, right?

 

Maybe not all they needed but I do know they were able to field a recruiting class for the state police on a yearly, bi-yearly whatever basis, and now that has been suspended until further notice. I know because I have a friend who just completed his Criminal Justice degree, who had been in talks with KSP for a couple of years now (and is personal friends with many different troopers) and who was supposed to be in this years class for the state police, was told that they were not having a class until further notice, and this was due in part to budget cuts all stemming from Fletcher's over spending.

 

Same with highway department jobs. Many of the seasonal workers (those who only work in the summers) were told that they would not have a job this summer, and for the same reason given above.

 

Many other state funded offices, as well as school districts have had issues along the same lines, so something has to be going on here, and from what I have read, witnesses, and heard, it all boils down to budget cuts that are due to Fletcher's over spending while he was in office, thus now the government is trying to again raise its budget but by doing so is having to cut many different departments budgets lower than what it normally is.

On a side note, ever notice the people in front of you at the store buying lotto tickets? Is it just me or does it look like they don't have a lot of discretionary income?

Kentucky education funding made simple, at the start of the legal mandate that created KERA the funding from the state for K - 12 spending in percentage of the state budget was at 62%. Today, that amount is at 44%.

 

Now, on a local level, as a rule of thumb, the best academic performing school districts in the state has the highest local burden percentage of the operating budget. For instance, at the start of KERA, Ft. Thomas was around 40% local tax supported, Boone County was at 35% local supported. The worst academic performing districts have watched their local obligation virtually disappear. Today, Ft. Thomas is close to 80% local tax supported. Boone County is nearly 55% and that is with the explosive growth over the last 20 years!

 

Bottom line, education spending has not kept up with per capita growth. For those who are interested, the states with the best academic records in the country spend over twice the amount as Kentucky does.

 

Last go round with "Conservative" Ernie (Waste, Fraud and Abuse Champion) perform one of the worst governance moves anyone can make. He had the ability and rammed down mandated pay raises and forced many districts, including all the ones in NorKY to pay for "his" raises for teachers salaries. Every single expert, including his own inner circle knew full well this mandated and unfunded raise would create cuts going forward.

 

Oh, and while your all at it, check out Senator David Williams school district funding levels. Some of the highest in the state! Do as I say, not as I do, right King David!

Maybe not all they needed but I do know they were able to field a recruiting class for the state police on a yearly, bi-yearly whatever basis, and now that has been suspended until further notice. I know because I have a friend who just completed his Criminal Justice degree, who had been in talks with KSP for a couple of years now (and is personal friends with many different troopers) and who was supposed to be in this years class for the state police, was told that they were not having a class until further notice, and this was due in part to budget cuts all stemming from Fletcher's over spending.

 

Same with highway department jobs. Many of the seasonal workers (those who only work in the summers) were told that they would not have a job this summer, and for the same reason given above.

 

Many other state funded offices, as well as school districts have had issues along the same lines, so something has to be going on here, and from what I have read, witnesses, and heard, it all boils down to budget cuts that are due to Fletcher's over spending while he was in office, thus now the government is trying to again raise its budget but by doing so is having to cut many different departments budgets lower than what it normally is.

 

You are familiar with KY's long term budget woes, are you not? This goes back way before Fletcher came on. He certainly did nothing to improve the situation but to lay it all on him is just wrong. What basis do you have for citing that it is due to Fletcher's overspending? Check the history.

I don't know. I listen to talk radio all day long, and they tell me everything is perfect with our economy! :confused:

You are familiar with KY's long term budget woes, are you not? This goes back way before Fletcher came on. He certainly did nothing to improve the situation but to lay it all on him is just wrong. What basis do you have for citing that it is due to Fletcher's overspending? Check the history.

 

All I am saying is that even though I realize our states economy woes over years, I can never remember a time in which annually funded programs were having to be nixed because the economy was so bad. I hate to lay it all on Fletcher, but it is almost a proven fact that before he left office he went on a crazy spending spree, and now we are seeing the effects of that.

I can tell you the KY lotto does send a certain percentage for education. It was never designed that 100% of the profit would fund education. Most of the money is used to run the Lotto Corp.

 

As for the budget cuts, we have legislators that can't do simple math. We spend more than we take in with revenue. It is a national trend. We have it at all levels of government. That is why some many Americans do it as well.

 

If we only cut back what was spent in transportation department we could be ahead. Think of all the unneeded construction projects that benefit someone who has done a political favor?

 

I was never a fan of Wallace Wilkinson, but he sold the lottery to the KY voters by stating that it would fund education and I thought that would be a good thing. But, thanks to our state politicians who could not let the majority of the money be earmarked for such nonsense as education, nearly all the actual profits go to the general fund where the state congressmen can use it for whatever they choose. If they lionshare would have gone to education like it was sold to do, we wouldn't be discussing this issue. We would be wondering how they schools are spending all that money the lottery is giving them.

Its also where the KEES money comes from.

 

How do you all feel about the KEES program. Honestly, it has helped our family a lot. My oldest son is a senior at EKU and he was maxed out on KEES money and my 2cd son is a senior in HS with straight A's so he will also be maxed out. A word of warning, the students have to keep their GPA above a 3.0 in college to keep getting all the money!