In Kentucky, we put education first. We understand how important it is that every Kentuckian has access to a quality education. Every day, we invest in education, support our teachers and fight to ensure that every student is positioned for success. It’s one of the most important investments we can make for the future of our young people.
Since day one, we have been committed to building a better Kentucky, and that starts with making sure our children have a strong educational foundation. My administration continues to find creative ways to connect the next generation of Kentucky leaders with educational programs and training that prepare Kentuckians to thrive in our workforce. Kentucky’s economy is on fire, and the key to ensuring that we can continue to attract businesses to our commonwealth is investing in our children’s education.
As a parent, I understand how important it is for every child to have the opportunity to grow and succeed, and we are committed to ensuring every student has that opportunity. Through programs like the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA), more than 7,000 students have gained skills that have prepared them to be the future leaders of Kentucky.
Kentucky is cultivating a well-established legacy of arts investment. GSA represents a 35-year investment in student arts, education and career development. Arts education isn’t just for those pursuing careers in the arts; it teaches problem-solving and critical thinking skills that are crucial for success in any profession or line of work.
Kentucky is one of the only states that offers a statewide arts program tuition-free to high school students, and as a result, our workforce is being primed with highly trained and skilled future workers. When looking for inspiring accounts of young people who represent the best of Kentucky, there is no shortage of success stories.
Reinforcing our commitment to education, we invested additional funding to expand access to more students. For the first time, GSA doubled its class size, allowing more than 500 students to access this unique arts education immersion program. Investing this supplemental funding in GSA is another positive step towards ensuring that education and cultural opportunities reach students in every community in the commonwealth.
With more opportunities than ever available to Kentuckians, I encourage more students to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to develop diverse, lifelong friendships and to explore their artistic talents through education and the arts.
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