Pegasus Institute

The Kentucky Department of Education released a statement this September regarding the most recent K-12 test scores and introducing some of the new accountability standards. The new standards are scheduled to be fully implemented in the 2018-2019 school year. Under the new system schools will be rated on a five-star scale based on “performance on state assessments and other school quality indicators or measures, such as growth or graduation rate,” but schools would not receive a single cumulative score that ranks schools against one another. The new Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis summarizes Kentucky’s 2017-2018 performance by saying “[w]e are not improving and achievement gaps b

The Mercatus Center released its full report on the fiscal condition of the states. Using data from states’ 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, Mercatus was able to compare their ability to “meet its short-term and long-term obligations without incurring excessive debt, engaging in budget gimmicks, or using other evasive tactics.” The study measures five areas: cash solvency, budget solvency, long-run solvency, service-level solvency, and trust fund solvency. Taking these five areas allowed Mercatus to assess thirteen indicators in each state. The winners are clear: Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Florida, and Oklahoma rank in the top five. At the bottom are Kentucky, Massachuset