Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear says he will override a legislative committee’s decision to reject new science standards for public school students.
The Kentucky Board of Education already approved the Next Generation Science Standards this year, but they were subject to legislative review. The regulation review committee shot down the new standards 5-1 on Wednesday (September 11), following public criticism that they included teachings on evolution and climate change.
Committee co-chair Senator Ernie Harris rejected the standards, calling them inferior to Kentucky’s current standards.
“I probably got 100 comments from people around the state to find these deficient and I think I got maybe three or four in support of the regulations.” --Ernie Harris
By law, the governor can override these types of legislative decisions. Gov. Beshear says he’s disappointed in the committee’s decision and will move forward with implementation anyway.
