October 21, 1996
Contact: Mark Pfeiffer
502-564-2611

Frankfort, Ky. - Governor Paul Patton today complimented and thanked members of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence for the work they have done on education reform in Kentucky but cautioned them that KERA, the Kentucky Education Reform Act, is not perfect.

"We have to always be open to change and we cannot be bound by the past, or traditions or individual perspectives" the governor said. "As involved as this group was in the development of KERA, let none of us take the attitude that it is perfect and that there are certain parts of it that are sacred and cannot be improved."

The governor met with the Prichard Committee at the Berry Hill Mansion in Frankfort. Following his opening remarks, the governor took questions from the committee members. The questions ranged from what the governor learned from the recent task force hearings he attended around the state to the parts of KERA the governor believes need some adjusting. Governor Patton cited the KERA testing program and the rewards system as the two most high profile issues that need a second look.

The governor reassured committee members that while he is currently focused on the issues of workers' compensation and postsecondary education, he has not abandoned elementary and secondary education reform.

"I'm committed to all education," the governor said, "because elementary and secondary education is the foundation we must have to build the framework of postsecondary education." All of education, the governor believes, is the key to the economic future and security of Kentucky."