Mercedes Schneider reports good news: The Republican-controlled legislature in Kentucky overrode the Republican Governor’s veto of a bill to raise taxes to pay more for education.

There is a lesson to be learned in this vote: Republicans represent districts, especially rural districts, where the local public schools are the heart of the community. They don’t want to divert money to charter schools. They don’t want to lose their teachers. As we have seen in Texas, where rural Republicans have been the bulwark against vouchers, education is, can be a bipartisan issue. In almost every state, 90% of the children are in public schools, and parents love their local schools. When Republican legislators hear from their constituents, they usually respond. The Koch brothers and the DeVos family don’t own everyone.

She writes:

Public school teachers aren’t greedy people. We aren’t career ladder-climbers gauging “arrival” by our numerous vacation homes and yacht club memberships. But we would like salaries that do not necessitate side employment; safe, clean, and sufficiently-spacious facilities for ourselves and our students, and teaching materials of adequate number and appreciable quality.

In short, we want our state legislatures– red or not– to support us with suitable revenue dedicated to public education.

Attempting to deliver on that might even require Republican legislatures to override vetoes of Republican governors.

Well done, Kentucky!