As another school year begins, the familiar rhythms return. Early mornings, packed lunches, new backpacks, and the hopeful anticipation of what lies ahead. For many families across Kentucky, this time of year brings a fresh start for students, parents, and educators alike.
Back-to-school season invites us to reflect on what education truly means for our communities. Beyond academic achievement, it represents opportunity, connection, and a shared investment in the future. While test scores and graduation rates offer one lens, they don’t capture the full picture of what it takes to support and nurture a child. That’s something I carry with me both as a legislator and as a mother.
In recent years, Kentucky has taken important steps to strengthen that support. We’ve prioritized early literacy with targeted investments and evidence-based strategies. We’ve improved school safety by equipping districts with more resources and flexibility. We’ve opened new doors through career and technical pathways, and we’ve worked to make postsecondary education more affordable and accessible, especially for students who are the first in their families to attend college or pursue a trade.
These are signs of real progress, made possible by educators who show up every day, by parents and guardians who advocate for their children, and by local and state leaders who understand that policy must serve people, not just systems.
We also know there’s more to do. Concerns about assessment, instruction time, and long-term outcomes remain front of the mind of families and teachers. The road from policy to progress isn’t always linear. In a field as complex and personal as education, there are no shortcuts, only a commitment to listen, learn, and keep moving forward together.
That commitment is what guides my work in the Senate. It’s why I believe in supporting our schools not just with funding, but with flexibility, and why I believe in measuring success not only by the numbers, but by the lives changed. I see the value of building bridges between health, education, and family well-being, because kids don’t grow up in silos, and our support systems shouldn’t operate in them either.
As the school year unfolds, I hope we’ll all remember what an incredible gift education is, not just the learning that happens in classrooms, but the relationship, the routines, and the quiet moments of growth that shape a child’s sense of self and possibility.
To Kentucky’s educators: thank you for your perseverance, your passion, and your deep belief in every student’s potential.
To parents and caregivers: thank you for your trust, your advocacy, and your partnership. To the students heading back this fall, whether you’re starting kindergarten or your senior year, I hope you feel supported, challenged, and inspired to become exactly who you’re meant to be.
Here’s to a safe, joyful, and fulfilling school year for all. Let’s keep learning and growing together.
Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, represents the 24th Senate District, including Bracken, Campbell, and Pendleton counties and part of Kenton County