Kentucky Newsmakers 9/24: Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Executive Director Jason Bailey; Addiction Recovery Center Senior Director Jason Merrick

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - On the latest edition of Kentucky Newsmakers, WKYT’s Bill Bryant talks with the Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Jason Bailey and the Senior Director of Addiction Recovery Center, Jason Merrick.

A new study shows Kentucky public schools are ‘more poorly’ funded now than in the late 1980s when the state supreme court ruled the system unconstitutional and ordered the legislature to create a new one.

That required bold actions by lawmakers, including raising taxes and setting up a new system to govern schools.

Jason Bailey is the founder and executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy and is a frequent speaker on the challenges the commonwealth faces.

September is National Recovery Month, and there are some glimmers of hope out there, but Kentucky is still losing the equivalent of a small town a year to opioid overdose.

Narcan is now available over the counter, and Kentucky is getting $478 million in opioid settlement money, with half going to the state and half going to the state.

For those trapped in addiction, treatment is key and ARC runs recovery centers across the Commonwealth.

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