FRANKFORT, Ky. — House Speaker David Osborne said in a statement that Gov. Andy Beshear's plan to shift funds from workforce training programs to launch pre-K pilot programs represents a troubling approach to state spending that lacks long-term planning.

Beshear announced Thursday that he would use an executive order to establish universal pre-kindergarten pilots in Rockcastle and Robertson counties after the Republican-controlled legislature declined to fund the program in its April budget. The governor said his administration would redirect funding "from some workforce programs that we did not believe were maximizing outcomes" to operate the full-day preschool initiatives for the 2026-2027 school year.

"This proposal represents a significant and far-reaching policy shift — one that deserves careful consideration, meaningful collaboration with the legislature, and a long-term strategy," Osborne said in a release from the House Majority Caucus. "Major commitments of taxpayer dollars should not be made by robbing one program to create another or without a plan for what happens when funding is exhausted."

Osborne also referenced ongoing issues within existing state services. "At a time when vulnerable children are sleeping on office floors and going without resources and services required under state law, Kentuckians are right to question if the governor understands his role in state government," he said.

The speaker's criticism underscores a broader divide over education spending priorities. Beshear has championed universal pre-K as a way to improve kindergarten readiness and enable more parents to enter the workforce. He argued lawmakers were treating education as a "partisan issue" despite what he characterized as strong bipartisan support from businesses and communities.

Beshear's push for pre-K funding has encountered consistent resistance from GOP lawmakers. Rep. Kim Banta, chair of the House education funding subcommittee, expressed concern that the expansion could harm existing private child care providers and create long-term obligations the state cannot sustain.

However, Osborne also acknowledged the legislature's flexibility on spending priorities. "At the same time, today's news reinforces what many of us argued throughout the budget process: there is meaningful flexibility within existing state spending," he said, noting the administration's willingness to pursue new initiatives demonstrates the budget reductions passed by lawmakers were justified.

The pilot programs in the two counties represent a smaller-scale approach than Beshear's broader pre-K expansion request of $50 million over two years. Both Rockcastle and Robertson county school superintendents expressed support for the initiative, citing severe childcare shortages in their rural communities.