Budget cuts at any level of education, as well as cuts to social services, will devastate Northern Kentucky residents and stifle the forward momentum of the past 12 years. This was the overriding message sent to the Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus at a public meeting last Saturday at the Boone County Extension Center.

Eighty-one people representing educators, social service organizations, students, parents and business owners stood at the microphone and stated their case to legislators. While the focus of individual speakers varied, the connecting factor was that cuts to any area, whether education, health or social services, will ultimately affect other areas.

“Don’t make us choose between what matters – it all matters,” Dena Gassner, parent of a special needs child, told legislators. She added that legislators are trying to segregate issues such as Medicaid cuts