KET:

KET hands out pink slips instead of trying to find other ways to make up for budget cuts

“It is a sad but unavoidable situation" — Kentucky Educational Television (KET) executive director and CEO Shae Hopkins.

On the day the organization eliminated 36 positions — handing 15 employees pink slips — this was part of an obtuse, heartless and blatantly misleading official statement released by KET.

“Unfortunately, with the loss of federal funding, there is no way around the need for significant budget reductions," Hopkins added.

Unfortunate.

Indeed.

But, unavoidable?

Unlikely.

The "leadership" at KET was well-aware of looming loss of federal support.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced in August the organization would shut down after Congress cut its funding.

KET had left 21 positions vacant in anticipation of this possibility.

And when the cuts occurred the organization's only response was to let go the hard-working employees who produce the network's award-winning programs.

KET didn't organize any fund-raising efforts (maybe another telethon), or reach out to state lawmakers for more financial support. The organization didn't even appeal to Governor Andy Beshear.

They just cut.

They eliminated 22 percent of their workforce to make up for a loss of 13 percent of their funding.

In 2024, KET had an operating budget of $28.9 million. Almost 60 percent of that financial support came from the state's general fund. In addition, 14 percent came from private donors and another 14 percent from grants and other sources.

KET received less than $4 million in federal funds last year.

The organization's "leadership" couldn't come up some creative, innovate ways to make up the difference?

Doesn't seem like they even tried.

And if they were going to make cuts, perhaps they could have started with their own salaries.

At least 10 employees at KET make more than $100,000 a year, according to the salary database at www.ky.gov

Executive Director and CEO Shae Hopkins ($205,561) and Chief Administrative Officer Elaine Crawford ($206,207) pull in more than $200,000 a year.

Here are the others:

Chief Technology Officer Tim Bischoff — $196,482

Chief of Staff Tonya Crum — $184,000

Senior Director (Education) Amy Grant — $103,489

Senior Director (Human Resources) Devetta Jackson — $127,572

Senior Director (Finance) Shanon Maggard — $144,000

Senior Director (Marketing and Communications) Todd Piccirilli — $144,766

Senior Director (External Affairs) Julie Schmidt — $169,184

Chief Content Officer Nancy Southgate — $178,000

Those 10 people's salaries account for almost $1.7 million, about six percent of KET's overall budget.

None of them — including five "Senior Directors" — will be affected financial by these cuts.

Meanwhile, expendable employees, who were making only around $50,000 a year, are left heartbroken, humiliated and hopeless.

“Even during this difficult time, KET remains as committed as ever to serving Kentuckians across the commonwealth," said Hopkins, who has worked at the public broadcasting network for 39 years — the last 15 as its leader.

Difficult for some.

Not so much for others.

Unfortunately.