Community advocates
Teachers and cooperatives look out for your interests
AS TEACHERS PREPARE for a new and—God willing—normal school year, I hope they sense our commonwealth’s appreciation for their dedication to Kentucky’s children.
As highlighted in this month’s Kentucky Living, schools are not only classroom spaces; they often are community resources for the well-being of students and families. Teachers are not only instructors, but they are often advocates for the physical and mental health of their students.
I think my appreciation for the multi-dimensional role of educators springs from my experience with multi-dimensional electric cooperatives. Your local co-op is not only an electric utility, it is a member-owned community asset. Because it is led by consumers like you who understand and listen to the community, your cooperative looks out for your interests.
In Kentucky, electric co-ops represent the most vigilant consumer protection coalition anywhere. One of our key goals as not-for-profit cooperatives is to keep electricity affordable. Unlike for-profit utilities, Kentucky’s 26 local electric co-ops actively look for ways to reduce the cost of electricity to you, our consumer-members.
These concepts are often difficult to explain to government officials and special interest groups who may not understand that cooperatives operate significantly differently than other businesses. Thankfully, Kentucky Living is here to share these stories and celebrate the energy of your community.
As students return to school this year, be sure to let the teachers, administrators and support staff know how thankful you are for what they did last year and give them encouragement for the coming school year.
