Proponents of school choice react to amendment going on November ballot

The item will appear on the November Ballot for voters to decide

(Story Courtesy of Kentucky Today) 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Proponents of House Bill 2 reacted with praise after the Senate cleared the path for school choice to be put on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment.

The Senate vote was 27-8 after the House passed the measure 66-31 earlier this week.

“Putting a school choice amendment on the ballot is another great step in the General Assembly’s ongoing work to support every Kentucky child, whether they need public or nonpublic learning,” said Moe Lundrigan, president of EdChoice Kentucky.

“Putting a school choice amendment on the ballot is another great step in the General Assembly’s ongoing work to support every Kentucky child, whether they need public or nonpublic learning,” he said.

“Thank you to members of the Kentucky General Assembly for prioritizing giving all students great opportunities to learn no matter their background.”

The Family Foundation also applauded the Senate’s action that it says gives more educational choices for Kentucky families.

“Education always works best when parents are empowered with educational choices for their children. I am thankful that the General Assembly is looking to move Kentucky forward by providing families greater freedom to choose the best education for their children,” said David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation.

“States all across the nation are allowing for diverse educational choices, including popular school choice programs, that are benefiting students and families in public schools, private schools, and in homeschools. Kentucky must not be left behind. We look forward to Kentucky voters having the opportunity to vote for more educational choices that will benefit every Kentucky student.”

Due to a problematic Kentucky Supreme Court decision restricting educational options for families, a school choice constitutional amendment must be passed to ensure Kentucky families have the full educational opportunities they need to meet the needs of their children, Walls said.

More than 30 states have educational choice programs, and Kentucky is the only state in the region without an active school choice program.

One major opponent to the bill is Gov. Andy Beshear, who vowed to campaign against it should the amendment be on the November ballot.

“I think Kentuckians will overwhelmingly vote against public dollars going to private schools. Private schools are fine, but they are a choice,” Beshear said at his Thursday press conference. “You know, the way to fix public education is to fix public education, is to ensure we’re providing the funding that it needs, and if you look at these (Republican) budgets, they’re not making the increases in public education that are necessary to make those fixes.”

The push for the constitutional amendment follows court rulings that said tax dollars must be spent on the state’s “common” schools — a reference to public schools — and cannot be diverted to charter or private institutions.

Friday's debate in the Senate set the tone for the coming campaign.

Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, in supporting the bill, said some of the biggest beneficiaries of school choice would be minority parents whose children are “trapped in bad schools.”

“The people of the commonwealth deserve to have the chance to open up more opportunities for low-income and middle-class families who are looking for different options for their kids,” Thayer said. “Ninety-five to 98% of kids are still going to go to traditional public schools. And this General Assembly will continue to keep throwing more and more money at” public education.

The ballot question in HB 2 would read:

“To give parents choices in educational opportunities for their children, are you in favor of enabling the General Assembly to provide financial support for the education costs of students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are outside the system of common (public) schools by amending the Constitution of Kentucky as stated below? “The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189 of this Constitution notwithstanding.”