Written by Christy Walker
Kentuckians should vote NO to reject proposed Amendment 2. This amendment would grant legislators the unchecked power to override seven sections of the Kentucky State Constitution (59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189) to funnel public tax dollars into private schools. These legislators are seeking a blank check to disregard the established constitutional governance of Kentucky schools without providing any guidelines for exercising that authority. This raises several concerns.
They have not presented a plan for financing the expected increase in cost resulting from funding multiple schools in the same area.
They have not defined the criteria a school must meet to receive funding. With this unchecked power, legislators could fund schools that openly discriminate in enrollment or fail to meet reasonable academic standards.
They have made no provision for the 60+ percent of Kentucky counties that lack school alternatives. Rural Kentuckians would likely end up financing “choices” only available to those in more urban areas, potentially at the expense of their own public schools.
If legislators in Frankfurt genuinely want to provide school choice, they should develop clear and comprehensive legislation instead of requesting the addition of this unchecked amendment to our Constitution.
