Say NO to School Vouchers; Vote NO on Constitutional Amendment 2

On Election Day, Kentucky voters will be asked to consider proposed Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2, which states:

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?

IT IS PROPOSED THAT A NEW SECTION BE ADDED TO THE CONSTITUTION OF
KENTUCKY TO READ AS FOLLOWS:

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.

“Nothwithstanding” is the word they slip in last because it means “in spite of.” If Amendment 2 is approved by the voters, the General Assembly will have permission to funnel public money to voucher programs “in spite of” the fact that seven sections of the Kentucky Constitution prohibit that very thing. Not only is giving the legislature that power clearly dangerous for Kentucky’s public schools, it’s also dangerous for democracy. If Amendment 2 passes, it will allow the legislature to fund public schools – or not.  It will allow them to fund voucher programs—or not. In fact, they refused to say what policies they intend to implement if the amendment passes. One thing is certain, though:  if Amendment 2 passes, the legislature will be able to set education funding policy for Kentucky without having to answer to the people or to the courts.

90% of Kentucky’s Students Will Pay the Price if Amendment 2 Passes

Ninety percent of Kentucky’s school age students—more than 653,000 of them—attend Kentucky’s public schools. If Amendment 2 passes, they will all suffer significant declines in school funding, further limiting resources and worsening the already critical teacher shortage.

According to a recent study by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Kentucky public schools stand to lose $1.9 billion annually from the state budget if Amendment 2 is passed and the legislature implements a school voucher program similar to Florida’s. In fact, if Amendment 2 passes, every public school district in Kentucky will see its budget shrink. Not only will that mean cuts to necessary instructional and after-school programs, it will also result in nearly ten thousand public teaching and education support jobs being slashed statewide.

Kentucky’s rural communities will suffer most if Amendment 2 passes. As school districts statewide lose funding to voucher programs, the local economy in rural areas will be doubly affected since the school district itself is often the largest employer in the community. Some districts could be forced to close local schools or even merge with neighboring school districts. In Carlisle County in western Kentucky, for example, the school district budget would drop by $1.8 million (17%) and will cost the district 19 education jobs in their three schools. In Martin County in the east, the school district budget would drop by $4.4 million (17%) and cost 40 educators their jobs across five schools.

Larger counties like Fayette stand to lose $50-plus million in funding and nearly 300 educator jobs. Suburban counties like Kenton and Boone in northern Kentucky stand to lose $20.5 million and 152 jobs, and $25.2 million and 206 jobs, respectively. The KY Policy report breaks the statistics down by school district. Find out how much funding your school district stands to lose in funding and school staff here.

Kentucky is already facing a serious teacher shortage. That problem will only get worse when public school budgets are slashed to pay for private school vouchers. More than 60 percent of Kentucky public educators polled indicated they are more likely to retire or leave education earlier than they originally planned. Some 38% said they were much more likely to do so. Gutting public school budgets will only make that problem worse.

Educators, Use Your Voice!

It is imperative that educators work together to defeat proposed Amendment 2.

Educators are trusted resources within our communities. Our voices make a difference to parents, neighbors, friends, and family. Using our voices to speak out about the potentially devastating effects Amendment 2 will have on our public schools is absolutely vital. Boone County High School teacher and KEA member Kelly Read recently published this story in his local newspaper about why he is voting NO on Amendment 2. As an educator, when you are talking to someone in the community who cares about their public schools, ask them to VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 2!

Get Involved and Tell Others How They Can Help

To get involved and to learn more about protecting our Kentucky schools against this devastating ballot amendment, visit Protect Our Schools Kentucky. This site is a one-stop shop to find resources to educate yourself and others on protecting public education and access a grassroots toolkit. You can sign the pledge to vote NO on 2, donate to the effort to fight Amendment 2, and sign up to become a digital organizer, join a phone bank or canvass, or volunteer to put up a yard sign.

The smallest action can have significant results. Your voice matters. Your vote matters. Do whatever you can, whenever you can, to help defeat proposed Amendment 2!