Don't change the constitution fo fund school choice. Keep state money in public education.
Recent passage of House Bill 2, putting the issue of public funds for private education on the ballot this November, represents a pivotal moment in the history of Kentucky’s system of common schools, and potentially the most consequential legislation in the Commonwealth since the Kentucky Educational Reform Act of 1990.
The constitutional amendment came as no surprise to those of us who have followed Kentucky’s legislature the last few years. Multiple legal defeats of previous statutory measures attempting to spend public funds outside of the common school system have affirmed what many education advocates have always known to be true: Kentucky’s constitution prevents public money from being diverted for the benefit of non-public schools.
For the record, the Kentucky School Boards Association neither came out in support or opposition of a ballot measure, favoring local decision making over state mandates. Recent KSBA member survey results tell us that approximately 30% of respondents support leaving the matter for the people to decide, even when other surveys indicate they oppose the question itself. Our membership, comprised of Kentucky’s largest group of elected officials, is diverse. At 857 school board members strong, our association rarely sees lockstep agreement on major education issues.
Funds for public schools should stay with public schools
Where we do achieve consensus is in our guiding legislative principles. Just a few of them include opposition to (re)directing public funds to K-12 schools outside the common school system, support for policies that strengthen local decision-making, full funding of all public school funding formulas, opposition to any proposal that violates federal law or the state Constitution and support for policies that better prepare our children for success at the K-12 level and beyond.
School choice hurts students. Lobbyists are leading Kentucky to educational doom.
These principles reflect what is potentially at stake should the ballot measure pass on election day. It is not singularly an issue of funding, or local control, or accountability, or equity, or efficiency or student outcomes. It’s an issue binding them all together with enormous ramifications for all Kentuckians.
Providing a system of common schools was so fundamental to our founders that it is the only activity that Kentucky’s Constitution requires the legislature to fund. In order to allow public money to be redirected to non-public schools, seven sections of the Constitution would first need to be suspended. Such significant alterations deserve careful consideration.
HB 2 still leaves many questions unanswered
HB 2 is unique among recent ballot initiatives. Because there is no companion “enabling” legislation attached to it, we are given no clues as to what the potential public funding of private education might look like. That should concern those charged with the governance and operation of our public schools. This fall, voters will consider the following question:
“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 question itself explains the legislature’s intended outcome, so our attention now turns to engaging our communities, ensuring they recognize the realities of what’s on the line before casting an informed vote. Education advocates—parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, taxpayers—must rally together to ensure voters understand the repercussions that would come with its passage. This amendment is not about “school choice,” parents already have that right. It is about giving authority to the legislature to create an undefined public funding mechanism for alternatives outside the public school system.
Kerri Schelling is Executive Director of the Kentucky School Boards Association. KSBA was established in 1936 and represents 857 school board members in 171 districts across Kentucky. As the Commonwealth’s leading advocate for public school boards, KSBA empowers local districts through superior support, service and training. For more information, visit ksba.org.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: State constitution change will take funds away from the public schools
