Throughout Kentucky, typical election fanfare decorates street corners and driveways, pledging support to candidates. But, this election cycle, a new sign joins their ranks: “Vote No on Amendment 2.”
Amendment 2, often referred to as the “Voucher Amendment,” is a proposed constitutional amendment that will appear on Kentucky ballots during the 2024 election. It asks voters if they are 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” in order to “give parents choices in educational opportunities for their children.”
The wording of the amendment is meant to train voters to focus on the idea of having a choice for their children. What concerned parent doesn’t want to provide the best educational support and opportunity to their child?
But, what does support of Amendment 2 really mean?
A “yes” vote for Amendment 2 enables the Kentucky General Assembly to provide state funding to students outside of public school systems. Support for the amendment is rooted in the allure of more parent and school choice and perceived freedom surrounding the allocation of school funding. The passage of Amendment 2 would not automatically fund private schools or create a voucher system in Kentucky, but the wording in the ballot question would enable state lawmakers to change Kentucky’s constitution in the 2025 legislative session. The change could also allow lawmakers to pass additional legislation to use public tax dollars for other education initiatives beyond funding for private or charter schools.
Conversely, a “no” vote opposes amending the constitution and will continue to prohibit the General Assembly from providing state funding to non-public schools. Amendment 2 has been strongly opposed by Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, who has taken to social media to express his opinion that public dollars should be reserved for public schools. But the loudest opposition to Amendment 2 comes from a voice commonly unheard by the masses: public school employees. Guier Millikan, a Kentucky public school educator with 19 years of experience, explained to me why she will vote “no” on November 5th. “One of the biggest concerns to me is that schools already struggle with funding; public schools are already trying to make it work when what they have isn’t enough. If that funding is further cut, a really hard job is going to get substantially harder,” she said.
Over 600,000 students attend almost 1500 public schools across Kentucky. Under the most recent state budget, each public school will receive $4,586 per student next year. Those who oppose the amendment claim that if public schools lose students to publicly funded charter or private schools, they also lose their per-pupil funding, which would leave an already struggling education system (Kentucky ranks #34 in education across the nation) flailing as support is pulled out from under them. Just as the streets have been flooded with signs calling for opposition to Amendment 2, public school teachers and faculty alike have taken to social media to voice their opposition to an amendment that would affect their, and their students’, daily lives. Teachers are calling for voters to recognize that funding for private schools should stay private, and that public money should benefit public schools, who work to serve all Kentuckians.