Guest Editorial
VOTE NO on Amendment 2 Urges Kentucky’s School Leaders
By Dr. Rhonda Caldwell, Chief Executive Officer, Kentucky Association of School Administrators
Between now and Election Day November 5, our airwaves are filled with political messages. Whether you are a highly engaged voter or one who votes only when it matters to you, this election is dangerous for our society when considering Constitutional Amendment 2.
The amendment reads “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.”
Those in favor of the amendment say it’s about “school choice.” Make no mistake, it is NOT about giving us more choices for our children’s education.
In fact, proponents of this amendment have stated this is not about any specific policy or program. And for now, they are right.
When proponents of Amendment 2 ask for our yes vote, they are asking us to give our Kentucky legislators unfettered, unchecked, and overreaching power to override seven sections of our State Constitution when they please. Specifically, they want us to trust them to take our public dollars and use them to bolster private enterprises that do not need the money.
They are doing this, because they have no other option – every “choice” school privatization measures moved through the legislature, by very narrow margins, has been found unconstitutional by the Kentucky Supreme Court. That means the courts found these policies violate our Constitutional rights.
It is puzzling to understand why legislators chose to present the ballot in this manner. Why not simply ask if we support use of our tax dollars to fund private schools? Sections 171 and 184 referenced above already grant the legislature permission to do this if taxpayers vote yes. Instead, we are being asked to allow them to ignore our Constitution.
As Kentuckians we should vote to defend our Constitutional rights by voting NO to Amendment 2. We have a right to a free, appropriate public education – as do all the children we pay taxes to support. We have a right to believe our hard-earned tax dollars do not subsidize private school tuition for wealthy families in big cities. We have a right to expect our elected leaders to govern within the rights afforded to us by our Constitution.
In other states where lawmakers were given this power, they relentlessly passed school choice measure after measure. Their educational outcomes have not seen any landmark improvements, and if they had, we would be the first to advocate for change.
In Arizona, lawmakers entrusted with this power have overspent to the tune of $1.3 billion and are now facing possible bankruptcy because of the school choice program they enacted. In states across the country, charter schools have closed overnight, leaving families with no options but to find another school with no notice. In states that have passed school voucher programs, 70 percent of vouchers were used by families with students already attending and paying for private school.
We have a lot of needs in Kentucky, but we don’t need welfare for the wealthy.
Preserve our constitutional rights. Vote NO on Amendment 2 November 5.
