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.