Kentucky voters will decide the fate of the school choice ballot

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky voters will deliver their verdict on a key education issue Tuesday, deciding whether state lawmakers should be able to allocate tax dollars to support students who attend private or charter schools.

Because there were no statewide elections in Kentucky this year, school choice was the most hotly debated issue of the fall campaign. Supporters on both sides aired television ads and mounted grassroots efforts to make their case in a high-stakes campaign.

Many Republican lawmakers and their allies have supported allocating state dollars for private school education, but courts have thwarted those efforts. GOP lawmakers put the issue on a statewide ballot in hopes of amending the Kentucky Constitution to remove the barrier.

The proposal would not specify rules for redirecting funds. Instead, it would allow lawmakers to consider developing such policies to support students who attend private schools.

A simple majority is needed to gain voter approval.

Supporters include Republican Sen. Rand Paul and top GOP state lawmakers. Paul said every child deserves to attend a school that will help them succeed, and he said this solution will help achieve that goal.

Opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 2, include public school groups and the state’s most prominent Democrats, Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman. They said tax dollars for education should go only to public schools.

Many school administrators and teachers in urban and rural districts warned that public schools would suffer if tax dollars were diverted to private school education. In some rural Kentucky counties, public schools are among the largest employers.

Supporters countered that opening the door to school choice funding would give low- and moderate-income parents more options to choose the school best suited for their children, without harming public education.

Coleman rejected that argument, predicting that vouchers would not fully cover private school tuition and that many families would not be able to afford the remaining amount. Most of the money from the vouchers will be used to supplement tuition for children already attending private schools, she added.

The issue has been debated for years as Republicans expanded their legislative majority in Kentucky.

The push to amend the constitution came after a court ruling that tax dollars must be spent on “common” state schools, which courts have interpreted as public. In 2022 Kentucky Supreme Court rejected a GOP-backed measure to give tax breaks for donations toward private school tuition.