What Kentucky's school choice bill means for public and private school students across the state

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky school choice bill is set to become law after the Senate rejected Gov. Andy Beshear's veto.

House Bill 1 allows K-12 students to collect scholarships for private school tuition, textbooks, tutoring services, internet access and other educational needs. The money for those grants will come through donations under the Education Freedom Tax Credit.

Tammy Crowder, who taught in Jefferson County for several years, said now that she's in a rural area, student options are far more limited. She said she hopes HB 1 give all students more access to tutoring, internet and other resources they need to thrive in the classroom.

"This isn't school choice. This is student choice," Crowder said Wednesday. "... I just don't understand how this doesn't benefit students in Kentucky."

But Maddie Shepard, president of the Jefferson County Teacher Association, said the union is against HB 1.

"The dollars overwhelmingly go to private school students who are already in private schools and do not go the public school students, families or communities that need them," Shepard said.

That federal tax credit is up to $1,700 per year for people who donate. Most of that money would go to eligible students in public and private schools through scholarships. The scholarship granting organizations will be allowed to use up to 10% of the funds for administrative costs. This program will be available starting in 2027 under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

While Crowder sees HB 1 as a "bonus for all of our students," Shepard disagrees.

"We've seen across the country that that just isn't the case," she said.

Back in 2024, Kentucky voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed state lawmakers to allocate public tax dollars to support students attending private or charter schools. Critics of HB 1, including Beshear, have the same stance. They don't want more money going to private schools.

"Kentuckians have said loud and clear: Public dollars should only be used for public education," Beshear said while vetoing the bill Friday.

Shepard said it will come at the expense of Kentucky's public schools because "money is finite."

"Buses cost more than they have before," she said. "Laptops cost more than they have before. Students have more needs than they have in years prior."

But Republican lawmakers said HB 1 doesn't use state tax dollars. Supporters believe this could help Kentucky's public and private school children alike.

"It's for all of Kentucky students," Crowder said. "I don't see this as an attack on public education. I don't see this as a benefit for private schools."

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams will oversee this program, and his office will report to the U.S. Treasury about Kentucky's participation. In order to be eligible, students cannot come from a household whose income is more than 300% of the area's median income.

More than 20 other states have already opted into the Education Freedom Tax Credit, including Indiana.

The bill's passage came one month after the state's Supreme Court ruled a bill establishing public funding for charter schools was unconstitutional, affirming that state funds "are for common schools and for nothing else." The 2022 measure was enacted by the state's Republican-dominated legislature over Beshear's veto. It was struck down the next year by a lower court.

The bill was signed by Senate President Pro Tem David Givens and Speaker of the House David Osborne. It's now with the secretary of state.