LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A proposed constitutional amendment in Kentucky will appear on ballots in November, raising debates over public tax dollars for private schools.
The Amendment 2 would allow lawmakers to direct public funds to private schools, potentially paving the way for charter school funding and voucher programs. The debate between supporters and critics has gotten contentious.
Nicholas Spencer, Director of Policy at The Family Foundation, supports the amendment.
"We want children to access the highest quality of education that works best for their particular needs." Spencer believes Amendment 2 would encourage public schools to improve, "If you don't want to lose students, you need to make things right."
But opponents like Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacquelyn Coleman, who has traveled to many parts of the state to argue against the measure, emphasized the importance of funding public schools, which she said serve 90% of Kentucky's students. She spoke in Louisville Monday morning.
"We have to defeat Amendment 2 because Kentucky's public schools deserve nothing but the very best," Coleman said.
If passed, the amendment would allow the state legislature to decide whether to implement programs like charter school funding or private school vouchers, without automatically creating them.
"We believe that every child deserves access to a high quality education, not just the kids whose parents can figure out how to navigate a voucher system, not just the kids without special needs and not just the kids who aren't on free and reduced lunch," Coleman explains.
The passage of the amendment wouldn't automatically fund charter schools or a voucher system. It would however leave that decision up to lawmakers.
"Public dollars are not just for public institutions. Public dollars are for the public good," Spencer explained. "Amendment 2 simply allows the General Assembly to get in the game, decide what the best course of action is, and then move forward."
Coleman and other critics believe it would divert much-needed resources from public schools.
"We don't have the resources to fund two separate systems of education," Coleman said, adding that public funds should stay in public schools. Spencer, however, argued that "public dollars are for the public good," and not restricted solely to public institutions.
Voters will have the final say on November 5.
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