The proposed constitutional amendment wouldn’t have established policies for how public funds could be diverted. Instead, supporters hoped it would clear the way for lawmakers to consider crafting policies to support students attending private schools.
Voters weighed in with their verdict Tuesday in defeating the measure.
A number of school administrators and educators from urban and rural districts spoke out against the proposal, saying public schools would suffer if public funds were shifted to private school education. In many rural Kentucky counties, the public school system is among the largest employers.
Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul backed the measure along with top GOP state lawmakers. Paul said every child deserves to attend a school that helps them succeed and said the school choice initiative would help achieve that goal.
Supporters said the proposal would give low- and middle-income parents more options to choose the schools best suited for their children, without harming public education. Many parents can’t currently afford to send their kids to private schools, supporters said.
Coleman pushed back against the argument, predicting that vouchers wouldn’t fully cover private school tuition and that many families couldn’t afford the balance. Most voucher money would go to children already at private schools, she said.
The issue has been debated for years as Republicans expanded their legislative majorities in Kentucky.
The push for the constitutional amendment followed court rulings that said tax dollars must be spent on the state’s “common” schools, which courts have interpreted as public. In 2022, Kentucky’s Supreme Court struck down a GOP-backed measure to award tax credits for donations supporting private school tuition.
Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
