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With the general election coming up, many are interested in a proposed amendment to the Kentucky State Constitution which will be on the ballot. Kentucky House Bill 2, sometimes referred to as the “school choice” amendment, is set to go before the voters in the upcoming election. The Harlan County Chamber of Commerce heard some remarks concerning the amendment from a few concerned citizens during a recent meeting.
According to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website at https://www.sos.ky.gov, the amendment states “the General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189​ of this Constitution notwithstanding.”
The unofficial text of Kentucky House Bill 2 may be found at https://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/Documents/HB2_GA.pdf.
Concerned citizen Jeniffer Brock was among those who spoke at the Chamber meeting about some concerns regarding the possible impact of Amendment 2 should the item pass.
“My children have attended public school,” Brock said. “It means so very much to us, and I really want to get the word out about Amendment 2 – if passed – and what kind of effect it will have on our public schools.”
Another person in attendance noted that while there are no certified private schools in Harlan County, the school districts in Harlan County would still lose funding to private schools.
According to the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy’s website, at https://kypolicy.org, should Amendment 2 pass, the Harlan County Public Schools District could lose approximately $9.4 million in funding, have a reduced budget of 19 percent and 82 education jobs. The Harlan Independent School District could lose $1.8 million in funding, face a budget reduction of 20 percent and a loss of 19 education jobs. The average income of a family with children in private school is approximately $148,000 per year.
“Some of the other states that have allowed this have shown that 70 to 90 percent of the vouchers go to families that already have children in private schools,” Brock said. “So, it’s not opening up the doors for other students to come in, it’s providing funding students who are already (in private schools).”
She pointed out private schools are not held accountable to the same state standards as a public school in areas such as curriculum and special education.
“Pulling funding out of our community to support what they refer to as school choice is going to hurt us,” Brock said.
Brock added 52 percent of all private schools in Kentucky are located in only three counties.
“Nearly half of Kentucky counties do not have private schools,” Brock said. “What school choice advocates are putting out is that it will increase education funding, but it only increases that funding for the private schools.”
For more information, go to https://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/Pages/2024-Constitutional-Amendments.aspx.