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The Harlan County School Board held their regular meeting recently, covering issues including a proposed amendment to the state constitution and the possible impact the legislation could have on the district if passed.
Board Chairman Gary Farmer talked about the proposed amendment early in the meeting.
“I have to say that we can’t ask people to vote yes or no, that’s not for us to do, but I felt like we needed to cover a little bit of this because it’s really highly advertised right now,” Farmer said. “Most of it’s been advertised as giving public money to private schools.”
Farmer told the board he had recently seen a program on KET (Kentucky Educational Television) discussing the issue.
“They had an hour segment on it,” Farmer said. “They had two for it and two against, there are some points for each. But there are some things that just are not true, especially in the rural areas.”
Farmer pointed out the amendment will alter the Kentucky State Constitution in several different areas.
“The legislators have no mechanism for funding this, they’d have to come back and do that,” Farmer said. “But it would give them the right to go back and do that in different ways…they could come up with another formula.”
According to Farmer, approximately 90 percent of Kentucky children attend public schools.
“This all got started a couple of (legislative) sessions back when they tried to approve the Charter bill,” Farmer said. “The way it’s set up and the way it could happen, rural areas would struggle.”
Farmer provided some comparisons of more metro areas to Harlan County.
“Fayette County schools, for instance, have 36.6 percent of their children are at a disadvantage, Canton County is 30 percent,” Farmer said. “Harlan County, like most eastern Kentucky counties, we’re 81 percent.”
He explained the argument for the amendment is given as providing school choice.
“We do have school choice right now,” Farmer said. “All the reciprocal agreements, all that’s been done away with, you can take your child to another school district.”
Farmer said the proposed amendment would largely impact public and private schools, noting private schools are not required to meet state standards.
“There’s no accountability with private (schools),” Farmer said. “We have audits – for instance we have a yearly audit for the district – we have many audits on our different programs within the district. They (private schools) have no audits.”
Farmer stated private schools are not required to provide transportation.
“We’ve never been funded 100 percent on transportation,” Farmer said. “Finally, they have given us some more money for transportation, but it’s still not to 100 percent.”
Farmer added Harlan County is approximately 477 square miles, making transportation an issue for many.
“Most eastern Kentucky counties are far larger than that,” Farmer said. “When 81 percent of your kids are disadvantaged, there’s not going to be a lot of advantage there for rural counties.”
Farmer added legislators have not said how they would approach funding private schools.
“It gives them the right to discuss and come up with a mechanism they choose to do that,” Farmer said.
Farmer advised the board that public school employees are not allowed to discuss the amendment during work hours.
“That’s one reason why you haven’t heard much,” Farmer said. “It (amendment 2) could have a far-reaching impact for all of rural Kentucky. It most definitely will hurt eastern Kentucky.”
Farmer compared the proposed amendment’s consequences to the previous impact of coal severance funds.
“Years ago when coal was booming for many years, coal severance tax dollars were used in those areas…referred to as the golden triangle, that’d be northern Kentucky, Lexington and Louisville,” Farmer said. “When it dwindled down to virtually nothing, then they gave it back…the fear people have is that could happen with this.”