FRANKFORT, Ky. — A bill aimed at introducing charter schools in Kentucky and supplying them with state funding was vetoed Thursday by Gov. Andy Beshear, who said it would divert money from traditional public schools.


What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday vetoed House Bill 9

  • The measure was aimed at introducing and expanding charter schools in Kentucky

  • Lawmakers will have a chance to override the veto when they reconvene next week for the final two days of this year’s session, though it only received a slim majority in the Republican-dominated House

  • House Bill 9 also would have required that at least two charter schools be created under pilot projects — one in west Louisville and one in northern Kentucky

The governor’s rejection of the measure sets up a policy showdown with the Republican-dominated legislature. Lawmakers will have a chance to override the veto when they reconvene next week for the final two days of this year’s session.

Beshear used his weekly news conference to fulfill his pledge to veto the bill, which cleared both chambers with narrow veto-proof majorities.

“I’m against charter schools,” he said during Thursday's Team Kentucky update. “They are wrong for our commonwealth. They take taxpayer dollars away from the already-underfunded public schools in the commonwealth.”

He also blasted Republicans for pushing the bill while also refusing to include raises for public school teachers in the state budget.

The legislature authorized charter schools in 2017. None have been created in Kentucky because lawmakers didn’t provide a permanent funding mechanism.

The measure Beshear vetoed would have set up a long-term funding method for charter schools. Public charters, like traditional public schools, would have received a mix of local and state tax support.

House Bill 9 also would have required that at least two charter schools be created under pilot projects — one in west Louisville and one in northern Kentucky.

It faced controversy before its passage, as Teacher’s union KY 120 United-AFT filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Kim Banta (R-Fort Mitchell) before the veto break, saying she should have recused herself instead of voting for the bill because her husband works for a company that is trying to build a potential charter school in Northern Kentucky.

The bill’s backers said charters would give parents more choices for their children’s schooling.