LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Amendment 2 will be on the ballot this November, which would amend Kentucky’s constitution to allow for lawmakers to pass school choice legislation. It would add a new section to allow the state to fund the education of K-12 students who don’t attend traditional public schools. A school choice program that could be considered is a private school voucher program.
The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy issued a report about the impact those vouchers could have on the state.
States like Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Arizona have voucher programs. A private school voucher program in Kentucky could cost the state somewhere between $200 million to over $1 billion depending on the size of the program, according to the report. A Florida-style voucher program could cost Kentucky $1.19 billion annually.
“They shift dollars away from struggling rural areas and from public schools that are open to all students to wealthier, metro neighborhoods,” said Jason Bailey, the executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
However, Jim Waters, the president of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, who supports Amendment 2, says the report is “speculative, and it’s incomplete.”
Carter County Schools’ superintendent Paul Green has concerns about the possibility of a voucher program being implemented in Kentucky, particularly for districts like his in rural areas.
“If you allow funding to go to vouchers and private schools, that will cost money,” Green said. “O.K., that’s going to cost money. It’s going to cost money from the state government. The state then is going to have to decide how they’re going to pay for that. They’re either going to have to pay for that through tax increases or the reduction of current funds.”
In response to those who say that this would divert funds from public schools, Waters says, “Those dollars don’t belong to the schools. They don’t belong to the system. They belong to taxpayers, and I believe we have a right to see a better return on our investment.”
The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was enacted in 1990, which resulted in sweeping reforms to the state’s educational system.
In 1990, Kentucky ranked 48th on the Index of Educational Progress, according to a report by the Kentucky Chamber. By 2011, the state moved up to 33rd, an improvement that was more than most states.
The total K-12 per pupil funding from 1990 to 2022 increased by 122% because of KERA, a figure that was adjusted for inflation, according to a 2024 report by the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions. In that same report, it analyzes Kentucky Summative Assessment test scores for reading and math. More than half of students did not meet proficiency scores in 4th and 8th grade tests in 2022.
“We need to be focused on increasing public funding and increase public education funding that allows for us to offer everything we need to do to service all kids,” Green said.
The report also found that approximately 70% of vouchers in other states go to students who are already in private school.
While Waters says many parents who send their kids to private schools are stretching their money to make that happen, he also says there are ways to deal with the concern of vouchers going to private school students.
“The legislation, for example, could put income limits on qualifying students so, you know, if there’s a concern about the wealthy using these programs, wealthy people who don’t really need it, then when you put the program together, you can address all of those issues,” Waters said.
The voucher program is one of many school choice programs that could be considered during next year’s legislative session if Amendment 2 passes in November. It could also clear a path for charter schools to open after years of back and forth on this.