FRANKFORT, Ky. — Election Day is a little more than 20 days away, and Kentuckians will have a say in changing the state's constitution.

Constitutional Amendment 2 seeks to allow the General Assembly to use public tax dollars to finance K-12 schools outside of public-school systems.

What You Need To Know

  • Amendment 2 seeks to allow the General Assembly to use public tax dollars to finance K-12 schools outside of public-school systems

  • The Kentucky Student Voice Team used a school bus to campaign their beliefs about Amendment 2

  • The students said the amendment would take public dollars away from public schools

  • Supporters of the amendment said the amendment will give families more choices when it comes to schools

The Kentucky Student Voice Team used a school bus to campaign their beliefs about Amendment 2.

“It's been amazing, just seeing the energy and seeing the diversity of people that are showing up,” said Khoa Ta, Kentucky Student Voice Team policy coordinator. 

Ta, a junior at Owensboro High School, said the amendment will take public dollars away from public schools and impact student participation in extracurricular activities.

“For me, that would have never occurred without being in a public school,” Ta said.

High school and college students on the Kentucky Student Voice Team said the amendment would create a voucher style program. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy report on the amendment said vouchers could result in a cut in school budgets and personnel.

“We, as students, spend eight hours a day in our schools," said Peter Jefferson, Kentucky Student Voice Team voucher campaign coordinator. "We're acutely aware of what a decrease in education funding would mean for us." 

Majority Floor Leader State Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said the amendment is about giving parents more choice and not taking away resources.

“We're still required to fund those public schools," Thayer said. "This amendment would just give future legislatures the option of enacting programs like a scholarship tax credit program, which would give low-income working families the ability to send their child to a parochial or private school." 

Ta said even with vouchers, private schools would not be option for him because he said vouchers alone would not cover the cost of private school.

“My family doesn't have enough money to necessarily afford a private school, so that ultimately was never an option for me,” Ta said.

Their bus tour made spots in Lexington, Frankfort and Louisville.

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