Lt. Gov. Coleman speaks out against Amendment 2 in Hebron - LINK nky (2024)

CORRECTION: The original version of this article misidentified the sections of the Kentucky Constitutions that would be affected if Amendment 2 passed. The relevant lines have been corrected–LINK nky editorial, Oct. 10, 2024

“Whether it is access, whether it’s academics or whether it’s athletics, simply put, we have to defeat Amendment 2,” said Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, “because the public schools that serve 90% of students in Kentucky deserve nothing less than the very best.”

Coleman delivered her remarks to a room full of reporters and attendees at the office of Ironworkers Local 44 in Hebron Thursday morning. The event focused on Coleman’s opposition to constitutional Amendment 2, which will appear on ballots in November. Coleman, Gov. Andy Beshear and Democrats generally are against the measure. Thursday’s speech served as a way for Coleman and other NKY Democrats to express their reasoning against it.

Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2, otherwise titled the Allow State Funding for Non-Public Education Amendment, would add language to the state’s constitution that could enable the General Assembly to provide public funding for non-public education.

If passed, the amendment would add the sentence “the General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools” to the state’s constitution, in spite of certain limits on placed on the legislature by certain sections of the constitution. The term ‘common schools’ refers to public schools.

Section 183, for instance, tasks the General Assembly with providing “an efficient system of common schools throughout the state.”

Section 186 states that all accrued school funds shall only go to the maintenance of public schools, while section 189 effectively prevents public funds or taxes from being appropriated to, used by, or in aid of any church, sectarian or denominational school.

If passed, the amendment eliminates these funding boundaries, giving the Republican supermajority in Kentucky’s General Assembly the power to change the law in future legislative sessions. It does not automatically create or enable a voucher program or fund charter schools. While changing the constitutional language won’t directly lead to any tangible change this year, it would effectively set up the legal environment to do so in the future.

The speakers expressed concerns that passing the amendment would shunt money away from public schools. They also expressed worry that certain student populations, such as English Language Learners, students with disabilities and students on IEPs, would get left behind, arguing private institutions have more leeway than public schools in selecting students.

“Make no mistake, this is a voucher program,” said Boone County High School English Teacher Kelly Read.

Lt. Gov. Coleman speaks out against Amendment 2 in Hebron - LINK nky (1)

Vouchers refer to government-issued certificates families can redeem with private schools. This moves tax funding that would typically go to a local public school into the private institutions where the family’s student goes. Although proponents of Amendment 2 deny that the amendment enables this, voucher programs have been instituted in other states, including Ohio, often in conjunction with reforms around school funding.

Coleman, Read, and other speakers expressed the fear that if a voucher program were instituted, it “would blow a hole,” as Coleman put it, in both local and state budgets, jeopardizing everything from athletic programs to special education.

“I’ve seen how our education system works in public schools, where I spent six years, and in private schools, where I spent 12 years,” said Wilanne Stangel, who’s running as a Democratic candidate in Kentucky House District 69 against incumbent Steve Doan (R-Erlanger). Stangel formerly worked as a school library specialist, and issues in education are among the reasons she decided to run, she said.

Lt. Gov. Coleman speaks out against Amendment 2 in Hebron - LINK nky (2)

“After being on the inside, I will tell you I am fundamentally opposed to Amendment 2,” Stangel said. “Public schools already struggle with limited resources. Our teachers aren’t paid enough. Many of them spend hundreds, hundreds of dollars of their own money to supplement what they need for their classrooms. Public Schools constantly have to make trade offs deciding which programs are cut, what budgets are gutted.”

When Coleman took the stage, she argued that Amendment 2 would essentially give a “blank check” to the General Assembly and was critical of what she described as the legislature’s willingness to fund private development at the expense of public schools and services around them, such as transportation.

“Every Kentucky child deserves access to a high quality education, not just the kids whose parents know how to apply for a school voucher, not just the kids without special needs, and not just the kids who aren’t on free or reduced lunch,” Coleman said. “When it comes to the people who serve our kids every day, I believe that they deserve more support and not less.”

Coleman fielded questions after her speech.

What if a family felt they had no other opportunities to secure to access a private school education?

“They’re being sold a bill of goods,” Coleman said, saying that voucher programs tended not to cover full costs of tuition in other states where they’ve been implemented.

Moreover, Coleman said, “I wholly reject that a private education is better than a public education.”

When asked if there were alternatives to Amendment 2 when it came to improving the educational system, Coleman said that publicly-funded programs needed to be expanded to give students more educational options, such as expanded vocational programs and technological instruction. She pointed to the Ignite Institute as an example. She also touted universal pre-K programs.

Kenton Hornbeck also contributed reporting to this story.

Related

Lt. Gov. Coleman speaks out against Amendment 2 in Hebron - LINK nky (2024)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Kerri Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6199

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kerri Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1992-10-31

Address: Suite 878 3699 Chantelle Roads, Colebury, NC 68599

Phone: +6111989609516

Job: Chief Farming Manager

Hobby: Mycology, Stone skipping, Dowsing, Whittling, Taxidermy, Sand art, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.