‘When Voters Get to Decide, Vouchers Lose’

If approved by voters in November, Amendment 2 will clear a path for voucher legislation. Voucher proponents, aware of these schemes' unpopularity, insist the amendment is not connected to any specific legislation or issue. But KEA members know better and have worked tirelessly to educate the public about the amendment's true intent. KEAand its partners came together to form Protect Our Schools Kentucky, a coalition of more than 100 education advocacy and community groups to warn the voting public about the dangers of Amendment 2.

Amendment 2 would establish "an unfettered power to write a blank check to unaccountable private institutions at the expense of our public schools," says Campbell.

With that new power, lawmakers could enact a universal voucher program similar to those in Florida and Arizona, the two largest programs in the nation. According to a report by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, a voucher law proportional to what Florida has would drain $1.19 billion annually from the Kentucky state budget-or the the cost of employing 9,869 Kentucky public school teachers and employees. Even a voucher program a mere one-sixth the size of Florida's would cost the state almost $200 million annually.

Meanwhile, in Colorado, voters in November will determine the fate of Amendment 80, which enshrines parents' "right to direct the education of their child," along with the individual "right to school choice." Proponents contend that the amendment exists only to protect Colorado's existing school choice laws and its charter schools, but the amendment defines "school choice" to include private and home schools as well as other "future innovations in education."

The Colorado Education Association (CEA)says Amendment 80 is unnecessary, duplicative, and misleading.

"Disguised as a measure seeking to protect school choice in the state constitution, which Colorado families already have, 80 takes a permanent first step towards creating a voucher system, which would use taxpayer dollars to bankroll elite private school tuition," said CEA President Kevin Vick.

"Anyone who lives in the Nebraska Panhandle, or has spent any time here, is not going to see many private schools," says Renae Noble. "School vouchers are not going to help many families in this part of the state." Most rural areas usually do not have enough students to provide the conditions to create a second school.

If the repeal effort fails, Noble says, "public money for our schools will begin to flow away from the panhandle and we'll be left out."

Evidence from states that have enacted voucher programs reveal that these voucher programs have been funneling taxpayer dollars into largely unaccountable private schools instead of supporting public schools. A recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Centerfound that voucher spending in seven states doubled every year from 2008-2019, while public school funding declined during the same period.

And overwhelmingly, school vouchers are being used by families with children already in private school,not to provide new opportunities to needy students.

During the 2023-24 school year in Indiana, the average voucher recipient came from a family making six figures. And in Arizona, 80 percent of vouchers last year went to students who were already attending private schools. Similar trends can be seen in Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, West Virginia and other states as well.

Furthermore, most private schools that participate in these programs have minimum, if any, standards of accountability and do not open their doors to all students. In addition, there is scant evidence that voucher programs produce any improvement in student academic achievement, and many have produced significant negative impacts.

"We all know what these vouchers will do to our schools, but we're battling a lot of disinformation from the other side, funded by these very wealthy national groups" says Kevin Dailey.

Dailey recently attended a school board meeting in Boone County where residents spoke out on Amendment 2. "Every single one of them was in opposition, whether it was a parent, a teacher, community member, it didn't really matter who they were. We don't want this."

In Nebraska, educators say they are cautiously optimistic that the referendum to repeal LB1402 will be successful (recent public opinion polls suggest 2 to 1 in favor of repeal) but, as the election nears, they have no intention of taking their foot off the gas.

"We know what we're up against" said Rita Bennett in Lincoln. "And we've seen what has happened in other states with vouchers. It's a dangerous road to go down. So, we're focusing on putting all the pieces together for people."

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