LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — With just three weeks remaining until Election Day, Governor Andy Beshear joined education leaders at Consolidated Baptist Church in Lexington to speak out in opposition of Amendment 2 on the ballot this November.
“I’m here today to ask all of the voters in Kentucky to vote ‘no’ on Amendment 2,” says Beshear.
Amendment 2 is a measure that affects school funding. If passed, the state constitution would be changed to include this text: “The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools.”
Currently, taxpayer dollars can only go to “common” schools, which are public schools. But the proposed change would allow state lawmakers to allocate public funds to private schools, if they choose to do so.
“It’s very simple,” says Beshear. “Amendment 2 would allow Frankfort politicians to take taxpayer money away from public schools and send it to unaccountable private schools. Let me tell you, the people of Kentucky do not want that and when they are educated on what this amendment will actually do, they’ll vote against it as many times as you let them.”
While Beshear says school districts will be de-funded through Amendment 2, Republican senator Rand Paul calls the amendment a modern-day “civil rights issue” and says it must be passed.
A campaign ad currently hitting airwaves featuring Paul and his wife, Kelley, says while their children were blessed to receive a great education at one of Kentucky’s outstanding public high schools, that’s “not the case” for many Kentucky kids.
“In states with school choice, not only have math and reading scores improved, but teachers’ salaries have increased as well,” the ad goes on to say.
Meanwhile, Beshear says that’s not the case.
“Again, that fails math and subtraction,” claims Beshear. “If our public schools have a certain amount right now that isn’t enough for the teacher raises that we try to mandate, and you take some of that money away, you have less and we’ll see fewer raises and it’ll be that much harder on the schools.”
Beshear went on to call Amendment 2 another failed attempt from the Republican-led supermajority to push their agenda through this November.
“About three sessions ago they tried to pass the charter school bill and the charter school funding, and they were told the constitution prevents them from doing so,” says Beshear. “Then they tried to pass a tax credit that could go to private schools, but they were told the constitution didn’t allow them to do it. So what are they trying to do now? They’re trying to change the constitution. And it doesn’t take much to figure out why. It’s so they can pass those bills, de-fund public education and send those dollars to private schools. These are things that we all know.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
