DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ
david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com

Board members for both city and county schools gathered Wednesday to advocate as private citizens against Kentucky’s ballot measure Amendment 2.

The controversial amendment would enable the General Assembly to direct taxpayer dollars toward K-12 educational options outside of traditional public schools, such as vouchers for private schools – nixing seven parts of the state constitution as necessary to do so.

Each of the public representatives – overseeing either Bowling Green Independent School District or Warren County Public Schools – has previously advocated against the amendment as an individual citizen.

Many key proponents and opponents have long made their stances clear. A week from Election Day, the Wednesday reaffirmation of members’ positions, held at Fountain Square Park, was one of at least three Amendment 2 events held within three days citywide; U.S. Sen. Rand Paul advocated for the amendment at a Monday rally, and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman spoke against it at a Tuesday news conference.

The opposing sides often reference conflicting data points. Opponents largely reference the nonprofit Kentucky Center of Economic Policy, spotlighting data points such an underfunding of public schools – which serve some 90% of Kentucky’s population – and an overwhelming lack of private schools to benefit from the measure in rural communities.

“We serve everybody: We don’t pick and choose who we serve,” WCPS Board Chairman Garry Chaffin said. “We do the best that we are allowed to do with everybody that comes through our doors … We welcome it because that’s what is right, and funding public schools is what is right for Kentucky.”

Meanwhile, the amendment’s supporters frequently cite the nonprofit Bluegrass Institute, often pointing to shortcomings in educational outcomes at public schools such as fourth-grade reading.

“Our kids are not performing in Kentucky nearly as well as they need to be …,” said Richard Innes, a staff education analyst at the Bluegrass Institute, arguing that some states with school choice programs are outperforming children in Kentucky. “People try to make noise (that public schools) need more money, but they don’t produce.”

At the conference, multiple board members pointed to local context as they spoke on the amendment. (BGISD board members Lisa Allen and Frank “Hamp” Moore, who’ve each opposed the amendment, were the only two board members who couldn’t make the conference.)

Trust

For board members such as BGISD Board Chair Michael Bishop, Amendment 2 is largely a question of trust.

“I don’t really trust (the state legislature), that they will take care of us, because they really haven’t taken care of us in the past,” he said.

Despite being mandated to fund public transportation, Kentucky currently funds 68% of public transportation for WCPS, the school system’s Superintendent Rob Clayton has said. He’s also said that his district gets the inflationary equivalent of $1,300 less per student than it did in 2008.

Meanwhile, at BGISD, state funding has stayed the same for 25 years for English language learners despite the demographic growing dramatically, Fields said.

He also pointed to the district not having enough funding to raise teacher salaries to competitive levels due to underfunding; a new BGISD teacher makes $45,000, while starting salaries for firefighters and police officers here are $54,000 and $63,000, respectively; while both of the latter fully deserve it, Fields said, BGISD has been unable to raise teacher salaries enough to at least keep up with inflation.

Public school provisions

Board members also highlighted that public schools are mandated to provide services supporting students from low-income families, whereas private schools aren’t.

BGISD board member Deborah Williams pointed to the public schools’ mandate to fund school resource officers where possible and their provision of free and reduced-price lunch. Cierra Waller, her board colleague, added that many low-income and working-class families experience transportation issues not addressed by most private and charter schools.

“My taxes should go to support the public good, not private interests in any form,” Waller said. “This actually takes your choice away and puts it in the choice of legislators who will go on after this amendment is made and make that choice for you … I am very much against changing our Constitution and overriding seven sections of our constitution for a discussion that has been had in our legislative bodies for the past six or seven years, to no avail.”

Innes argued that children at private schools appear to be doing well on provisions.

“Kids seem to be getting fed in private school,” he said. “Some of them come from families with very modest incomes, but thanks to the school choice programs they have, those kids are doing a lot better.”