Whitley County voters have elected to strike down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed public tax dollars to be diverted away from public schools to be used at private schools.
In Whitley County, voters voted against the measure by a nearly 65 percent margin, with “no” receiving 9,328 votes and “yes” receiving 5,080.
As of press time, final numbers across the state are still being tabulated, though statewide totals from the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website at approximately 8:30 p.m. Tuesday showed that the measure is likely to get rejected.
The proposed amendment asked voters to allow the Constitution of Kentucky to be modified to include language that would have permitted the General Assembly to “provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common (public) schools.”
While the mechanism for how the funds would have been distributed out to private schools had not yet been formally established, opponents of the measure argued that a voucher system would have been implemented as a way to funnel those funds to the private institutions.
In Kentucky, public schools are funded using the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) program, that provides school districts with a set amount of money per student per year. Currently, that amount is $4,326, though it is set to increase by $200 in 2025.
Among the messaging of those who were advocating for the amendment was that “the money will follow the student.” For that reason, opponents claimed that those SEEK funds would likely be used in a voucher system to allow that money to be used to offset the cost of a private school tuition.
If that were to have come to fruition, local school districts could have seen a devastating blow to their operational budgets. According to a joint statement provided by the Whitley County Board of Education, a voucher system similar to that in Florida would have caused a 20 percent budget reduction for the district, equating to nearly $10,304,000 in lost funds.
Following local results Tuesday evening, John Siler, superintendent of the Whitley County School District, told the News Journal that he was pleased with the outcome and said he felt it was an important win for Kentucky’s public school systems.
“The results on Amendment 2 tells me that Kentuckians and residents of Whitley County believe and support their local public school systems,” said Siler. “Winning by such a large percentage sends a clear message to Frankfort: Stop looking for ways to create and fund a second system of schooling in Kentucky. Legislators need to continue to support our current public school systems that educate roughly 90 percent of the school age kids in Kentucky.”
Aaron Brock, a high school teacher at Williamsburg Independent School and president of the Williamsburg Education Association, also spoke with the News Journal once local results were released. Brock echoed many of the same sentiments as Siler, also noting that the results will not go unnoticed by public school districts in the area.
“I think it shows how important our public schools are to our community. They employ a good chunk of our population and do a fantastic job preparing our kids to be adults in this life,” said Brock. “I’m so thankful to live in a community that cares so strongly for its public schools. The schools will feel so loved and appreciated of this support in our community.”
