What a school choice constitutional amendment will - and won't - do

With the Kentucky General Assembly expected to approve a constitutional amendment removing legal barriers to Kentucky families having the same kind of educational opportunities available in a majority of other states, prepare for a campaign of misinformation and fearmongering, the likes of which has rarely been seen in the commonwealth.

On his monthly segment on the Box 2 Radio Show’s morning show earlier today, Bluegrass Institute President Jim Waters talked about what will NOT happen with passage of a school choice amendment, which may be as important to myth-busting efforts as demonstrating what will happen.

First, Jim notes here – in response to a great question by co-host Jason Miller – that bringing educational freedom to Kentucky makes it likely that children from our most-disadvantaged families will get the opportunity for a stellar education.

A solid majority of the 3.8 million students in America’s charter schools are students of color. And, “charters have also consistently served a higher percentage of students who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) from the 2005-06 to 2021-22 school years,” the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reports.

“According to the most recently available data (2021-22 school year), 70.7% of charter school students, versus 53.8% of district school students, were students of color,” the alliance found.

Second, first things first.

A constitutional amendment on November’s ballot like this one proposed by Rep. Josh Calloway, R-Irvington, or this version by Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, will not determine – and certainly won’t mandate – any particular type of school choice policy for Kentucky. Instead, approving an amendment will remove all legal hurdles blocking the passage and successful implementation of choice legislation, as Jim explains here. It will be up to legislators to debate and decide Kentucky’s education-choice policies during future legislative sessions.

Again, though, first things first. Education freedom for parents will not come to Kentucky until, and unless, legislators agree to put the issue on the ballot and voters support it!

Listen here for the full half-hour show, which includes an update on a few other bills being considered during the 2024 legislative session.