CITIZEN: Voting Yes on Amendment 2 is About Supporting a Principled Vision for Education Across Kentucky

Kentucky is an incredibly diverse state. From the mines of Harlan County to the quilts of Paducah and all the distilleries and horse farms in between, the Bluegrass State reflects the story of the citizens who built it from all walks of life. Each community is different, and thus the needs of individuals in one county will differ from those of another. Yet despite these differences, each person who calls the Commonwealth home plays an equally important role in its success and flourishing. These two realities—equality and diversity—make Kentuckians who they are, and if this is truly the case, our education priorities ought to reflect those realities. This is exactly what Amendment 2 seeks to do for Kentucky students.

Education and the search for truth is an essential element of the good life, and government at all levels exists to support the common good as individuals seek out the good life according to their own conscience. Consequently, the Commonwealth has not only a compelling interest, but also a moral duty, to support the education of Kentuckians. However, forcing the vast majority of families into a single system (public schools), which is not always flexible enough to allow diverse types of students to truly thrive according to their needs and abilities, fails to fulfill that mandate. Supporters of Amendment 2 seek to elevate the student over the system, the person over the paradigm, the individual over the institution.

When you as a voter receive your ballot, you will not be voting for or against a particular way of funding schools, nor will you be voting for or against a particular school choice program. Rather, you will be voting for or against a particular principle: whether the state should support the ability of each child—regardless of background—to access the type of education that works best for them, even if it is not within a public school. 

If you, like many others, believe that the state should be able to empower each child to obtain the education that works best for them, I encourage you to join me in voting to support Amendment 2 this November.

As you make your decision, consider those in your own family or those you may know who could be better served outside of the public system if they had access to needed financial resources (for instance, their own tax dollars). Despite the rampant falsehoods from its opponents, Amendment 2 is not about pulling vast numbers of children from the public system, closing down schools, cutting teacher pay, or forcing families like yours to participate in whatever program the state may decide upon in the future—if they choose to enact one at all. Instead, Amendment 2 is about allowing the state greater flexibility in working with families to ensure each child can access the education that works best for their needs regardless of their family’s financial situation.

Amendment 2 is for the single parent whose child needs greater structure and discipline than the public system can give but who is already fighting to make ends meet. Amendment 2 is for the family whose child has special educational needs that the public system is not able to properly accommodate who would be able to get that child the help they need if it were not for the many medical bills draining the family’s finances. Amendment 2 is for the family whose child is intellectually gifted, but they have no way of affording the tuition of a more rigorous school. Amendment 2 is for the family disheartened by the values on display in their local public school, but they have no way to pursue an alternative and remain financially viable. Amendment 2 is for you, too.

Whether you live in rural Lawrence County or downtown Louisville, a vote for Amendment 2 tells children across the Commonwealth, “you matter just as much as anyone else.” Without Amendment 2, students are effectively told today “the system is more valuable than you are.”

Let us be the kind of state that recognizes the importance of supporting a diverse student population with diverse options for education. Let us be the kind of people who love our neighbors by recognizing their need for greater opportunity. Let us be those who support greater success around the Bluegrass by voting in favor of Amendment 2.