By Madison Flory, Science Policy Specialist, Kentucky Academy of Science
Kentucky Academy of Science opposes Amendment 2
Amendment 2 threatens to divert essential funding away from Kentucky’s public schools, a move that would disproportionately harm STEM education in rural and economically disadvantaged school districts. The Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS), representing scientists and STEM educators from across the state, opposes this amendment. A similar effort was deemed unconstitutional in 2022.
The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy estimates that the amendment could siphon off between $199 million and $1.19 billion from public schools, further deepening existing cuts to critical programs, including STEM education. The newest research from other states, including Ohio and Indiana, shows that voucher programs fail to improve academic performance and lead to declines in reading and math scores.
Private schools, concentrated in just a few urban counties, are also not bound by the same standards and regulations as public schools. This exclusionary division would leave many students without a strong STEM education, while fostering a system with little oversight and accountability.
Kentucky’s future depends on strong public education. Voting “NO” on Amendment 2 is essential to protect quality of STEM education for all students.
Sources
1. 2024 Constitutional Amendments – Secretary of State. https://www.sos.ky.gov/elections/Pages/2024-Constitutional-Amendments.aspx.
2. Court rules charter school funding unconstitutional. https://www.ksba.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=6YAIU2I&dasi=1B.
3. Owens, S. Fact Sheet: Voucher Dollars Take from the Many to Benefit the Few. Georgia Budget and Policy Institute https://gbpi.org/fact-sheet-voucher-dollars-take-from-the-many-to-benefit-the-few/ (2023).
4. Thomas, J. B., Dustin Pugel, Joanna LeFebvre, Pam. The Impact of Diverting Public Money to Private School Vouchers in Kentucky. Kentucky Center for Economic Policy https://kypolicy.org/the-impact-of-diverting-public-money-to-private-school-vouchers-in-kentucky/ (2024).
5. More findings about school vouchers and test scores, and they are still negative. Brookings https://www.brookings.edu/articles/more-findings-about-school-vouchers-and-test-scores-and-they-are-still-negative/.
6. School vouchers are not a proven strategy for improving student achievement: Studies of U.S. and international voucher programs show that the risks to school systems outweigh insignificant gains in test scores and limited gains in graduation rates. Economic Policy Institute https://www.epi.org/publication/school-vouchers-are-not-a-proven-strategy-for-improving-student-achievement/.
7. The Highly Negative Impacts of Vouchers. Center for American Progress https://www.americanprogress.org/article/highly-negative-impacts-vouchers/ (2018).
8. Statewide Committee Adopts Seven-Year Kentucky Science & Technology Plan – Kentucky NSF EPSCoR. https://kynsfepscor.uky.edu/statewide-committee-adopts-seven-year-kentucky-science-technology-plan/.
9. Grimshaw, A. Do Private School Vouchers Pose a Threat to Integration? The Century Foundation https://tcf.org/content/report/private-school-vouchers-pose-threat-integration/ (2017).
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