First campaign ad for Kentucky school amendment hits airwaves

FRANKFORT, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Political dollars will be hard at work getting the attention of voters who haven’t yet heard about this year’s Amendment 2. The first campaign ad purchased by either side of the issue will begin airing in Kentucky on Thursday.

The ad features former Anderson County teacher Randy Adams advocating people vote “yes” on the amendment. “

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In states that have had maturing school choice programs they’re finding profound benefits in the public schools. Students have higher test scores and there’s lower suspension rates, and those benefits are really profound with low-income students,” Adams says in the 30-second ad.

FOX 56 News political analyst Jonathan Miller said the ad buy is expected at this point in the campaign.

“People really only start paying attention in the fall. Labor Day, kids are back at school, and the election is approaching,” Miller said. “Organizations that run charter schools, make money from charter schools are going to be pouring in dollars to campaigns like this on this side. And then you’ll be seeing public school teachers unions and other public education groups pouring money on the other side and I expect there to be millions of dollars spent,” he said.

And they’ll be spent by political groups with a variety of different interests. This ad was paid for by Protect Freedom PAC, a Georgia-based group affiliated with Sen. Rand Paul.

Protect Our Schools KY, a group advocating against the amendment, responded to the ad with this statement: “Out-of-state billionaires, like Jeff Yaas, who fund the Protect Freedom PAC, want to give politicians in Frankfort a blank check to divert our tax dollars to private schools. Teachers, parents, and students across Kentucky oppose Amendment 2, because it will harm our public schools and communities. Misleading ads won’t change that fact.”

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Miller said many more organized efforts are likely to get involved in the amendment fight. “This is one issue where you’re going to see a lot less organization. I think that there are different interests that are going to be allied on both sides of the issue and each running their own campaigns,” he said.

The ad makes no mention of private or religious schools, but as Miller noted other “vote yes” advocates may see those schools’ benefits as winning arguments, just as those on the “vote no” side will likely bring up “school vouchers” in their campaigning.

“The battle will be over, you know, what is best for public schools because we know in most areas of the state, most rural areas of the state, there are no private schools or very few private schools. And so, a voucher system is not very popular. So, the folks that want this constitutional amendment are going to have to make the case to those areas that it’s not going to hurt the public schools,” Miller said.

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