KY Education Commissioner explains opposition to 'school choice' Constitutional amendment

A few days after the Kentucky Board of Education voted unanimously to oppose Amendment 2, the state’s Commissioner of Education said he’ll vote “no.” The amendment would alter the state Constitution to allow tax dollars to be used for private schools. Robbie Fletcher said one of his concerns is funding – that if even 10 percent of students move to private schools, it’s going to require extra dollars from the General Assembly.

“Does that mean taxes will be raised? Does that mean that the pot, the current pot, if you will, the current budget – does that mean that it'll be spread out across to include the other potentially 10 percent of students?”

Fletcher said Amendment 2 also doesn’t spell out the rules for private schools using tax dollars.

“If you're going to accept public dollars, will they be held to the same standards? And it doesn't have to be accountability. It could also be, you know, credentials of teachers, the certifications of teachers, will they have those same type of standards that we live by?”

Fletcher said his third concern about Amendment 2 is whether its implementation would require private schools receiving tax dollars to accept all applicants, as public schools do.

WEKU reached out to the Republican Party of Kentucky, which is pushing the amendment, and didn’t receive a reply.