Officials meet in Owensboro to discuss Amendment 2

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — Many gathered inside the Owensboro Board of Education Office to hear more about a divisive issue on November’s ballot, Amendment two.

The Daviess County Public Schools and the Owensboro Public Schools Boards of Education hosted a special joint board meeting to help educate voters on the implications of the amendment.

The school boards brought in Josh Shoulta, a member of the Kentucky School Boards Association who broke down the issue.

“It’s asking Kentucky voters to decide whether to change Kentucky’s constitution to give our General Assembly new authority to direct public funds to non-public schools. So tax dollars to private schools,” said Shoulta.

After the presentation members of both boards passed the mic to give their opinions on the amendment with every single one expressing opposition.

“A lot of our rural communities are going to be hurting if we divert out funding to private schools. The private schools will take more funding from public education. And when you look at the rural communities, the public schools are the backbone for a lot of those communities,” said Daviess County Public Schools Chairmen James Morgan.

Another key issue board members had with the amendment was the vagueness of the proposal and how the money would be spent.

But Jerry Chapman with Daviess County citizens for decency sees it as competition to make public schools better.

“I think that competition breeds excellence. When public schools have to compete for those students, they’ll improve their game. They’ll do the things they need to do to keep those students. It’s a win-win for everyone,” said Chapman.

Watch the video above to learn more.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).