Originally published in the Murray Ledger
Have you have seen some new yards signs around Murray? These signs are visually non-partisan, sporting blue, red and purple colors as they ask you to vote NO to the proposed amendment to the Kentucky Constitution.
The issue they address is also non-partisan, since damage to our public schools affects all of us – politically, economically, and socially.
So just what is the proposed Amendment 2 listed on the back of our November 5 election ballot? Here is what you will read:
To give parents choices in educational opportunities for their children, are you in favor of enabling the General Assembly to provide financial support for the education costs of students in kindergarten through 12th grade who are outside the system of common (public) schools by amending the Constitution of Kentucky as stated below?
IT IS PROPOSED THAT A NEW SECTION BE ADDED TO THE CONSTITUTION OF KENTUCKY TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools. The General Assembly may exercise this authority by law, Sections 59, 60, 171, 183, 184, 186, and 189 of this Constitution notwithstanding.
Parental choice in the education of their children is a noble aspiration. My blue-collar working parents wanted that choice for me, and sent me to attend a Catholic school, which charged tuition and was supported by the Catholic diocese in my hometown.
But this issue isn’t really about giving parents a choice; it is about who is paying for them to have such a choice. Amendment 2 would allow public tax money to be used for private, generally religious, schools.
The most important sentence in this amendment is the second sentence. It is here that the current laws supporting public schools are nullified by the word “notwithstanding.” Here is what these laws protect.
Sections 183 to 189 are the “Education section” of the Kentucky Constitution. Section 183 reads “The General Assembly shall, by appropriate legislation, provide for an efficient system of common schools throughout the State.”
Another section (184) dealing with funding, states that “stock in the Bank of Kentucky, held by the (state) Board of Education, shall be held inviolate for the purpose of sustaining the system of public schools.”
Section 186 requires that “all funds accruing to the school fund shall be used for the maintenance of the public schools of the Commonwealth, and for no other purpose.” And Section 189 (The Blaine Amendment) states quite clearly that “no portion of any fund or tax now existing, or that hereafter by raised or levied for educational purposes, shall be appropriated to, or used by, or in aid of any church.”
Those are strong words in Sections 186 and 189, and they were included when religion was an important and powerful social force in our state, one in 1953 and one in 1891. These sections do not reflect hostility to religion or Christianity but do show the high value its writers placed on public schools.
These sections reveal a strong commitment to a public school system as a way to create educated citizens, whatever their religion or lack of religion. Only educated voters could make democracy sustainable.
This need for educated citizens is apparently not important to those proposing this amendment. Private schools that would get tax money under Amendment 2 are more interested in conservative and religious development of students than they are in a truly open educational system in which students are taught critical thinking skills necessary for thoughtful voting in a democracy.
Even more serious, these private school would not be accountable for the tax money the used. Private schools, not the children’s parents, decide which students are admitted. Such schools are not subject to state regulation, and are not required to serve all students, regardless of race, social status, or disability. They can be very selective.
This is not a pretty picture. In my next column, I will look at other reasons to vote No on Amendment 2, as well as the economic consequences of using tax money on private schools.
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