Past efforts that were meant to expand school choice options were foiled by legal challenges, prompting the push to amend the state constitution.
The push for the constitutional amendment follows court rulings that said tax dollars must be spent on the state’s ‘common’ schools — a reference to public schools — and cannot be diverted to charter or private institutions.
When Democratic state Rep. Tina Bojanowski raised the prospect that it would lead to school vouchers, she was instructed by Osborne to confine her comments to the bill being debated.
While a prominent Republican supporter promoted school choice, the president of the Kentucky Education Association denounced the proposal as a threat to public education.
School choice advocates are pledging to mount an effort next year to put a school choice constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot for voters to decide.
‘Sorry if me or anyone in my party has ever given you the impression that we don’t appreciate you or that we don’t respect you.’
Public school advocates are celebrating a win.
