Efforts to sway voters ahead of the November ballot measure both center around what advocates believe is best for students and families in the state.
Tuesday, opposition campaign Protect Our Schools KY kicked off its push in Lexington – arguing Amendment 2, which would allow state lawmakers a path to send state support toward private schools, is a recipe for weakening public schools.
Fayette School Board Chair Tyler Murphy said the amendment "paves the way for our state to begin writing blank checks to private, unaccountable organizations using our tax dollars."
The names both sides adopt for the movement toward state backing of private schools is telling. Proponents prefer “school choice” while opponents in Fayette County are nicknaming it the “voucher amendment.”
Republican Sen. Damon Thayer has said the Amendment reflects the will of voters across the political spectrum.
"A supermajority of Kentuckians across all party ideologies — Democrat, Republican, Independent — support the concept of parental school choice," he said at a post-2024 general Assembly press conference. "I think it has a very good chance to pass but I'm also not naive."
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won reelection last year with a platform that continued to stress public education.
FutureEd, an independent think tank at Georgetown University, says for now research on the impact of existing programs – like the ones Kentucky might see under Amendment 2 – is mixed and leaves more questions than answers.
One point where backers and critics agree: Amendment 2 represents the most “high stakes” decision Kentuckians have faced on the long-simmering issue.
