SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Amendment 2, the state’s school choice ballot measure, didn’t stand a chance as voters demonstrated as Election Day results began to pour in on Tuesday night.
“The people of Kentucky proved they are free thinkers. They knew it wasn't a partisan issue but that it affected all of Kentucky’s children,” said Scott County school district superintendent, Billy Parker.
Parker said Amendment 2, which if passed would’ve given state legislators the right to amend the constitution to siphon public tax dollars and direct those to private schools, was the single biggest issue of this career. Similarly loud, deep sighs of relief could be heard from Fayette County school headquarters as well.
“I’m thankful to the people of Kentucky who stood up and said loudly and clearly, 'This ain’t happening here,'” said FCPS Board Chairman Tyler Murphy.
For Murphy it was about so much more than just the damage such a bill could’ve caused in the classrooms.
“In eastern Kentucky public schools wrapped their arms around communities impacted by flooding,” he said. “In western Kentucky public schools raised money for supplies for communities ravaged by tornadoes. The public schools do more than just educate. They bring communities together, they support families, and, in some communities, they are the largest employer."
He also noted that many of the public-school sports teams the communities enjoy, particularly on those fall Friday nights, might have become casualties of Amendment 2.
“Schools are a fabric of the community,” Murphy said.
Parker knows this as well, especially in Scott County, where the negative impact might have been even more significant than in Fayette.
“The piece for me was rural communities would've suffered the most. The wording (of the amendment) really bothered me because it was not a fair representation of what was going on. But as I spoke to the community, they understood what it meant to the students of Scott County,” he said of not being overly concerned that the Amendment would pass.
Both Parker and Murphy made certain to stress that no one who was against the Amendment was over dramatizing its potential impact.
“Don't take my word for it,” Murphy said, “look at the other states that have gone down this road. It has bankrupted states. And it has cost families."
It’s on the shelf for now, but Parker said he is certain some form of it will be revisited during the next legislative session which begins in January. But both said they’re hopeful of working with the state to devise a way of making the school system stronger.
“They'll take a step back and hopefully bring ways to work together to improve the educational outcomes for our students in Kentucky,” Parker said.
Murphy said he’d meet with anyone who has a similar goal.
