Amendment Would Allow Bills That Expand School Funding

We recently reached out to members in Kentucky about the school choice initiative that will appear on the ballot this November (otherwise known as Amendment 2—based on House Bill 2).

As you may already know, this amendment would modify the Kentucky Constitution to allow the legislature to provide financial support for the education of students outside of the common schools. If voters approve Amendment 2, the Kentucky legislature would be empowered to consider bills for this type of funding.

The amendment was proposed in response to a private school tax credit bill that was struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court a couple of years ago. I suspect that if this amendment passes, the legislature may try to enact that tax credit bill (or something similar) again.

Where We Stand

For several reasons, HSLDA is neutral on Amendment 2.

The amendment doesn’t address any specific funding or program—it would just allow the legislature to consider this issue. Also, the private school tax credit legislation that was passed back in 2021 did not directly impact homeschooling families.

We are closely monitoring the legislature and this constitutional amendment. While Amendment 2 would not directly impact homeschool freedom or create publicly funded homeschool programs, its passage would make it possible for Kentucky lawmakers to enact public funding for a range of educational options (including bills that might affect homeschooling).

HSLDA opposes public funding of homeschooling. We believe homeschooling works best when parents are empowered to craft custom educational programs based on their students’ unique needs and interests. Public funding would inevitably result in increased government oversight and less homeschool freedom.

Freedom First

This principle applies even to many of the so-called “tax credit” bills we’ve seen recently in several states, which in practice function as education vouchers. The bills achieve this by offering tax credits in excess of what individuals actually owe, or by making the credits refundable.

While HSLDA generally supports traditional tax credits, we oppose vouchers or any other mechanism that provides public funding for homeschooling.