LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Forum's debate over an amendment vote packed Vincenzo's in downtown on Wednesday. The centerpiece for discussion? If public dollars can fund private schools in Kentucky.
Opposing Amendment 2 was Jefferson County teacher union leader Maddie Shepard.
"This amendment threatens to take critical resources away from schools," she said.
Debating her was free-market think-tank leader Jim Waters.
"It's not replacing, it's expanding," he said. "It's not in place of, it's in addition to."
Since Kentucky doesn't have charters because of the funding issue, WHAS11 looked at Indiana for how they work.
In a study of nine cities with charter schools, Indianapolis showed the greatest predicted return on investment per student. That's according to the University of Arkansas.
The study also concluded charters, in the blue, are about 40% more effective at teaching reading and math over traditional public schools, which are shown in orange.
But Shepard believes these comparisons are unfair.
"Because a lot of these schools are not held to the same standard and don't take the same end-of-year assessments that public schools do," she said. "There is no way for us to say that our students are learning at the same rates that they are in public schools."
Shepard wants people to vote 'no' on the amendment, saying it would hand state Republicans a blank check for private schools.
Waters wants that 'yes' vote, believing it will drive competition and innovation in schooling.
"It will simply remove a legal barrier used by opponents of education freedom in the courtrooms to deny Kentuckians the same kind of choices available to parents in most other states," he said.
He argued that having school choice would force the education system to improve.
Shepard, meanwhile, blamed years of underfunding from the state for lower academic performance. With this amendment on the table, she's worried more of that funding may escape.
Ultimately, that's for voters to decide in November.
Kentucky is one of only five states in the country without charter schools. State legislators passed a law legalizing them in 2022, so funding them is their only obstacle.
This amendment could also apply to school-choice voucher programs, but there's no law on the books for that.
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