LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Superintendents across Kentucky gathered on Thursday to discuss Amendment 2. The superintendents from Bullitt, Carroll, Henry and Trimble Counties were all against the November referendum, speaking at a conference organized by the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC).
"We deal in this work every single day," Bullitt County Superintendent Jessee Bacon said. "We know the issues and challenges that we face when it comes to budgeting and preparing."
A lot of the conversation centered around money and how it would impact their students.
"In rural schools such as mine, we don't have an option for a private school and our students would have no where to go," Trimble County Superintendent Todd Neace said.
Superintendents looked at other states that used vouchers, and calculated the potential outcomes they would see. They found they would potentially lose millions of dollars, and up to hundreds of jobs.
"Every year, public schools and educators are asked to stretch resources further," Neace said. "If this amendment passes, vouchers will only deepen the strain."
Superintendents said there was no state plan to increase funding for education either.
"If they take $500 million and take that to fund charters, or vouchers, or private schools, or whatever; well none of the kids in Carroll County are going to go travel for 40 minutes to come to a private school," said Carroll County Schools superintendent, Casey Jaynes said.
At Coleman Preparatory School in Louisville, Asa Coleman supports the amendment. She said she's had to turn interested parents away because they can't afford it.
"Even though our tuition is significantly lower than any other private school in the city, it is still unattainable for some of our families," she said.
Tuition is $7,200 for the first child, $5,904 for the second child and $5,040 for the third according to the school's website.
The superintendents also argued the ads aren't true, and that the amendment would not raise teacher pay or help low-income students.
"Because there is no voucher program in our state right now that could bridge the divide of what the real cost is of private school education in our communities right now to be able to make that gap work," Bacon said.
But Coleman said public school "isn't going anywhere."
"People might still pick public school," she said. "But, if we really care about students excelling, we have to be open to the idea that there are other ways to get there."
But some mentioned for rural counties, the largest employer is their school system.
"Any action that reduces the budget, that eliminates jobs for one of those districts, doesn't just hurt the education, it hurts the whole community," Jason Atkins, the CEO for the OVEC, said. "It hurts the employment rate. It hurts the quality of life in those communities."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or X feed.