School choice is on the ballot in three key states, amid debate about education in US

The school choice movement that came to the political forefront in the 1990's where parents could use taxpayer money to fund private education is returning to the ballot next week in three key states, which will determine how education will be run in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska. 

Voters in Nebraska are going to vote on whether or not to overturn LB1402, which is legislation from 2023 that provides financial assistance through a federal program to help families attend private schools. 

The legislation has been backed by allies of former President Donald Trump and Nebraska GOP Gov. Jim Pillen, opposed by teachers' unions and challenged at the state Supreme Court. 

State Democrats have argued the legislation is all about politics while Republicans have insisted it is about giving families a choice on how to educate their kids, and to what their kids are exposed to in schools' syllabi.

“This is very political to drive votes, to turn out CD-2, and to make a broader statement, regardless of the kids it hurts," Democratic state Sen. Justin Wayne said about the legislation, according to Politico. 

Republican State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan argued that other states around Nebraska also have school choice and there's no reason their state shouldn't as well. 

Meanwhile, voters in Kentucky will vote "yes" or "no" on Amendment 2 also known as the "Allow State Funding for Non-Public Education Amendment."

If the amendment passes, the Kentucky constitution will be amended to have the General Assembly provide funding for non-public education. 

The amendment is backed by GOP Sen. Rand Paul and other conservative groups such as Empower Kentucky Parents and Americans for Prosperity Kentucky, according to The Lexington Herald Leader. 

However, dozens of local superintendents have opposed the amendment, arguing that it would cause public schools to lose funding. 

“The arts, dual credit, extracurricular, sports, and vocational classes could be eliminated," Marshall County Schools Superintendent Bill Thorpe said, according to local media. "Any school offerings that are not a state requirement will have to be reviewed."

Colorado's school choice amendment is called Amendment 80, which enshrines in the state constitution "the right to school choice," which means funding would go to alternative education such as homeschooling, charter schools and private schools. 

Multiple school boards have pushed back on Amendment 80, arguing that it will take funding away from education, but some groups are behind the amendment, arguing school choice rights need to be expanded. 

"The reason that anti-choice, anti-parent-rights groups, such as the teachers unions, are spending millions to stop Amendment 80 is simple: They want to continue their efforts to hobble charter schools, attack homeschooling and even make it difficult for parents to choose other traditional public schools," a group called Advance Colorado said, according to CBS Austin.

The debate regarding federal dollars funding private education has been ongoing for a while. Red states such as Oklahoma and Florida have passed major legislation regarding school choice. 

Oklahoma had a parental choice tax credit program that was signed into law in May of 2023. The program gives parents in the Sooner state up to $7,500 per tax year for private school expenses, fees and tuition. Those who decide to homeschool their kids get a tax credit for $1,000.

"Now the schools are having to compete for students and that is a good thing," Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "But also people are just super excited about the opportunity that if you're in a failing school district, now you have options."

Florida passed school choice legislation earlier this year called HB1 that made every student eligible to receive taxpayer-backed scholarships.

Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice said that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their children and school choice is an important issue for a lot of moms. 

"COVID woke parents up," Justice said in an interview with Just the News. "We got to see behind the education curtain, and what parents saw, they weren’t happy about it."

She said that she wanted all schools whether they be public or private to be great and that competition would improve all schools instead of just giving more and more money to public schools.