From The Louisville Courier-Journal: Don't hurt public education by diverting money to private schools
By ANNA BAUMANN
Kentucky’s Constitution requires the General Assembly to “provide for an efficient system of common schools throughout the state.” The last time the state Supreme Court found Kentucky to be in violation of that mandate, the legislature passed the Kentucky Education Reform Act. By generating significant new tax revenue, KERA funded vast improvements in education and reduced funding disparities between poor and wealthy districts.
Kids who’ve grown up under KERA have benefited greatly from the prioritization of strong public schools — as has our entire commonwealth.
Unfortunately, because we’ve allowed special interests to “dirty up” our tax code with tax breaks since then, state dollars for education have been waning. Deep, cumulative state cuts have forced local schools to cut staff, after-school programs and other important investments in students. School districts have tried to mitigate some of the harm by raising local taxes to the extent possible, but overall educational progress has been stymied.