ICYMI: Kentucky Classrooms Cannot Afford to Have Resources Siphoned Away by Most Expensive Neo-Voucher Proposal Yet
By ANNA BAUMANN
All Kentucky children – living in poor and wealthy districts, black, brown and white, whose parents didn’t finish high school and that have advanced degrees – deserve a high-quality education that will equip them to contribute fully to their community and the state’s economy. The most efficient and effective way to invest state tax dollars toward that end is to adequately and equitably fund the state’s public schools.
But House Bill 350 (HB 350) and its companion bill in the Senate (SB 110) would siphon a large and growing amount of public resources through a tax break for donors to private schools, deepening the fiscal strain public schools are experiencing after a decade of state budget cuts.
Compared to previous versions of the proposal, this year’s bills are largely similar yet even more expensive, with a cost that could total as much as $1 billion over just 11 years. By providing no sunset date or ultimate cap on the program, costs would continue to grow over time, consuming an increasing share of resources that would otherwise be invested in public services through the state budget.