Kentuckians casting a vote on Amendment 2 this November will decide whether to change the state Constitution to allow public funding of private schools.

New data show Amendment 2 would directly hit the state's poorest rural areas the hardest - communities where public schools are also large employers.

Ballard County School Superintendent Casey Allen, Ph.D., said siphoning money away from his district would further harm already struggling schools - that have lost state and federal dollars due to population decline, but still have fixed costs to keep facilities up and running.

"Like a lot of Kentucky school districts that are rural, we are experiencing declining enrollment," said Allen, "which is one of our funding mechanisms."

A report from the Kentucky Center for Economy Policy says a statewide private school voucher program would cost between $199 million and more than $1 billion annually.

Supporters of Amendment 2 argue it would increase opportunities for school choice for parents who couldn't otherwise afford private schools.

Public schools also would likely cut staff positions, some estimates by nearly 10,000 statewide - half of which would be teachers.

Carter County School Superintendent Paul Green, Ph.D., explained that his district is facing a $750,000 operating budget deficit - triggered by enrollment loss made worse during the pandemic.

"We're trying to dig ourselves out of that hole," said Green, "at the same time trying to figure out how we can increase salaries for employees."

Owensboro National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Rhonalyn Randolph said she worries the ballot measure would pave the way for private schools to pick and choose the students they want to attend.

She said this could exacerbate inequalities for students who depend on public schools for essential supports and resources, in addition to instruction.

"Like before- and after-school programs for parents that work, that may not have other support systems within their family to help them with their children," said Randolph. "And usually when money is taken away from school systems, you have the arts that are always affected."

In 2023 alone, seven states passed new school voucher programs and nine expanded existing plans, according to data from the Brookings Institution.




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Oregon high schoolers in the class of 2027 can expect a new financial literacy course on their schedules.

The class on personal finance, along with a class on career preparation, will be required for graduation after the Oregon School Board sided with legislators this summer. Opponents of the requirement included teachers unions and school boards, who wanted the lessons to be integrated into other classes.

Pam Leavitt, senior vice president of political programs and legislative affairs for the GoWest Credit Union Association, said the skills are important enough to focus on in separate courses.

"It's not an area of focus within the schools that should be done in an elective," Leavitt argued. "Every single student should graduate and understand their personal finances."

Leavitt cited a 2023 survey from the National Financial Educators Council, which found more than 60% of adults in the U.S. had lost at least $500 during the year due to lack of knowledge about personal finance, with the average loss over $1,500 dollars. She believes the required courses should help students avoid mistakes she often sees working with financial institutions.

Leavitt works with credit unions across the West and noted she has seen recent graduates struggle with credit cards, home loans and student debt. Not every person has the resources to learn about budgeting on their own, so she is convinced the course requirements will help students of all backgrounds to achieve financial security.

"This is what was lacking when students were graduating," Leavitt contended. "They need these basic life skills and every student in our state needs them."

While school requirements have varied over the years, Leavitt pointed out Oregon credit unions have worked to fill in the gaps by providing financial assistance when possible. Oregon joins more than two dozen other states in requiring a financial literacy course to graduate.


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Student loan forgiveness took center stage on Thursday at the American Federation of Teachers conference.

The Biden administration has canceled more than $62 billion in federal student debt for more than 871,000 public service workers nationwide, including teachers.

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke at the conference, thanking educators for their work for children's well-being. She told them the administration sees a "future with affordable health care, affordable child care, and paid leave - not for some, but for all."

"We see a future where every student has the support and the resources they need to thrive, and a future where no teacher has to struggle with the burden of student loan debt," she said. "So, as an example, our administration has forgiven student loan debt for nearly 5 million Americans."

She pointed out that federal student debt relief plans, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, face potential threats from legal challenges and some resistance from Republicans in Congress.

A Pennsylvania recipient of student loan forgiveness introduced Vice President Harris. Brittany Shoup, a member of Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Local 400, is a special-education teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Shoup said she had heard about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, but most people who applied for it didn't receive it during the last administration.

"The Biden/Harris administration fixed PSLF and made the process easy," she said. "So I applied and later had my student loans forgiven. This is a huge weight off my shoulders. And now, I help my fellow teachers get the debt forgiveness they deserve."

The AFT conference wrapped up Thursday in Houston, with more than 3,500 educators in attendance.


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As summer winds down and North Carolina students prepare to return to school, the focus shifts to the urgent need for better public education funding.

The future of North Carolina school funding may hinge on Leandro v. North Carolina a decadeslong court battle about the financial challenges many districts face.

Matthew Ellinwood, director of the Education and Law Project at the North Carolina Justice Center, stressed the crucial role of state funding in ensuring a quality education for every child.

"We're waiting to see what the decision will be for that but there's a lot at stake for families who are feeling these lack of resources in their schools locally," Ellinwood observed. "People need to understand the huge role that the state plays in funding our schools locally, because of what our Constitution said and the rights that it provides to families."

In recent years, the court developed the Leandro Plan, a comprehensive strategy to ensure the state meets students' constitutional rights to education, from early childhood education to college and career transitions. Earlier this year, the state court reheard the case, which could determine the state's obligations but there has been no ruling yet.

North Carolina ranks 49th in the U.S. for school funding, with 92% of students in underfunded districts. Ellinwood noted the Leandro Plan aims to bridge these gaps.

"To deal with the shortages that we're seeing in teachers across the state and the number of teachers who are leaving the profession," Ellinwood explained. "And get back the nationally recommended ratios for nurses, counselors and therapists. It's something that a lot of families are seeing are not in place in their school for their health and mental health needs."

Ellinwood predicted the plan would also help address the child care crisis in the state. He explained rising costs and the end of federal pandemic funds have worsened challenges for child care centers and schools, leading to closures.

"I think the state is doing some kind of Band-Aid to try to keep the system going but we really need a significant investment there and that is laid out in the Leandro Plan," Ellinwood emphasized. "In a really, again, comprehensive way, we need funding through different wages for the quality measures, to ensure that those are met and continue to be high quality."

State lawmakers have approved a $68 million emergency fund for child care. Despite it, the state Department of Health and Human Services warned of more closures this fall without more support.


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