Kentucky Governor Vetoes Contested Funding Bill for Charters
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear vetoed a Republican-backed bill that would create a permanent funding mechanism for charter schools and establish two “pilot” charters in the state, the Associated Press reported, augmenting tensions between the Democratic governor and Republican-controlled legislature over education policy. Days before, Beshear vetoed a sweeping education bill that would shift more power to school superintendents and designate a set of historical documents and speeches to incorporate into classrooms, according to the AP.
“I’m against charter schools,” the governor said after issuing the veto, according to the AP. He continued: “They are wrong for our commonwealth. They take taxpayer dollars away from the already-underfunded public schools in the commonwealth. And our taxpayer dollars should not be redirected to for-profit entities that run charter schools.”
The bill is the first that would provide permanent funding for charters in Kentucky, apportioning state and local tax dollars to public charters based on student attendance, according to The Louisville Courier-Journal. The vetoed bill would also require that at least two charter schools be created as pilot projects to, as Representative Chad McCoy said during a debate, “show the rest of the state there’s nothing to be afraid of,” according to the AP. The legislature authorized charters in 2017, but none have been created because of the lack of a funding mechanism.
Republican backers emphasized the importance of giving parents a choice to send their kids to a school that they think is a better option for their child. Governor Beshear replied that “the answer to concerns about the performance in our public schools lies in actually funding and working with our public schools.”
The legislature recently passed a budget that increases per-pupil funding for K-12 schools, the AP reported, raising the amount from $4,000 to $4,200 in two years. Governor Beshear proposed further increases to per-pupil funding and funding for universal pre-K for every 4-year-old in the state, a proposal that never gained traction in the legislature.
Republican lawmakers will have a chance to override the vetoes in the last two days of the legislative session, which begins April 13th.
- A. Thomas