Republican-led House panel in Kentucky advances proposed school choice constitutional amendment

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers started advancing a school choice constitutional amendment Tuesday that could become the most hotly debated state issue this fall if the proposal reaches Kentucky’s ballot.

The measure cleared a GOP-led House panel hours after the committee meeting was announced to take up one of the most closely watched issues of this year’s legislative session. The proposal goes to the full House next and would still need Senate approval to reach the statewide ballot in November. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers.

Several proposed constitutional amendments are under review by lawmakers, but the school choice measure is seen as a top priority for many Republicans, based on its designation as House Bill 2.

The committee hearing offered a preview of the looming political fight should the school choice measure reach the ballot for voters to decide. While a prominent Republican supporter promoted school choice, the president of the Kentucky Education Association denounced the proposal as a threat to public education. The KEA is a labor association representing tens of thousands of public school educators.

If ratified by voters, the proposal would give the legislature the option to “provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools’’ — a reference to public schools.

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