Ethics complaint against state rep dismissed on charter school bill
An ethics complaint filed against Rep. Kim Banta, alleging her family stood to gain from a bill creating a funding mechanism and pilot program for charter schools in Kentucky, was dismissed by the Legislative Ethics Commission this week.
The commission voted unanimously to dismiss the complaint against the Fort Mitchell Republican, brought by teachers’ union KY120United-AFT, on Tuesday and the dismissal was officially filed Thursday.
“Having reviewed the complaint, response, and the results of the investigation, the Commission concludes that the investigation revealed no violation of KRS 6.761 or 6.731. Therefore, this complaint is hereby dismissed,” the order from the commission reads.
KY120United-AFT alleged that Banta engaged in “self-dealing” during the passage of the controversial House Bill 9, on which her vote in the House Education Committee and on the floor was pivotal.
At the time of the complaint, March 2022, the group asked the legislature to pause any action on the bill. The bill received narrow passage in the legislature and is being challenged in Franklin Circuit Court.
Banta’s husband’s position as chief real estate officer for a development company, Corporex, in Northern Kentucky as well as being a member on the board of an organization that lobbied the legislature for the bill’s passage, were the subjects of the complaint.
The group alleged Banta could have violated section 57 of the Kentucky Constitution, which prohibits legislators from voting on matters where they have a personal or private interest.
“The cloud of potential corruption surrounding the charter school funding bill needs to be lifted before any further action is taken on the measure,” AFT member Stacy Crosslin said in a release at the time.
Aside from creating a funding mechanism for charter schools, the bill authorized two pilot charters in Louisville and Northern Kentucky. The complaint took issue with the decision to include Northern Kentucky, in particular.
The teacher’s union alleged that Corporex had plans to build a charter school on a site in Kenton County. According to news site Link NKY, the company has no plans to build a charter school on the site.
In a release, Banta called the complaint “a political stunt.”
“I am pleased that the Commission dismissed this complaint and confirmed that my actions were proper relating to the passage of this charter school legislation,” she said.
“It is unfortunate that the teacher’s union, whom is opposed to charter schools, chose to use an unsubstantiated ethics complaint against me as a political stunt to try to stop or delay the Senate from voting on the companion bill in the Senate.”
KY120United-AFT, in a statement, said it was disappointed by the ruling.
“We remain steadfast in our opposition against charter schools/vouchers and will continue to hold electeds accountable when necessary. It is unfortunate that Kentuckians cannot trust their own government, particularly when it comes to this bill, the way it passed, and the last-minute committee change shenanigans to push it to the floor,” the organization wrote.
Sal Santoro, a member of the Legislative Ethics Commission and former Northern Kentucky Republican legislator, recused himself from the vote. Santoro served in a district bordering Banta’s before he was defeated in a 2022 primary.
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 1:08 PM.