School tax credit bill will make Ky schools more unequal. Don’t override governor’s veto.

Spineless textbooks, missing roof tiles, and cut after-school programs are unfortunately common sights in the schools I went through — just some of the more noticeable indicators of our divestment in public education. Yet Kentucky schools are bracing for worse. In the final days of the legislative session, the General Assembly hastily passed House Bill 563. This legislation undermines the fundamental promise of Kentucky public schools: to provide equitable education to every student and community across the commonwealth.

Under the bill’s provisions, Kentucky students can attend schools outside of their assigned district, including private schools for the eight biggest counties. The funding associated with the student would follow them to their new school, creating stark equity disparities between schools. The bill also allows wealthy individuals to re-direct tax money meant to fund programs that benefit all Kentucky students into private slush funds that restrict benefits to certain individuals with little accountability or oversight.

Siphoning student funding from already-struggling schools would only further exacerbate existing divides between well and under-resourced schools. As a school’s students start to leave under HB 563, that school will lose their student-associated funding and be forced to reduce its investment into its students.

This will inevitably lead to cuts on spending for supplies, school activities, full-day Kindergarten, and even teachers. The results of this would be disastrous, leaving widening gaps between the wealthiest and poorest schools in Kentucky.

Wealthy students who have resources such as easy access to personal transportation, will attend other schools and congregate at those that are well-funded, leaving behind their less privileged peers in schools with crippling funding issues. Advocates for HB563 say that the bill will enable low-income students to afford private schools; however, private schools will still be difficult for these students to attend because they are not required to provide transportation to students. Even if a private school’s cost is comparable to that of a public school, the lack of bus transportation will continue to prohibit poor students from attending.

Concentrating wealth in a select few schools will create extremely divided schools, with only a select, privileged few benefiting from the legislation, while the rest of Kentucky’s students are left to flounder.

This shift of students will mimic the already existing racial and socioeconomic segregation in our schools, which should be unacceptable. Diversity and inclusion within our schools is essential to providing a holistic education to Kentucky’s next generation.

The years students spend in our schools are transformative in developing their identity and worldview. Diverse schools that reflect the diversity of our Commonwealth foster respect, empathy and understanding for people of different backgrounds. My own experiences as a multiracial student have helped me garner an understanding of the importance of diversity. However, many of my peers do not get this opportunity, with school being their only chance for personal interaction in a diverse environment. Overriding Governor Beshear’s veto of HB 563 will remove this integral component of Kentucky students’ education. The previous house vote was 48-47, so this vote will be extremely tight. However, there is still time to ensure this bill does not go into effect. Contact your legislators to protect the integrity of Kentucky’s public schools by voting no on the override of HB563.

As students, we are already dealing with underfunded and inequitable schools across the Commonwealth. Don’t override the Governor’s veto of HB563 and make disparities between our schools even wider. The equity of the commonwealth’s education system is at stake.

Arivumani Srivastava is a Gatton Academy junior from Greenwood High School in Bowling Green and a member of the Kentucky Student Voice Team.