House Speaker Osborne: Amendment 2 is an opportunity, not an attack on public education. | Opinion

I am reminded of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s blunt declaration, “We are entitled to our own opinions, but not our own facts,” when I consider the campaign of misinformation, distortion, and outright lies put forward by some who oppose proposed ballot Amendment 2. The proposal would amend the Kentucky Constitution to allow lawmakers to debate meaningful alternatives to our current approach to education.

Let me be clear: this proposal is not an attack on public education. We have provided for our public schools and will continue to do so. We know our public schools are a vital part of our Commonwealth and have provided historic levels of funding for them – even after adjusting for inflation. In fact, our commitment to education spending has earned the praise of Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education and education groups like the Prichard Committee and the association of school superintendents.

Fear-mongers claim the proposal would give the legislature a blank check with no guardrails. The fact is, we already have a blank check. Every dollar of the state’s portion of education funding is allocated by the legislature. Public education is by far the largest budget category, with almost 40% of the state’s general fund allocated to kindergarten through 12^th grade. Our support increased even as public schools experienced unprecedented enrollment decreases. The pleas for additional funding have not and do not go unheard, but the pleas of CHILDREN being failed continue to be ignored by those who oppose change.

The false claims also ignore the fact that we can both offer additional opportunities to educate our students and support our public schools – but we can’t afford to leave another generation behind, trapped in a system that does not meet their needs.

Of course, some say we already have school choice and parents should just pay tuition. In reality, it is only an option if parents can afford it. Otherwise, they are stuck in a system that cannot meet the needs of their child. Is it not the ultimate hypocrisy and elitism to say the single mother working two jobs in the West End of Louisville to pay for her child’s tutoring has a choice? A dad working three jobs in Eastern Kentucky who can’t afford to provide his child additional learning tools?

There are claims that no accountability will accompany these changes. Accountability has been part of every single initiative we have passed since 2017. And, ultimately if a private school fails then a child’s family has the option of moving them, an option that does not exist for students trapped in a failing school today.

Another false claim asserts that options do not benefit students. Almost every other state in the nation – including all seven neighboring states – have some form of school choice and study after study shows that increasing choice helps students.

The challenges we face are not because Kentuckians aren’t smart enough, or worthy enough, or willing to work hard enough. They are because elected leaders convinced Kentuckians for decades that they were better off protecting the status quo. We know better and recognize that opportunity must be for everyone.

Amendment 2 is not an attack on public education. It is a declaration of war on the persistent acceptance of failure because it only impacts children marginalized by how much their parents make or where they live.

Let’s give parents the freedom to access the best education for their child. Vote yes on Amendment 2.

House Speaker David Osborne represents the state’s 59^th House District, which is located entirely within Oldham County.