After Kentucky voters rejected Amendment 2, a ballot question related to school choice, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre expressed disappointment but reiterated a commitment to helping all families access Catholic education.
“We are disappointed in the defeat of Amendment 2. Efforts to enact programs to expand access to meaningful educational choice will continue to face significant constitutional obstacles,” he said in a Nov. 5 statement issued after the polls closed.
Amendment 2 asked voters if they approved changing the state constitution, allowing lawmakers to allocate tax dollars to students in non-public schools. According to the Associated Press, nearly 65% voted no.
“Despite this setback, we remain committed to the principle that access to education is a right,” said Archbishop Fabre in his statement. “We will work with policymakers and all people of good will to provide access to educational opportunities that will open doors to all Kentucky students.
“Furthermore, we will continue our efforts to provide, through the Catholic Education Foundation, access to a Catholic education for all families who seek it.”
The Catholic Conference of Kentucky, the public policy arm of Kentucky’s four bishops, has promoted need-based school-choice legislation since the late 1990s.
‘We will continue our efforts to provide, through the Catholic Education Foundation, access to a Catholic education for all families who seek it.’
— Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre
In 2021, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a school-choice bill supported by the conference. The measure would have created Education Opportunity Accounts for students with demonstrated financial need. The accounts could be used for a variety of educational needs, including tutoring, educational tools, educational services and tuition to non-public schools.
The law was struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2022. The court ruled that the legislation violated the section of the Kentucky Constitution that prohibits the state from raising money for non-public schools. Amendment 2 sought to change that.
Jason Hall, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, said this vote is “the last chapter” in its quarter-of-a-century work on school choice.
“This resounding defeat of Amendment 2 closes the door on that project,” he said in a phone interview. “Kentucky is not going to be a school-choice state any time soon.
“We’re still committed to providing Catholic education any way we can. And we believe education access is a right,” he said, noting that a more specific, targeted policy that has popular support may emerge in the future. “But as far as making Kentucky a school-choice state, that’s over.”
