A Divided Nation Agrees: NO VOUCHERS
Support for public schools crosses political lines
While the results of last night’s election indicate a still-divided nation on many issues, one common thread ran through the election results: Voters support their local and state public schools.
Ballot measures in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska all asked voters to weigh-in on using public funds to support private schools.
In all three cases, voters resoundingly rejected that idea.
Nationally, Colorado went blue, while Nebraska split its electoral votes between the two candidates, and Kentucky was among the first states to be called for Trump.
In each case, however, voters resoundingly rejected school vouchers.
In Kentucky, the margin was 2-1. A solid majority of voters in all 120 Kentucky counties voted NO on vouchers.
Both rural and urban voters rejected vouchers.
Other than Trump and his surrogates sometimes rambling about eliminating the federal Department of Education and Don Jr. talking up school vouchers, not a lot was said about education on the campaign trail.
Harris has always been a strong supporter of educators and her running mate, Tim Walz, was a teacher and union member.
It’s worth noting, too, that Kentucky has a Democratic governor. Andy Beshear won re-election in 2023 in part due to his staunch support of public schools.
While Kentucky’s GOP supermajority legislature keeps attempting to enact school privatization measures, the voters in their districts spoke loud and clear - they don’t want vouchers.
Conservative culture warriors and Christian Nationalists have used a variety of tactics to scare voters about what’s going on in public schools. This, they hoped, would lead to support for privatization.
Voters, though, aren’t buying these arguments. In every state where school vouchers have been on a ballot, they’ve been rejected.
Despite this wholesale rejection of school vouchers, Tennessee lawmakers will again be voting on school vouchers in 2025. Within hours of last night’s election results, Tennessee Republicans filed school voucher legislation.
It will be interesting to see if the rejection of vouchers by voters in states like Kentucky gives any Tennessee Republican lawmakers pause as they consider this bill.
it will be a long shot. bill isn't going to want to get shut down twice. he accepted around $5 mil in outside money to shape the republican primaries to back his voucher plan - it paid off. he wants this bad as his legacy and indications are that sexton will push it through this time, even though most are not in favor. it's been a long time since the tn gop supermajority has represented its constituents. too bad tn doesn't allow ballot initiatives. they've got dissent locked down. congratulations kentucky and superhero andy beshear! thinking how great bill haslam was in comparison to lee. he understood the value of public education...
One good thing is better than none, but I'm not looking forward to another DeVos.
And this is unrelated to education but I'm assuming that here in Louisville the LMPD/FOP will continue to drag their heels on the consent decree and our wretched mayor will let them and then in January the entire DOJ report situation will be abandoned permanently with zero accountability. Am I being too pessimistic?