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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Verruni (JLV - at - bluegrassinstitute.org)
A statement from Bluegrass Institute CEO Caleb O. Brown:
Education isn’t a jobs program. It’s a service we perform for future generations. Governor Beshear’s veto of a scholarship tax credit program today is a clear example of a politician protecting entrenched special interests at the expense of young people across the commonwealth.
The legislation would allow Kentucky families to access scholarships for K-12 education funded by private donations that qualify for a federal tax credit — at no cost to Kentucky taxpayers. The governor's decision to block that opportunity reflects a philosophy that treats the education establishment as an end, not a means to serve Kentucky’s young people.
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In the end, the vote wasn't strictly partisan. Rep. Tina Bojanowski — a public school teacher from Louisville and a Democrat — crossed party lines to vote yes.
Bojanowski said she believed "in my heart and soul that this will help public education students," adding that she intended "to do everything that I can to ensure that we have scholarship granting organizations that help public education students and students with disabilities."
That’s not the voice of someone trying to undermine public education. That is the voice of someone putting children before politics. Governor Beshear vetoed the bill anyway.
All but one of Kentucky’s neighbors — Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia — have opted into this federal program. While families in those states gain access to new educational options, the governor of Kentucky chose instead to keep Kentucky students out.
For more than two decades, scholars at the Bluegrass Institute have argued that educational freedom and parental choice are not threats to quality schooling. As bill sponsor Rep. Kim Moser put it, the bill "would not cost Kentucky taxpayers a dime, but it would allow Kentucky students to take advantage of scholarships granted by scholarship granting organizations."
Every child in this commonwealth deserves a chance to find a learning environment where they can thrive. No governor should stand in the way of that.
Caleb O. Brown is the CEO of the Bluegrass Institute.
