The Kentucky General Assembly is in full swing. Lawmakers are advancing bills that would send money for public schools to private schools.
House Bill 563 cleared the first hurdle of the legislative process when it passed out of committee on March 11, 2021. We need your help to stop this bill and protect Kentucky public school students.
What is HB563?
House Bill 563 would take public school dollars and give them to private schools. This would reduce funding, harm Kentucky students, and reduce transparency around how your tax dollars are spent. It would also pave the way for school vouchers.
- Reduced funding for public schools – HB563 would take money away from public schools and give it to private institutions
- Reduced transparency in public spending – HB563 would reduce transparency around how your tax dollars are spent. Private schools are not subject to the same open records laws that keep public institutions accountable to taxpayers.
- Unchecked discrimination – Your tax dollars could be used to support private institutions that are not required to ensure all students have equal access regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
- School vouchers – Tax credits like those outlined in HB563 could be used as the first step in implementing a school voucher system. School vouchers allow people to take money from directly public schools to send their children to private schools.
- Increased inequality – Research shows bills like this would actually benefit students from higher-income families and leave students from low-income families behind. Even worse, school vouchers like those implemented in Indiana have proven to grow racial and economic disparities.
Kentucky’s public schools need more support, not less. Our shared public dollars should support Kentucky’s public school students, not private institutions.
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