Private School Financing Defeated in Three States
Voters in Kentucky, Nebraska, and Colorado defeated ballot questions regarding public financing of school choice and voucher measures.
In Nebraska, voters repealed their private school voucher law, 57.06% to 42.94%. Coloradans defeated an amendment to create a constitutional right to school choice with a margin of 51.9% to 48.1%. Finally, Kentuckians defeated Amendment 2, which would have allowed public funds to go to non-public education with a 64.8% to 35.2% margin.
Kentucky CEC conducted an advocacy campaign against the measure, educating voters about the negative effects on children and youth with disabilities and urging them to vote no. CEC has a longstanding position against the use of public funds for vouchers and voucher-like programs because, among other reasons, private schools can discriminate against students with disabilities in the admissions process and do not need to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).