Why I’m Voting Yes on Amendment 2 on November 5th
On November 5, Kentuckians will vote on Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2 to allow state funding for non-public education. The amendment states, “The General Assembly may provide financial support for the education of students outside the system of common schools.” In effect, the amendment provides legal grounds for Kentucky’s legislature to use taxpayer dollars to explore improved educational opportunities outside of the public school system.
I will be voting “Yes” on Amendment 2 on November 5, and I want to explain why.
As a Christian pastor, I want to be clear that my position does not represent the only valid Christian position on this issue. As Christian citizens living in a fallen world, the political process calls us to prayerfully consider complex issues in light of God’s revelation before making the best conscience-informed choice for the good of society. Christians must consider a variety of factors when making any political decision and may put more weight on different considerations and draw dissimilar conclusions as a result.
With that said, I will be supporting Amendment 2 for three main reasons.
First, the responsibility of education belongs first and foremost to parents and only secondarily to government. Government exists under God to administer justice and protect life. Under government’s broad authority, parents are called to train their children in wisdom in preparation for obeying God’s dominion mandate (Genesis 1:28). When parents fail to educate, government possesses legitimate authority to intercede by ensuring that every child receives opportunities for educational betterment.
However, while parents may partner with government in the education of their children—and America has a rich tradition of this partnership working well—government holds no monopoly on education. If parents decide that public education is not the best solution for their child for any reason, they maintain the right, under God, to partner with a private institution, church, or even to educate solely at home—provided government educational standards are met. I support this amendment because it recognizes the priority of parents over government in the education of children. It gives tax-paying parents, regardless of income, more options as they seek to make the best educational decision for each child. And who better than parents to decide the educational fate of their children?
Second, Amendment 2 will guard against ideological dogmatism. For many years, defenders of public education have argued its merit based on the illusion of ideological neutrality. By keeping prayer and references to God out of our schools, it is argued, we keep these spaces value neutral. However, refusing to reference God is not neutrality; it is atheism. Christians believe that, in the words of Augustine, “all truth is God’s truth.” We believe that all knowledge can only rightly be understood when it’s understood in relationship to Christ, the one in whom “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:18). To remove God from education effectually cuts knowledge off from its source. It also greatly diminishes the school’s ability to teach virtue.
Over three decades ago, Richard John Neuhaus wrote, “When recognizable religion is excluded, the vacuum will be filled by ersatz religion, by religion bootlegged into public space under other names.” Removing recognizable religion from public education has resulted, not in neutrality, but in the dominance of the religion of progressivism. Who defines the values that dominate public education? To cite just one controversial issue, instructing female students to welcome biological males in bathrooms and on their sports teams doesn’t sound like ideological neutrality to me.
Louisville’s Courier-Journal has recently published a series of articles seeking to expose the success of Highlands Latin School in Louisville, a successful private school that celebrates classical Christian education. The reporters clearly view Highlands’ success as a threat. But why would anyone fear a school that looks back to the rich educational legacy of Western civilization and the Christian tradition? The reporters don’t like Highlands because Highlands and other schools like it do not teach the accepted values of progressive secularism. The report doesn’t expose Highlands; it instead reveals an unrecognized progressive religion critiquing a recognized one.
Amendment 2 will entrust parents with the sacred task of determining which values align with truth, goodness, and beauty and deserve to be instilled in their children.
Finally, Amendment 2 will increase the quality of education available to children. Not all public education systems are equal, and therefore, it is difficult to write about “public education” in the abstract. Here in Oldham County, for example, our system is measurably better than many others around the state. However, the vote on Amendment 2 doesn’t merely impact citizens of Oldham County. Our vote will help decide the fate of education for citizens in failing systems across the state.
In 2023, total funding for Kentucky’s public schools from local, state, and federal sources equaled $20,136 per student. However, teacher pay remains low and educational outcomes continue to decline across the state. Do we really want to continue to pump more money into a system that fails in so many instances? My friend Joe Tkach writes, “Low and lower-middle class families often have no recourse but to send their students to public school. A child’s household income should not determine their educational opportunities.”
Will you join me by voting Yes on Amendment 2 on November 5th?
The post Why I’m Voting Yes on Amendment 2 on November 5th appeared first on Remembrance of Former Days.