Amendment 2

The Fort Thomas Education Foundation’s mission is to raise money for the public schools of Fort Thomas. As such, we diligently review any legislative policy that would impact (good or bad) funding for our district.  The 2024 election will have Kentucky Amendment 2 on the ballot. The FTEF Board of Directors has reviewed the data, and potential implications, to understand how it would affect our schools and the FTEF mission.

We have received many questions about Amendment 2 so we wanted to share our findings along with the resources we have found helpful. We encourage you to do your own research before voting or reach out to an FTEF Board Member with questions.  

What We’ve Learned About Amendment 2
  • The proposed Amendment would change the Kentucky State Constitution to give lawmakers new authority for the allocation of public tax dollars to non-public school entities.
        • If Amendment 2 were to pass, lawmakers would then have to create legislation to govern the specifics of school funding.
  • Kentucky sets a biennium (2-year) budget for education, currently about $2 billion (~ $1 billion per year)†. Currently, these public tax dollars are allocated to public schools. Under the new amendment, this budget amount may be used for both public and non-public education entities.
  • FTIS could have a potential loss of state funding of $518,700*= 10-15 full-time teachers.
        • Potential impact on our schools: larger class sizes, decreased elective offerings, fewer resources for special populations (Special Education, Gifted & Talented, etc).
  • If state funding to FTIS were to decrease the FTEF, and our donor community, would likely have an increased burden to raise funds so our schools and students can sustain the tradition of excellence our district and community have come to expect.
  • Non-public schools are not included in state-wide achievement scores. Kentucky currently rates as 30/50^ in K-12 education.

If you are interested in learning more about Amendment 2, here are some apolitical resources we have found informative.

Links to:

We encourage you to do your own research before voting.

The Fort Thomas Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing the educational excellence of the Fort Thomas Independent Schools without engaging in partisan politics. In accordance with our bylaws and to comply with 501(c) 3 tax regulations, the FTEF does not support or endorse any political candidates or parties, ensuring that our efforts remain focused solely on our charitable goals and the needs of the students and schools in FTIS.

†Governor Andy Beshear webpage.  https://governor.ky.gov/attachments/Executive_Summary_2022-2024_Executive_Budget_Final.pdf

*Calculated using the $9.1M estimated FY25 SEEK funding received. Using 5.7% decrease in per-pupil spending in AZ. (Prichard Committee Report). For Arizona budget info visit: https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/arizona/research/state-budget/the-arizona-budget-then-and-now

^ USNews & World Rep

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