Teachers greet students as they get off the bus at a public elementary school in Louisville, Ky., in 2022. A proposed constitutional amendment to allow public funding support for private school education in the state was soundly defeated in last week’s election by almost two thirds of the vote. (Jon Cherry | Getty Images)

Voters in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska put the brakes on the school choice movement last week, rejecting ballot measures that would have instituted or expanded state support for parents to send their children to private schools or protect other choice options of the school.

There are at least 75 private school choice programs available in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to EdChoice, a group that supports such programs. And the movement had gained momentum.

Public school systems and teachers unions largely oppose voucher programs that use tax dollars to support private school education, saying the programs take needed money away from public schools. Many opponents also note that private schools may not have the same accreditation requirements and curricula as public schools.

EdChoice blamed the influence of teacher unions on the vote, calling union opposition a “big money to burn” in a Nov. 6 statement.

Nebraska

In Nebraska, voters partially repealed a state-funded private school scholarship program.

A 2024 law, an update of a similar law passed in 2023, had allocated $10 million a year for the program. Supporters of the earmark argued that parents unhappy with their public schools needed state dollars to help pay for private education. But opposition came from both rural and urban advocates of public schools, the Nebraska Examiner reported. The repeal was approved with 57% of the vote.

Nebraska state Sen. Dave Murman, a school choice advocate who identifies as a Republican in the nonpartisan Legislature, said he was disappointed by the result but not surprised. He acknowledged that public schools are popular in Nebraska.

“For that reason, we had public school advocates spread across the state,” he said. But he argued that students would benefit from private school options and said he plans to continue the fight.

Kentucky

In Kentucky, the ballot measure would have amended the constitution to allow public funding support for private education. About 65 percent of voters rejected an attempt to amend the state constitution to allow it; came down in each county.

The measure was supported by Republican lawmakers and strongly opposed by public school advocates and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. He said the result is a message from voters to increasing funding for the public schools of the state.

Previous GOP-led efforts to legalize school choice have been unsuccessful, with courts striking down a 2021 law to give tax credits for donations to private school scholarship funds and a 2022 law that would have created public funding for charter schools .

The language of the ballot initiative, according to state Sen. Damon Thayer, a Republican and a strong supporter of the referendum, would have given the legislature the authority to pass laws similar to those that were rejected, he told Stateline.

He said arguments that the amendment would have hurt public schools and especially rural schools were simply “wrong. These calamities that the doubters are promoting have not materialized (in other states),” he said.

COLORADO

The Colorado ballot measure would have enshrined a school choice option in the state constitution.

The proposed amendment, which was defeated 52%-48%, would have added language that said “every K-12 child has the right to school choice” and that “parents have the right to direct their children’s education.” School choice would explicitly include neighborhood schools, charter schools, private schools, home schools, open enrollment options and future education innovations, the measure states.

The conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado supported the amendment.

Colorado already allows students to attend any public school — even outside their district — for free and has long had charter school options. Critics of the ballot measure said it would have opened the door to private school vouchers, though supporters said that was not their intent and that the ballot measure was simply meant to protect charter schools.

Charter schools, however, have largely opted out. Colorado Christian Home Educators opposite the measure in part because it would have guaranteed a “quality education” without defining what that means.

Texas

In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, a longtime supporter of school vouchers, applauded the election of like-minded state Republicans he had supported in the primaries.

Abbott said during a recent visit to a Christian school that those new members will give him enough votes to pass a school voucher program when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains its editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger with questions: [email protected]. Watch Stateline on Facebook and X.

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