SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Amendment 2, the state’s school choice measure, didn’t stand a chance, as voters demonstrated when Election Day results began rolling in Tuesday night.

“The people of Kentucky have proven themselves to be free thinkers. They knew it wasn’t a partisan issue, but it affected all the kids in Kentucky,” said Scott County School District Superintendent Billy Parker.

Parker said Amendment 2, which, if passed, would have given state lawmakers the right to amend the constitution to siphon public tax dollars and direct them to private schools, was the single biggest issue this career. Equally loud and deep sighs of relief could be heard from the school’s Fayette County headquarters.

“I’m grateful to the people of Kentucky who stood up and said loud and clear, ‘This is not happening here,'” said FCPS Board of Trustees President Tyler Murphy.

For Murphy, it was about much more than just the damage such a law could cause in classrooms.

“In eastern Kentucky, public schools have wrapped their arms around flood-affected communities,” he said. “In Western Kentucky, public schools raised money for supplies for tornado-ravaged communities. Public schools do more than just educate. They bring communities together, support families and, in some communities, are the largest employer.”

He also noted that many of the public school sports teams that communities enjoy, especially on those fall Friday nights, could have fallen victim to Amendment 2.

“Schools are a fabric of the community,” Murphy said.

Parker knows that, too, especially in Scott County, where the negative impact could have been even more significant than in Fayette.

“The play for me was that rural communities would have suffered the most. The wording (of the amendment) really bothered me because it was not an accurate representation of what was happening. But as we talked to the community, they understood what it meant to the students of Scott County,” he said, adding that he is not too worried about the amendment passing.

Both Parker and Murphy made sure to point out that no one who opposed the Amendment over-dramatized its potential impact.

“Don’t take my word for it,” Murphy said, “look at the other states that have gone down this road. It bankrupted states. And it cost families.”

It’s on the shelf for now, but Parker said he’s sure some form will be revised during the next legislative session, which begins in January. But both said they hope to work with the state to find a way to strengthen the school system.

“They’re going to step back and hopefully come up with ways to work together to improve educational outcomes for our Kentucky students,” Parker said.

Murphy said he would meet with anyone with a similar goal.