Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear unwisely vetoed HB 9, a landmark bill that would have made major improvements to the state’s charter school law, most notably by providing a permanent funding mechanism for charter schools. Kentucky is one of only seven states in the nation without any operating charter schools.
Charter schools predominately serve underserved communities and do an exceptional job at it. Data shows almost 70% of charter school students are students of color compared to about 53% of district school students. Stanford’s CREDO found that in urban charter schools, low-income Latino students gained 48 additional days in math and 25 additional days in reading per year, while low-income Black students gained 44 additional days in reading and 59 additional days in math per year. There is no other education model that works as well as a high-performing charter school when serving students who have struggled academically or are members of underrepresented communities.
“We are deeply disappointed in Governor Beshear. He is clearly letting his ties to special interest groups interfere with his duty to best serve Kentucky students and families,” says Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President of State Advocacy and Support, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “Many studies and overwhelming parent demand prove public charter schools work for millions of families across the country. Kentucky’s charter school law has been on the books since 2017 and it is time to permanently fund these unique, innovative public schools.”
We urge the Kentucky Legislature to stand strong for Kentucky students and overturn this veto.
