State Rep. William Lawrence discusses House Bill 2 with Augusta Independent School Board Members and staff.
Rachel Adkins/The Ledger Independent
AUGUSTA — State Rep. William Lawrence recently spoke on House Bill 2, a bill that may affect the funding of private schools in Kentucky, at an Augusta Independent School Board meeting.
House Bill 2 was first introduced in the House of Representatives on Jan. 26 of this year. According to Lawrence, the Committee on Committees pushed “very hard” to get the bill to the floor of the House of Representatives.
He noted he had been approached about the bill several times before, but insisted his vote remain against it.
The bill’s original sponsors were State Rep. Suzanne Miles, State Rep. James Tipton, State Rep. Shane Baker, State Rep. Jared Bauman, State Rep. Kevin D. Bratcher, State Rep. Jennifer Decker, State Rep. Stephanie Dietz, State Rep. Ken Fleming, State Rep. DJ Johnson, State Rep. Shawn McPherson, State Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, State Rep. Jason Nemes, State Rep. David Osborne, State Rep. Walker Thomas, and State Rep. Richard White.
In summary, House Bill 2 proposes a new section of the Constitution of Kentucky that allows the General Assembly to provide financial support for the education of students outside of the public school system, according to the General Assembly.
Lawrence explained this bill will not go directly to charter schools or mandate charter schools. He said it asks voters if they want legislation to have the right to do these things in the future.
The bill’s first reading was given on March 11 and sent to Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs. A second reading of the bill was presented on March 12.
Lawrence suggested the bill “ran” through at a faster pace than bills typically do. He noted there is usually more time for people to express concerns before the bill is heard at the House of Representatives level.
After a floor amendment was filed on March 13, the bill was placed in the Orders of the Day for a third reading, where the bill passed with a vote of 65 to 32.
Lawrence said a constitutional amendment must pass with at least 61 being the majority vote.
On March 13, the bill’s first reading was given to the Senate. A second reading was presented on March 14. The bill passed in the Senate after a third reading was presented on March 15 with a vote of 27 to 8.
On March 21, the bill was enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate before being delivered to the Secretary of State. The bill will be on the ballot in November this year.
Lawrence remarked on what could happen if House Bill 2 passes in November.
“It would just basically give free reign to the legislative body, which I do not support in any way,” Lawrence said. “And even though I’m part of the legislative body, I don’t think we need an open, it just opens it up too much.”
He continued to discuss and share his opinion regarding the bill.
“No matter what side of this you’re on, if you’re for public education or for the voucher system, this bill is not the answer. It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life because it just opens it up,” Lawrence said.
According to Lawrence, several Republican members of the house had originally wanted to vote no on House Bill 2, but later changed their vote in favor of it.
“It’s so aggravating that people gave. I thought we had the votes to keep it dead, just to keep it on Committee on Committees, but people started to cave very quickly and it’s disappointing,” Lawrence said.
He continued, “Our public education system is one of the things that separate us truly from the rest of the world. We have some of the greatest schools. Our schools are working their tails off, for a lack of a better way to put it. They really are.”
According to Lawrence, there were several representatives of private and catholic schools that “showed the numbers stacked up against public education” to the House of Representatives.
He noted there was nobody present to “defend” public education.
While they were presenting, Lawrence asked if they were comparing private schools that are “hand-picking” students to public schools that are “forced” to take every student, according to Lawrence.
“Anybody could look at that and say this is not the same. You can’t compare those two numbers,” Lawrence said.
He spoke briefly about the response he received after asking the question regarding comparison.
“Their reply was a very political spin, run-around, I don’t even really, I don’t know how to even repeat. They didn’t answer the question. They answered the question with a question of, you know, talking about how this will help students that can’t afford to go to private schools,” Lawrence said.
He briefly discussed the possibility of the state changing the way a private or religious school operates or the curriculum being taught because, if House Bill 2 passes, it will be a state-funded school.
Lawrence shared further comments regarding House Bill 2.
“If you want to go to a private school, that is your choice to do that. I am happy for you that you can afford that. That’s wonderful. But not at the cost of the taxpayers or the public’s education system,” Lawrence said.
Augusta Independent School Superintendent Lisa McCane agreed with Lawrence in stressing the importance of educating the public about the bill, so they understand what they will be voting on in November.
Jason Hall, a representative of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, shared some brief remarks regarding House Bill 2.
“We support the amendment because it would enable programs to be enacted like Educational Opportunity Accounts that have been struck down, that would provide needs-based assistance to families who need choices but lack financial means,” Hall said.
House Bill 2 will appear on the ballot in November. Lawrence and McCane encourage Kentuckians to vote no.
“I am confident this November, my district especially, will vote this down and I feel like the state of Kentucky will vote it down. I don’t think it has a chance,” Lawrence said.
