Kentucky voters defeat a measure intended to allow tax dollar support for private school education

Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky voters have rejected a ballot measure that would have let state lawmakers allocate tax dollars to support private school education. The outcome on Tuesday is a bitter setback for many Republican lawmakers and their school-choice allies. They favor using state money to support students attending private or charter schools. They’ve been blocked by the courts, and the ballot measure was an attempt to amend Kentucky’s constitution to remove that barrier. Instead, voters rejected the proposal in a victory for public school groups and the state’s top Democrats: Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.