Voters Poised to Reject Private School Vouchers in Three States
The results were part of a wave of ballot measure outcomes that teachers’ unions had sought. Nevertheless, private-school choice is growing nationwide.
On a bright Election Day for Republicans, one of their signature education policies — private school choice — was poised to be rejected by voters in three states: Colorado, Nebraska and Kentucky.
In Kentucky, nearly two-thirds of voters defeated a proposal to allow state tax dollars to fund private and charter schools.
In Nebraska, 57 percent of voters approved a ballot initiative that repealed a small program intended to give low-income families tax dollars to pay for private-school tuition.
In Colorado, votes are still being counted. But it looks likely that voters have narrowly rejected a broadly worded ballot measure that would have established a “right to school choice,” including in private schools and home-school settings.
The results slow a private-school choice movement that had greatly accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
About 1 million American children use some form of a private school voucher, a number that has more than doubled since 2019. The issue is one that Republicans hoped would be popular with parents across lines of race and class this year — especially those who were dissatisfied with how public schools served their children during the pandemic.
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