Opinion – Cole Cuzick: November election offers best opportunity for education reform in decades


Donald Trump’s momentum for President will likely carry Kentucky’s Amendment 2 ballot initiative across the finish line. His polling in Kentucky against recent dropout President Biden ballooned to predict a 31-point victory in November. There is little to suggest that Vice President Harris’s liberal policies and inability to connect with moderate Democrats — as witnessed in the 2020 Democrat Presidential Primary — will change this sentiment.

During this unprecedented time, the Republican Party released new guidelines prior to the Republican National Convention, emphasizing changes to the current approach of immigration, taxes, and inflation policies, all in line with former President Trump’s vision.

A particularly refreshing part of the new platform is its clear stance on education, aiming to restore excellence and choice for American students. The second point under their education goals is titled “Universal School Choice” and states:

Cole Cuzick

“Republicans believe families should be empowered to choose the best education for their children. We support Universal School Choice in every State in America. We will expand 529 Education Savings Accounts and support Homeschooling Families equally.”

In 2017, President Trump made education reform a top priority, appointing Betsy DeVos, a staunch advocate for educational freedom, as U.S. Secretary of Education. DeVos, a product of private schooling, consistently pushed for federal funding of charter and private schools. While the Republican-held Congress did not appropriate funds for educational opportunities, the conversation sparked several states to take matters in to their own hands.

Since 2019, educational opportunities took form in Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and Education Tax Credits. These decisions were driven by an overwhelming number of parents who were concerned with public education performance and the presence of liberal ideologies in school curricula. The new programs have been so successful that state legislatures have continued to expand them in the last few years. (Ky passed an Education Opportunity Account law in 2021, only to have it struck down by the State Supreme Court).

At the Republican National Convention, speakers like Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) emphasized the need for educational freedom, particularly for African-American students trapped in failing schools. They detailed their own lives, showing how the Democrats’ status-quo policies have failed low-income students. Rep. Donalds even went as far as highlighting how President Biden and Vice President Harris oppose school choice yet sent their own children and step-children to high-end private schools due to their financial means. Harris’s stepdaughter recently graduated from a private high school, Wildwood School, in Los Angeles that cost over $50,000/year.

In November, Kentuckians face a pivotal decision regarding education at the state and federal level with the Trump candidacy and Amendment 2. Amendment 2 is a ballot initiative to expand educational opportunities in Kentucky. Unfortunately, Kentucky’s Constitution prohibits public funding for alternatives to public schools. While our neighboring states advance with innovative educational improvements, many of Kentucky’s children remain trapped in a system with declining test scores and unsafe classrooms.

Concerned parents can now drive change both in Washington D.C. and in Frankfort. While the change in D.C. will be a more difficult lift, voting “Yes” on Amendment 2 would bypass the local, state and federal bureaucracies that slow-walk or outright deny the necessary changes to enhance public education for families.

The Kentucky state legislature is ready to provide parents with options beyond public education for the children who are not being served according to their needs. Parents deserve a safe and thriving learning environment for their children— enhancing them socially, physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

For Kentuckians of all political and religious backgrounds, the choice is clear: vote Yes on Amendment 2 to empower families with educational opportunities.

We are witnessing the most significant change in education of the last few generations, and our elections are offering a chance to shape a more prosperous and well-educated society. May we seize the moment and the abundant resources God has provided this nation to serve those who need it the most.

Cole Cuzick is the director of political outreach of the Commonwealth Policy Center.


4 thoughts on “Opinion – Cole Cuzick: November election offers best opportunity for education reform in decades

  1. I am strongly opposed to Amendment 2. Statewide it will lessen needed resources for our public schools, especially in many rural areas that depend on public schools as their only way of getting an education. Subsidizing parents, most of who can afford tuition for private schools for their children, creates an unfair distribution of state tax money.

    1. Let us get some clarification Mrs. Bambuger: You do not want under-privileged families having a choice? Because that is what you are saying when you oppose Amendment 2.

      According to your proposed line of thinking, ONLY the families “who can afford tuition for private schools for their children” will continue to get a choice in education.

      I hope I’m wrong, but when your thoughts are read out loud, it almost sounds like you favor keeping people inside their suffering school districts.

  2. I would really like more details on how exactly this change would play out. For example, transporting students to the desired school. And reduced money available for disabled students in the public system. Full disclosure, I homeschooled for 6 years.

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