With the primary behind us, the general election campaign begins.

You'll see candidates on the November ballot, but also a proposed constitutional amendment on school choice.

If passed, it would create a path to allow public funds to be used for private education.

Expect to see speeches, rallies, yard signs, and TV commercials for and against Amendment to Kentucky Edition will bring you both sides over the next five months.

And we begin tonight in Perry County.

A coalition called Protect our Schools, Kentucky rallied yesterday to say Amendment two will hurt public education in Kentucky.

This year, we're facing a voucher, mama, that, if approved by voters, will permanently change our state constitution by allowing public funds or allowing funds for public schools to go to private school voucher schemes.

This would devastate public education as we currently know it.

The amendment, if passed, would allow the General Assembly to fund schools outside the system of common or public schools in Kentucky.

To be clear, it would allow for public money to be funneled to unaccountable private schools by way of vouchers.

Amendment to or the voucher immunity, as I like to call it, paves the way for our state to begin writing blank checks to private schools using dollars that should go to public schools and our students.

This voucher amendment would siphon money away from our public districts and staff students of critical resources they need to receive the strongest education possible and help us set them up for a lifetime of success.

I'm here today because as a parent, I'm concerned about what vouchers will do to further exacerbate the teacher shortage.

I'm concerned about how vouchers will negatively impact our schools.

The teacher shortage is real.

Yes, here in Perry County, but also across the Commonwealth.

It is difficult to attract and retain teachers as is.

And if vouchers begin to divert money from public schools to go to private schools, our budgets are going to get even tighter and cuts are going to have to be made.

How will that affect how we're able to recruit teachers in our students?

Deserve are the best and brightest the Commonwealth has to offer.

But to keep them, our schools have to have the resources needed for them to do their jobs effectively.

Our districts need to have enough money to not have to ultimately eliminate teaching positions.

In every state that has introduced vouchers to this point.

The story remains the same cleverly crafted promises are made about what vouchers can provide.

Then, as the cost of vouchers balloon, more public funds begin to funnel away from our public schools to go instead to unaccountable private school systems.

Over time, the strain placed on public schools by this voucher scheme began to become too much and this leads to radical disinvestment of public schools.

As the CFO, I understand the dollars instance and what it takes for a school district to run effectively.

Vouchers present runaway budgetary costs for for every state in which they are currently present.

They are wildly expensive.

And if this amendment passes a Kentucky, it would be no different.

Vouchers would lead to cuts in services.

We would be able to provide our students and families otherwise.

This would make the teachers shortage worse as we would have to cut positions and again would require public schools to do more with less.

Our kids and communities deserve better.

Public dollars should stay with public schools so we can all continue to provide the highest possible quality education to all of our students.

Our public schools deserve to be supported.

Our students, our families and our communities are worth it to.

Protect our schools.

Kentucky is about to launch a statewide campaign with seven stops across the Commonwealth, starting with Paducah on May 28.

There are groups in Kentucky backing the Constitution amendment as they view it, as a path for all parents to choose the best education for their children, whether they need public or nonpublic learning options.