Statement on HB 9
Feb. 19, 2026
Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee
(cell) 859-475-7202
lisa@prichardcommittee.org
Statement on HB 9 and the Kentucky Supreme Court Decision from Brigitte Blom, President and CEO of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Today, the Kentucky Supreme Court rightly struck down House Bill 9, upholding Kentucky’s forward-thinking Constitution that rightly protects from the dismantling of public education as an essential public good.
The promise of Kentucky’s Constitution is clear: to serve every child through a system of local decision making. Further, funds dedicated to the state’s common school system cannot be diverted elsewhere without voter approval. The Court’s unanimous decision, grounded in Rose v. Council for Better Education, protects the integrity of Kentucky’s public education system and ensures accountability to the taxpayers who fund it.
Kentuckians’ undeniable and steadfast focus must remain on improving outcomes in our public schools that serve every child – and every family – in every community across the Commonwealth.
The Prichard Committee believes in the power and promise of public education –early childhood through college– to ensure Kentuckians’ economic and social well-being. We are a citizen-led, non-partisan, solutions-focused nonprofit, established in 1983 with a singular mission of realizing a path to a larger life for Kentuckians with education at the core.