Voters in states like Florida, Colorado and Kentucky will face major decisions about their education systems on Tuesday.

Activists and groups on both sides on issues ranging from school choice Partisan school board elections have poured millions of dollars into these fights, which often get less headlines than other ballot measures on abortion or marijuana.

But Election Day offers voters a rare opportunity to make a direct decision on these education issues.

“Even though the ballot initiatives are different in different states … the bottom line is ensuring that we have a well-funded public education system designed for all of our students,” said Becky Pringle, president of the ‘association. National Education Association (NEA).

In Kentucky, Colorado and Nebraska, voters are making decisions that could help or hinder school choice programs, which have worked well among state lawmakers but have yet to face a real challenge in the ballot boxes.

The Nebraska initiative aims to repeal a law that would allow public tax money to go to private schools. In Colorado, a move will be made to enshrine school choice as a right in the state constitution, while Kentucky wants to amend its constitution to allow choice programs.

“Every child in every neighborhood, of every color, class and background, deserves a school that will help them succeed,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) told the Courier Journal.

“Educational freedom, as proposed by Amendment 2, ensures students have the opportunity to learn in the best possible environment and breaks the cycle of poverty that too often prevents children from realizing their potential,” Paul added.

In Florida, where education issues regularly make national news, Amendment 1 will determine whether future school elections will be partisan.

Only four states currently have laws requiring school board candidates to be identified by party.

“I’m just not in favor of starting to politicize school elections. And if we’re all honest, we know what happens when we politicize things. We’re starting to make decisions based on party, instead of focusing on people,” said Democratic Florida State Senator Rosalind Osgood.

Meanwhile, four states – North Dakota, North Carolina, Washington and Montana – will elect new superintendents of education.

And in Washington, particular attention is being paid to Initiative 2109, which would repeal the capital gains tax on sales of stocks or bonds worth more than $250,000, aimed at schools of the state.

“We’re focused on Washington state, where we know there’s a ballot initiative that we’re fighting hard against … we think billionaires ‘should’ pay their fair share,” Pringle said.

She added that “this particular tax helped raise funds” for “much-needed building construction and retrofit projects, installed in HVAC systems to ensure our students have healthy air to breathe.” All these things have been done.

A Cascade PBS/Elway Poll find 56% of respondents said they would not vote to repeal the capital gains tax, while about 29% said they would and 15% are undecided.

In Missouri, voters will decide whether to legalize sports betting, with a 10% betting tax on revenue and licensing fees expected to go to educational institutions if the amendment passes.

Massachusetts voters, meanwhile, will enjoy the benefit of a high school exam. With Question 2, voters will decide whether to end MCAS, a state test that high school students must pass to graduate.

While education issues can be overshadowed in major elections where voters decide who will control the White House, Senate and House, Pringle said his group is working hard to ensure the ballot measure is not not ignored.

“One in 100 Americans is a member of the NEA,” she said.

“They made phone calls across the states, they talked to people to make sure they read their ballots all the way through, that they turned them in, that they knew the importance of these initiatives So we’ve included that in all of our messaging, in the conversations that educators are having with voters and with educators across the country, and we’re making sure we provide that information to them,” she said. added.

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