NO on Colorado Amendment 80

“Why I am voting NO on Amendment 80

Amendment 80 appears to be harmless enough. The language appears to be designed to not raise any concerns about what it could do. However, the truth is that it could end up doing quite a bit, and most of that would be harmful to Colorado’s schools and schoolchildren. After reading both the pros and cons for this amendment, I am a no.

Amendment 80 is a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution, to add three provisions, according to the official Bluebook mailed to voters by the state: 1) creating a right to school choice; 2) creating a right for parents to direct the education of their children; and 3) creating a right for all children to have an equal opportunity to access a quality education.

Choice is already deeply embedded in Colorado’s schools and in its laws. Here in BVSD, 40% of our students attend a school that is not their neighborhood school. Parents can send their child to a neighborhood school, an innovation school, a magnet school, or a charter school. Parents can also choose to homeschool or send their child to a private school. There simply is no reason to add language to the constitution that could very well backfire.

The most obvious concern, which many others have already focused on, is that Amendment 80 could open the door to vouchers. Colorado’s voters and legislators have soundly defeated vouchers every time they have been proposed. But this measure locks in a right to private schools for the first time ever in Colorado, and the fear is that this might lead a court to require that taxpayer money be diverted to subsidize this right . Private schools do not have to accept all students, and our laws protecting students with disabilities and other vulnerable students have very limited reach to help students in these schools – particularly religious private schools. I believe our public dollars should support schools that provide opportunities for all our children.

Colorado already underfunds public education. We rank 5th from the bottom in a recent analysis conducted by USA Today. We need to be investing more in our public schools, not taking a chance on a measure that would take away funding from our schools.

Another provision of Amendment 80 creates a right for parents to direct their child’s education. This isn’t about parental engagement, which is essential to the success of our schools and students. In fact, this parental-rights language is similar to the approach taken by Moms for Liberty. An open question – left to a judge sometime in the future – is whether this language would give each parent the right to direct lessons, student classroom assignments, book assignments, and much more.

Finally, this amendment could impact a locally elected school board’s ability to regulate or close an under-performing, under-enrolled, or even fiscally irresponsible charter school. Many factors are taken into consideration by a local board in reaching a decision about a charter school. Under what circumstances does a parent’s right to a charter school be enforced to demand that a charter remain open, regardless of other constitutional, operational, or financial concerns?

For all these reasons, I encourage you to vote NO on Amendment 80.”