A Call to Action in Opposition to Colorado’s Amendment 80

A few weeks ago, DougCo Collective issued a Statement of Opposition to Colorado’s Amendment 80. In that statement, we also called for the Douglas County School Board to pass a resolution stating its opposition as well. To date, they have not, and now that election ballots are in the hands of voters, we are asking publicly again and invite you to join us. 

HOW COULD AMENDMENT 80 HARM PUBLIC EDUCATION IN COLORADO?

The debate over Amendment 80 and its potential implications for Colorado’s public education system reveals deep concerns about the future of education funding and equity. Advocates of the amendment argue that it aims to enshrine school choice in the state’s constitution, allowing for greater flexibility and diversity in educational options. However, critics worry that it could accelerate the privatization of public education, largely through mechanisms like vouchers, which allow public education funds to be redirected to private and often religious schools.

The central concern is that the redirection of public funds weakens the public education system by reducing resources available for traditional public schools. This results in larger class sizes, fewer extracurricular and technical opportunities, and lower teacher salaries, making the profession less attractive and contributing to the ongoing national teacher shortage. These developments, in turn, feed the narrative that public schools are failing, bolstering support for privatized education models.

Charter schools, which have been a part of Colorado’s education landscape since 1993, play a dual role. On the one hand, they can relieve pressure on overcrowded public schools and can offer varied curricula and sometimes smaller class sizes, attracting a diverse student body. On the other hand, when charters are mismanaged or proliferate too rapidly, they divert funds from neighborhood schools, eroding resources and increasing disparities. We have experienced both of these outcomes in DCSD over the years. 

In November 2010, one year after taking office on the DCSD Board of Education, Directors John Carson, Dan Gerken, Doug Benevento, and Meghann Silverthorn announced plans to implement a voucher program in DCSD. During a meeting in March 2011, they voted to launch the voucher program the following school year. The voucher program resulted in seven years of litigation and appeals before it was finally declared unlawful in 2018, by the Colorado Supreme Court. Passing Amendment 80 this November would create space for a voucher program like what was proposed in 2011 to be legal.

For-profit entities like Faustus Management, LLC., which owns Lehman Academy, managing charter schools further complicate the issue, as public dollars intended for education may end up enriching private corporations, deepening inequality and undermining the public education system’s integrity. 

The growing role of religious institutions, facilitated by voucher programs, raises additional concerns about the separation of church and state and whether public money should fund institutions that can discriminate based on religion, sexual orientation, or other factors.

In Colorado, vouchers would likely exacerbate these problems by allowing even more public education funds to flow to private institutions, deepening divisions and reducing public schools’ ability to serve students from all backgrounds. The ultimate concern with Amendment 80 is, should it pass, it follows the same blueprint that has enabled private school choice programs in other states. 

And if it happens here in Colorado, it could lead to increased segregation, greater inequality, and a weakening of the civic foundations that public education is meant to foster.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• SIGN A PETITION that asks the DCSD school board to pass a resolution opposing Amendment 80 and urging Douglas County voters to vote NO on Amendment 80. The BoE directors can be leaders in defending public education by putting their support behind the opposition campaign,and you can encourage them to by,

• EMAIL THE DCSD SCHOOL BOARD DIRECTORS* to remind them that passing a resolution against Amendment 80 would not only demonstrate their commitment to public education, it would help build trust with the community that is being asked to pass a $490 million bond that some are not only skeptical of supporting, but are outright campaigning against it.
  
  A quick reference to the Douglas County School District Board of Education Legislative Priorities document, which was enacted last December by the current BoE directors, includes this statement:

“DCSD supports ensuring that county public tax dollars for PK-12 education are used exclusively to fund PK-12 public schools, including district-authorized charter schools. DCSD opposes efforts such as utilization of vouchers, education savings accounts or tax credits that divert public school money to private PK-12 schools.”

*cwilliams@dcsdk12.org, kwinegar@dcsdk12.org, vthompson1@dcsdk12.org, bmyers@dcsdk12.org, bgeiger1@dcsdk12.org, smeek@dcsdk12.org, tmoore7@dcsdk12.org 

• ENDORSE “No on 80” AS AN INDIVIDUAL. Add your name alongside others in opposition to Amendment 80 through public education advocacy group Protect Public Schools Colorado. Endorse“No on 80” states that it:

 “is unnecessary because school choice is already protected in law, and has been for 30 years. What Amendment 80 actually does is permanently lock in a right to private schools in the constitution for the first time ever.”

• PARTICIPATE IN A PUBLIC ED VOTER TEXTING CAMPAIGN. This is a chance to play a pivotal role in stopping a truly existential threat to public education. Sign up to text bank with Great Education Colorado to inform tens of thousands of Coloradans about the harmful consequences of Amendment 80. They will send you easy-to-follow instructions and a document with all the canned responses you will need. 

Amendment 80 is overwhelmingly opposed by a variety of organizations across the political and ideological realm – ranging from the ACLU and Colorado Democrats to Christian Home Educators and the Douglas County GOP!

Some of the organizations publicly opposing the amendment include:

• ACLU Colorado

• Advocates for Public Education Policy (A4PEP)

• AFT Colorado

• The Bell Policy Center

• Christian Home Educators of Colorado

• Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB)

• Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE)

• Colorado Democrats

• Colorado Education Association

• Colorado Fiscal Institute

• Colorado PTA

• Colorado Rural School Alliance

• Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition (CSPC)

• Colorado Working Families Party

• Douglas County GOP

• Great Education Colorado

• Public Schools Strong

• Stand for Children

Several Colorado school districts have also passed resolutions in opposition to Amendment 80, including: 

• Adams 12 School District

• Aspen School District

• Boulder Valley School District

• Greeley-Evans School District 6

• Jefferson County School District

• Poudre Education Association

• Pueblo School District 60

• Steamboat Springs School District