Amendment 66
Amendment 66 failed to pass for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with Coloradans believing our schools have too much money. Nearly every school district in the state passed mill levies in 2012 so asking voters just a year later for another tax increase for schools was very bad timing. Ultimately, though, the real reason for its failure was a very poorly run campaign.
Jeffco PTA’s Board of Directors voted in July, after a debate of the pros and cons, to support the amendment. Our criteria for determining support boiled down to two things: the severe underfunding of Colorado schools and whether or not the passage of Amendment 66 would be beneficial to our children. After $1 billion in funding cuts to Colorado schools since the recession, the $950 million tax increase would have returned us to 2009 per pupil funding levels. Our state currently ranks 49th in the nation for per pupil funding.
Nevertheless, we had concerns. Many of us felt the re-write of the School Finance Act, Senate Bill 213, took an already inequitable funding system and created a different inequitable funding system. While its passage would most certainly have been of benefit to our children, even in its inequity, instead of looking at what our children really need to prepare them for a 21st century workforce and how we go about funding those needs, Senate Bill 213 sought primarily to backfill financial holes.
That’s not to say there aren’t any redeeming factors in the bill. If funded the bill provides free full day Kindergarten for all children in Colorado and guaranteed preschool funding for children living at or below the poverty level. In Jefferson County, that’s one in three children.
To try and make the bill more equitable, Jeffco PTA successfully lobbied the legislature in March to add a third tier to the bill’s At-Risk funding – funding for children living in poverty. This alone would have meant an addition $9 million for Jeffco Schools had Amendment 66 passed.
The campaign for Amendment 66 also failed to recognize and mobilize its most valuable and powerful resource, the parent community. In the end, because of this poorly executed campaign, our children are the real losers.
Superintendent Resignation
As you probably know, after twelve years as our superintendent, Dr. Cindy Stevenson will retire at the end of June. Dr. Stevenson, who grew up in Jeffco and graduated from Lakewood High School, has spent the last forty years of her professional life as a teacher, principal, administrator, and superintendent in Jefferson County. If actions speak louder than words then Dr. Stevenson has proven her devotion to making Jeffco not just one of the best school districts in the country for our children – 3rd highest graduation rate of the nation’s 50 largest school districts – but one of the best places for our 12,000 employees to work. She is a tremendous advocate for children and a remarkable leader, creating partnerships with teachers, administrators, and staff that have been nationally recognized. Her support of PTA and the work we do as child advocates (not bake sale specialists) is unmatched. She will be greatly missed.
School Board Election
Three new members were elected to the Jefferson County Board of Education on November 5 and will be sworn in on Thursday, November 21 at 5:30 pm at the Education Center in Golden. A 90 minute session of public comment will follow the swearing in, where all members of the community are welcome to speak to the board for one minute each about any issue they feel important. You can find out how to sign up to speak at www.boarddocs.com/co/jeffco/board.nsf/public.
We believe the role of a school board should be policy governance and oversight and that decisions about curriculum and the day to day operations of the district are best left to our very knowledgeable education professionals. None of our newly elected board members have any sort of education background so we hope they will recognize, honor, and respect the ongoing progress in our schools and the collaboration and partnerships with employees and the community that Dr. Stevenson worked so hard to build.
We wish them the best as they are sworn in on Thursday. We will, as always, be watching closely and keeping our community apprised of the decisions they make.
Jefferson County Council PTA is the largest PTA in Colorado, with more than 13,000 members. Got Kids? Grandkids? Nieces, Nephews, Kids You Love? Join PTA! You don’t have to have children in school to be part of the largest child advocacy organization in the nation! Your membership supports the work we do at the local, county, state, and national levels to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of all children. Our mission? Every child’s potential is a reality. You can join online at www.jeffcopta.org or contact president@jeffcopta.org for more information.