It’s getting close to election time, so I am starting to research all of the various amendments and referenda on the ballot here in Colorado. Today’s topic: Amendment 39. This is one that we have to vote against!
Teachers and education leaders oppose Amendment 39 because it does nothing to improve student achievement. In fact, Standard and Poor’s studied this issue and concluded that there is no link between a particular percentage of classroom spending and student achievement.
If you are for public education at all, then you have to vote against Amendment 39. This is an evil piece of legislature, aimed at undermining public education while appearing to try to help it. The Vote No website (also linked on the sidebar) details many reasons to say no to this proposed amendment. One of the most important reasons is:
What is the impact on children in our schools?
Because budget cuts are necessary under the Amendment 39 mandate, children will lose out on nourishing meals, health services, counseling and safe transportation. Disparate impacts occur in low-income areas where children depend on schools to provide nutritious meals, counseling and security, and in rural areas where safe school buses transporting children to school must be reduced or eliminated.
I am also very suspicious of the people behind this proposed amendment, including former Republican minority leader Joe Stengel - a man who seemed to always be looking for ways to funnel money away from lower/middle class Coloradoans and direct it to the upper-class, and Grover Norquist.
