Colorado led school choice expansion nationally. Now we can lead again by defending school choice rights in the state constitution and voting yes on Amendment 80.Most people think a successful business has choice, competition, and accountability.
My family had few educational options, especially in public schools, when I started elementary school in the 1960s. The local school district assigned most youngsters to schools based on their home addresses.
Schools had a geographically assured student body under this method. Most families had to suffer inadequate schooling if their designated school didn’t meet their needs.
Families had little power to improve education quality or accountability. Guaranteed markets breed mediocrity and complacency.
Colorado was one of the first states to let families choose public schools in the 1990s. The 1993 charter school bill was written by Republican Sen. Bill Owens, who later became governor, and Democratic Sen. Peggy Kerns. Democratic Gov. Roy Romer signed it.
Imagine education reform with bipartisan support. All parties agreed that old teaching methods were insufficient for varied children.
My wife Holly and I had four unique children. Previously, we had three kids in three public elementary schools. Through this law, we ensured each received the education they needed and prospered. Each of our four children has nine degrees and works.
Ready Colorado reports that 40% of public school kids in Colorado attend a choice school. Open Enrollment is the most popular option. And 135,000 families pick public charter schools.
School choice is popular, but bipartisan support for competition and accountability is waning. The hyper-partisan political climate undermines many good ideas, including school choice.
Parents, teachers, and students must accept that the same people that have been uncomfortable with choice and competition for decades and have rejected every move to open new educational freedom fronts will continue until they turn back the clock.
They are working at the state Capitol and in the Colorado Board of Education to decrease or abolish families’ school alternatives, especially charter schools. We cannot let that happen.
Amendment 80, on the ballot this November, would protect Coloradans from endless school choice attacks. Our school choice right can be in the state constitution.
No new programs or taxpayer costs result from this change. The funding of schools remains unchanged. It only protects current rights constitutionally.
Open enrollment, charter schools, and homeschooling can be reduced or eliminated by state statute. To combat school choice, the Colorado constitution must be amended, which is difficult.
Ironically, only Amendment 80 opponents claim educational freedom is safe and unnecessary. That makes me an enthusiastic fan.
We have not come this far to come this far, as the phrase goes. A strong school system with many family options is more crucial than ever. A globally competitive economy requires well-educated, well-trained workers.
We cannot go back, and protecting our state constitution rights is the strongest assurance against reversing our education system. Join me in supporting Amendment 80. Future Coloradans will thank us for school choice.
