Voters This Fall Can Fix Colorado's School Funding Problems

Voters at both the state and local level have the chance to fix many of Colorado's school funding issues this fall. Here in Jeffco, a bond and mill levy override will be on the ballot at measures 5A and 5B, while Amendment 73 would fix inequities in funding at the state level.

Our Jeffco public schools are shockingly underfunded compared to other school districts in the metro area, with Jeffco receiving $900 less per pupil compared to Denver, Cherry Creek, Littleton and Boulder. This gap plays out in lots of ways in the classroom, but one of the biggest is in terms of teacher quality. Mid-career educators can leave Jeffco and make $10-12K more in other districts. This is a serious issue when you stop to consider that research shows teacher effectiveness rises as teachers gain experience in the classroom. Jeffco has become a training ground for new teachers, who then move on just as they've mastered the basics. It's the old adage, "you get what you pay for," and we're not paying much.

On top of that, Jeffco's physical infrastructure has suffered from decades of deferred maintenance caused by voter unwillingness to fund repairs. The average age of a Jeffco classroom is 50 years, and stories abound of leaking roofs, rodent infestations, and elevated lead levels in school plumbing.

Jeffco's schools are so underfunded that 5A and 5B would only serve to bring Jeffco closer to the level of underfunding experienced by other school districts. The truth is that Colorado's public schools are seriously underfunded compared to schools in other states.

Colorado spends $9,575 per year per pupil. In comparison, California spends $11,495, Minnesota spends $12,382, North Dakota spends $13,373 and Wyoming (Wyoming!!) $16,442.

On the other hand, Mississippi spends just $8,702 per year per student, so at least we're (barely) beating them in terms of investing in our children. Hmm.

Amendment 73 would bring in additional money by taxing personal income over $150,000-- something that would affect few people in downtown Lakewood, where average family incomes hover at right around $48,000 per year. Even for those families who make over $150K, the tax would be minor-- just $81 a year on average for anyone making between $150-$200K a year. Really, it's peanuts compared to the benefits we'd get as a community.

Corporate tax rates and the property rate on non-residential property would also go up slightly. Meanwhile, the tax rate on residential property would actually go down slightly.

I think it's important to point out that Amendment 73 would really only impact the super-wealthy, and that anything to the contrary is part of a scare campaign aimed at seniors and others on fixed or limited incomes. The truth is that very few people would be hit with any additional taxes while our schools and communities would see big benefits.