Guest commentary: Proposition 119 will divert money from the schools that need it, create bureaucracy

Voters, beware of the scam artists this November. They are retired to bargain from the dwindling coffers of nationalist education. Before ballots are cast, the information indispensable beryllium told astir Proposition 119, LEAP (Learning Enrichment Academic Progress program).

The affluent backers of LEAP asseverate Coloradans request different authorities bureaucracy to hole pupil learning nonaccomplishment owed to the pandemic. Using millions of dollars from the School Land Trust and higher taxes connected marijuana, LEAP would make a caller independently tally authorities bureau to negociate out-of-school programs, with a fund greater than the size of the full yearly fund of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).

Voters are led to judge LEAP would beryllium funded by an summation successful marijuana taxes, but this is deceptive. LEAP would besides “reallocate a information of the nationalist schoolhouse lands income” to money the agency. What “reallocate” truly means is stripping distant millions of dollars annually from the schools and children they assertion to help, past diverting those precious funds into the slope relationship of an autarkic bureaucracy to declaration with backstage providers for out-of-school programs.

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Council fiscal summary, the diversion of nationalist schoolhouse lands income to LEAP would effect successful the nonaccomplishment of gross and involvement of astatine slightest $21 cardinal annually to the State Land Trust, which was legally formed successful 1876 for the intergenerational payment of nationalist schools. Not 1 penny of LEAP would payment our underfunded nationalist schools wherever these students attend, but instead, would enactment the pockets of backstage investors and profiteers.

Under Colorado’s authorities constitution, State Land Trust monies are to beryllium utilized exclusively for nationalist schools. Paying backstage providers with monies from this root is simply a wide usurpation of the authorities constitution, and much importantly, the intent of the trust. The State Land Trust Board, with the work to support the assets of the trust, voted unanimously to reason LEAP.

Adding to the layers of scam artistry, LEAP would run arsenic the benignant of bureau with sole authorization to negociate the monies and programs wholly connected its own, with nary oversight, accountability, oregon collaboration with the Colorado Department of Education oregon immoderate different authorities agency. The LEAP committee would person the powerfulness to marque and alteration their ain rules, take which providers person the contracts, and acceptable the salaries of LEAP employees. Unscrupulous behaviour by providers oregon negligent decisions by the committee would beryllium shielded from immoderate lawsuit. This shady set-up opens the flood-gates to fraud, corruption, and misuse of nationalist funds.

Since 2015, a information of marijuana taxes has gone to assistance nationalist schools. With this money, the Colorado Department of Education oversees assistance programs to territory and school-sponsored programs. If the elite unit of affluent deceivers cared truthful overmuch astir helping mediocre children with pandemic learning loss, they would nonstop those caller marijuana taxes to CDE, alternatively of creating a large unchecked autarkic authorities bureau with excessive administrative overhead.

Ninety percent of the $510 cardinal national Coronavirus Relief Fund precocious received were sent to Colorado’s section schoolhouse districts via CDE, specifically to code learning loss. Districts are utilizing these national dollars for tutoring, earlier and after-school programs, counselors, smaller people sizes, net access, computers, extended schoolhouse hours, intelligence wellness programs, summertime school, and summertime camps. These acquisition decisions are being made by section schoolhouse boards and licensed educators, not by businessmen successful a firm committee room.

LEAP is different favored task of the rich, firm charlatans with their insatiable hunger to nett from payer dollars. They run by convincing voters that they are the bully guys who person travel to the rescue. Don’t beryllium fooled. Send a connection this November that nationalist acquisition is not for merchantability and we volition not beryllium deceived.  Vote NO connected Proposition 119.

Judy Solano is simply a retired teacher, having taught for 27 years successful the St. Vrain Valley School District. Upon retirement, she served 8 years arsenic a Colorado authorities representative. Currently, she serves arsenic seat of advocates for Public Education Policy, a nonprofit.