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Colorado educators hope voters give the go-ahead to Amendment 73

Posted at 1:45 PM, Aug 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-19 19:06:30-04

DENVER – In November, Colorado voters will decide whether to approve Amendment 73, which would raise taxes on Colorado corporations and those making more than $150,000 a year and give that money to schools. 

The president of the Colorado Education Association says that would be money well spent.

“We’ve been underfunding our schools for so long and we see the impacts of that day in the classrooms and the worksites and how students are impacted by that,” Amie Baca-Oehlert told Tony Kovaleski on this weekend’s Politics Unplugged. “This last year alone we underfunded our schools by $828 million. That means supports and resources go away from students – students who need it the most.”

Unlike previous bills that earmarked education for things like capital improvements, school districts would be able to use the money from Amendment 73 however they want.

“In one community that might look like more text books, more resources for mental health supports and in another community that might be buildings or school safety,” Baca-Oehlert said. “But the community, they know themselves best, so they’re going to come together with the school district with educators and say, 'this is how we’re going to use this money in our community.'”

Politics Unplugged airs Sundays at 4:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Denver7 and noon on K3-KCDO.