Remember: It could get even worse . . .
The Steamboat Pilot published a timely reminder last week of the devastation that would visit Colorado if Proposition 101, Amendment 60 and Amendment 61 — three anti-tax measures with connections to TABOR’s Douglas Bruce — were to pass.
The Pilot article focuses on the impact the ballot initiatives would have on school districts, including a little-noticed (until now) provision of Amendment 61 that would cripple districts that are particularly dependent on property tax revenues:
The South Routt School District depends on the state’s interest-free loan program.The program allows South Routt and 24 other Colorado school districts, including Hayden, to pay the bills for most of the school year until their primary revenue source, property taxes, is remitted in April or May.
It could go away.
. . . Amendment 61 would prohibit the state from taking loans that would allow it to operate in debt. It also would limit the ability of local governments, including school districts, to borrow and incur debt. If approved by voters, the measure will kill the interest-free loan program.
South Routt Superintendent Scott Mader shook his head and sighed Thursday night when he considered what would happen if the district were unable to borrow money.
“It would bring us to our knees,” he said. “We couldn’t operate.”
The Pilot also referred to the one potential ballot measure that could actually improve investment in public education, preschool through higher education:
Great Education Colorado has formed a coalition called Great Futures Colorado, which consists of more than 20 organizations that are working to get a measure on the ballot that would raise taxes for public education, [Great Education Colorado Executive Director Liane] Morrison said.She said the measure, dubbed DECIDE (Decide: Education Cuts or Invest in our Democracy and Economy), would give legislators the discretion to increase taxes to fund public school education from preschool to college.
“It would allow Colorado voters to decide what’s of higher value to them: maintaining the strictest revenue limits in the country or investing in statewide education,” Morrison said.
She added, “DECIDE gives the voters the ability to give the legislature a tool other than a hatchet to balance the budget.”
We’ve got to play defense on 101, 60 and 61. We also need a strong offense. Come support DECIDE at its next hearing: Senate Education Committee on April 29.
Related posts:
