A great letter to the editor about a proposal on the Colorado ballot to require school districts to spend at least 65% of their money on the classroom. 

The 65% Solution – Say Yes to Amendment 39

Next month voters will have an opportunity to exercise greater control in how their school district spends the money we pay them to educate our children.  Amendment 39 would require school districts to spend at least 65% of their expenditures on classroom expenses. 

Does spending money on the classroom make a difference?  You bet!  The National Center for Educational Statistics says the five states with the highest student standardized test scores (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, and Connecticut) on average spent 64.1 percent in the classroom. The five worst-scoring states (Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia) on average spent 59.5 percent in the classroom.  Is that a coincidence?  I think not.  Spending money on the classroom matters. 

Adams County District 12 vehemently opposes this measure.  Why?  Because it takes away some of the “control” they wield over your tax dollars and it makes them put that money in the classroom.  Why is this a bad thing?  The board doesn’t understand it isn’t about their control of your money – it is about accountability!  It is about doing what works and what is best for the students.  The classroom is where students get educated and where the money needs to go – not to the administrators sitting in an office. 

Adams 12 says putting dollars in the classroom won’t make a difference.  It is interesting that this is the same school district that voters have been very generous to in recent years and yet they continue to have budget issues and are always crying for more funding.  Far too much of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money is wasted in public schools on bloated bureaucracies, duplicative administrative overhead, and other non-instructional spending.  You don’t think that is the case?  Ask a teacher for an honest answer.

Need an example?  Earlier this year Adams 12 once again was having budget problems.  They made some budget cuts, publicly declared that it was the administration that bore the brunt of the cuts and patted themselves on the back.  The truth?  The cuts removed technology coaches (assistants) from classrooms.  Then, to top it all off, they yanked discretionary money from the schools that was used to hire paraprofessionals – professionals that provided hands on help in the classroom that is invaluable to teachers and students. 

It is the students and the teachers who were hurt, not the administration bureaucrats!  For next year, the district is now looking to remove student achievement coaches from classrooms, another move that hurts our kids.  Adams 12 is a prime example of why this measure is needed as they obviously need some guidance in where to spend our tax money. 

This measure allows taxpayer dollars to directly reach the children instead of district bureaucrats.  Making classroom spending a priority and providing our hardworking teachers with more classroom resources will give our students the best opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Vote yes on Amendment 39.

Blake McCammon
Thornton, CO