Snarkvark @ PoliSnark.comWell, what do you know? Another day, another complaint filed against a conservative group fighting for school choice. This time it’s Colorado Dawn, a conservative nonprofit backing Amendment 80, which aims to enshrine school choice into the Colorado state constitution. Of course, the Colorado Education Association (CEA) and other public school advocates are already clutching their pearls. Nothing says “we love competition” quite like filing complaints and accusing your opponents of undermining democracy.
The CEA is terrified—no, terrified—that parents might actually have the audacity to choose what’s best for their kids instead of meekly handing them over to the nearest government-run school. Amendment 80 threatens to strip away their death grip on public education by embedding the right to choose public, private, or homeschool options directly into the constitution. Opponents are howling about potential voucher programs sneaking in through the back door—because God forbid taxpayer dollars follow kids to a non-unionized classroom.
Look, the public education industrial complex hates choice the way cats hate baths. The CEA and its allies know that the second parents realize they have other options, many won’t look back. They’re painting Amendment 80 as the beginning of the end for public education as we know it. They fear that once school choice becomes a constitutional right, legislators won’t be able to undo it with a quick vote in the next session.
And here’s the kicker: the CEA isn’t fighting this thing because they care about “kids” or “educational equity.” No, they’re fighting for their monopoly over education dollars. With every kid that opts out of the public school system, that’s another chunk of money not feeding their bloated budgets and pensions. Teachers unions and their supporters are using scare tactics, saying Amendment 80 will siphon money from rural schools and force private school subsidies, even though taxpayer-funded vouchers aren’t even legal in Colorado right now (Colorado Sun) (Colorado Times Recorder).
Meanwhile, Colorado Dawn and its allies like Advance Colorado are pushing this initiative under the banner of “parental rights.” They want to prevent future legislative meddling with charter schools or homeschooling options. Critics say that if this passes, it’s only a matter of time before the floodgates open to voucher programs—something the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity has been drooling over for years (Colorado Sun) And here’s the kicker: the CEA isn’t fighting this thing because they care about “kids” or “educational equity.” No, they’re fighting for their monopoly over education dollars. With every kid that opts out of the public school system, that’s another chunk of money not feeding their bloated budgets and pensions. Teachers unions and their supporters are using scare tactics, saying Amendment 80 will siphon money from rural schools and force private school subsidies, even though taxpayer-funded vouchers aren’t even legal in Colorado right now (Colorado Sun) (Colorado Times Recorder).
But hey, if public schools are doing such a great job, why are they so worried about competition?
The money fight here is as predictable as it gets. The public-school side is heavily bankrolled by teachers’ unions and advocacy groups, which have already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to kill Amendment 80. On the flip side, Advance Colorado, the group leading the school choice charge, is swimming in dark money and Koch cash, trying to buy freedom for parents with one hand while flipping off public schools with the other (US Dept of Ed) (Colorado Times Recorder).
Here’s the bottom line: the education mafia wants parents locked into a system they control—no choice, no freedom, no way out. Amendment 80 threatens that control, and the unions are circling the wagons to protect their turf. They’ll use every lawsuit, complaint, and scare tactic in the book to keep the gravy train rolling. Meanwhile, the rest of us get to sit here wondering why the hell we’re still paying taxes to fund a system that fights harder to silence dissent than to teach kids how to read.
Let’s hear what you’ve got to say—comment below and tell me: Are you ready to let the CEA keep running the show, or is it time to give parents the reins?
