Aspen School District joins other educational groups to oppose constitutional school choice amendment

The Aspen Board of Education unanimously voted to oppose a school choice amendment to the Colorado Constitution.

They agreed in a meeting on Wednesday to release a joint statement with the Aspen Education Association in opposition of Amendment 80, which would enshrine school choice in the Colorado Constitution. The amendment will go to vote on Nov. 5.

“The amendment is a misleading proposal that threatens the future of our public schools and risks costing taxpayers millions of dollars,” they said in the statement. 

The amendment if passed gives parents the constitutional right to direct the education of their children, including the school choice of charter, private, homeschools, and future innovations in education, regardless of the school district of the child. 

Terri Wilson, faculty director for the Master’s in Higher Education for the University of Colorado Boulder, thinks the amendment could open up loopholes for those seeking state-backed private school funding.

“I think the concern that I would have is that this creates a very uncertain and murky legal window,” Wilson, speaking of the amendment, told The Aspen Times prior to Wednesday’s meeting. “That opens opportunities for lawsuits and legal action on behalf of parents who might want to see public funding for private school options.”

The Board and the Aspen Education Association said in the statement this could lead to a voucher system, diverting tax dollars away from public education and essential public services, toward private education. They added that a voucher system would primarily benefit families already using private schools, creating subsidies for the wealthy. 

“Student funding right now is incredibly important to us, especially where our budgets are at the current moment,” Aspen Board of Education President Christa Gieszl said. “I do think that this is something that is important to oppose.”

Aspen School District Superintendent Tharyn Mulberry said he supports the board’s decision to oppose the amendment. 

“This has been opposed also by the Colorado Association of School executives … this is opposed by just about every educational group here,” he said, adding, “and making this decision, it’s something I’m in personal agreement with as well.”

As the election nears, advocacy groups either insist that the amendment could lead to voucher programs or that school choice needs further protection.

Kevin Vick, president of the Colorado Education Association, the educators labor union of Colorado, said he thinks the amendment is being used to disguise the agenda to push a private school voucher program in Colorado. 

“There’ve been a number of attempts to have various private school voucher programs in the state of Colorado over the years, and the main thing that has blocked them is the courts have declared them unconstitutional,” he said. “So what’s the most direct way to make something constitutional? Put it in the constitution.”

He said a private school voucher program could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in funding that would otherwise be used for public education.

Arizona, which began a school voucher program in 2022, spent $332 million on education vouchers last fiscal year and is predicted to spend another $429 million this year, according to the Grand Canyon Institute, a nonprofit think tank. This year the state faced a $1.4 billion budget deficit. 

But those in support of the ballot measure think the constitution needs to be amended to protect parental rights to school choice. 

Sean Duffy, spokesperson for Advance Colorado, an advocacy group for the amendment, said school choice rights in Colorado are continually under siege.

“Keeping those options alive is critically important for Colorado education, for kids, families,” he said.

He said he thinks the Colorado Education Association is attempting to divert focus from their attempts to dismantle choice for charter and private schools because they don’t like the competition.

“What the union is doing is they are trying to change the subject,” he said. “They cannot defend their continual attacks on school choice and charter schools.”

However, the 1994 Colorado Open Enrollment law allows students to enroll in school outside of their school zone. 

“I think, you know, (the law has) been in place for 30 years, pretty sure that ship has sailed,” said Vick, referring to their alleged attempts to dismantle open choice. “And it enjoys broad bipartisan support in many of our communities across the state.”

He said the union’s opinion on competition from private and charter schools isn’t what their campaign is about.

“This is about taking the potential to take public money and siphon it into various privatization efforts,” he said.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.