Word is spreading fast about a rally at the state capitol on March 20, when potentially thousands of educators are gathering to protect public school funding.
At least one former Summit High School teacher is coming out of retirement to take a stand.
“I have to do something,” the former teacher, Len, tells Krystal 93. “All (these cuts are) going to do is put us into two different classes. As a society, we’ll have the rich class and then we’ll have the poor class. We’ll have one class that has an education and another class that does not have an education because they can’t afford it.”
Len, who asked not to use his last name, joins more than 230 active Summit County teachers, representing roughly 80% of the school district. Many are members of the local union, Summit County Education Association, which is tied to the state union, Colorado Education Association.
Summit County commissioner Nina Waters stands behind local educators. She hopes this rally will expose growing cracks in the state funding system and lead to better, more sustainable
“There needs to be a big emphasis on local control,” Waters says. “Local governments being able to decide what they should fund and what they shouldn’t fund, and that should be less prescribed from the state legislature.
This rally comes at a critical moment. Gov. Jared Polis is looking to slash an estimated $150 million from state education funding, including cuts to a new state law meant to distribute money more equally to schools outside of the Front Range.
Education isn’t alone. The state is facing an estimated $1.2 billion budget shortfall. Cuts could hit everything from road maintenance and CDOT to emergency networks and rescue teams.