I’ve been stewing about this column. Just weeks away from a huge election, and so many important decisions on the table. For an editorial columnist, it’s like issue smorgasbord. Can’t eat just one, so I’ll gorge myself on multiple topics, specifically school funding, library funding and choosing our representative to Congress.
Amendment 39 would mandate that every school district spend 65 percent of total funding on “classroom resources.” From a distance, like many ill-thought-out initiatives, that sounds reasonable. After all, shouldn’t 35 percent be enough for that “other stuff?” Shouldn’t most money be spent in the classroom?
But dig deeper. This initiative makes the ludicrous assumption that we, the general public, know more about school budgeting to achieve educational objectives than those who live and breathe that job every day. This amendment undercuts the system we’ve put in place, and screams to educators, “You don’t know how to do your job!”
Our system chooses professionals who understand the complexities of the educational system far better than we. We give them objectives, which we expect them to achieve, using their best judgment. This amendment undercuts that judgment. The result would be all kinds of unforeseen consequences, as administrators slash elsewhere.
Hey, all of you armchair superintendents out there, which of the following are unimportant to our kids: security, school nurses, special education, guidance counselors, food services, or transportation? That’s right, they’re all essential. But each would fall outside of the 65 percent requirement.
Reject Amendment 39. Respect the judgment of the professionals we’ve chosen to run our schools.
Another issue on the ballot would provide funding for libraries. Library popularity grows, budgets shrink, and we all wince at those small-government zealots who can’t distinguish budget fat from budget meat. Investing in our libraries simply makes sense because they are so efficient. By definition, they facilitate resource sharing. And in doing so, they broaden the horizons and education of citizens in our community. What a smart idea.
Now you might have a gripe against tax money to fund a teapot museum, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Funding libraries is smart spending.
Lastly, we tend to choose our representative to the House based on who will fight to make sure that Colorado’s needs get met at the federal level. I think this year it’s different. To twist some clever words from John F. Kennedy, ask not what your country can do for your state, ask what your state can do for your country. And likewise, ask what your state representative can do for your country.
The current leadership in Washington has done incalculable damage to our safety (our bullying and mistakes in the Middle East are turning the world against us) and our fiscal health (the U.S. debt has more than doubled since 1990, now topping $7 trillion, yet exacerbated by President Bush through huge tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans), and Bush is in deer-in-headlights denial as Iraq spins out of control.
Hers may be only one of 435 voices, but we need our representative’s voice to speak loudly and clearly: the people of Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District are dissatisfied with the direction of this country, and we want change. Marilyn Musgrave is in too deep with the neoconservatives who’ve made this mess to give us bold leadership.
For that reason, not only does Colorado need Angie Paccione, America does.
As sad as struggling libraries is our struggling democratic process because of poor voter turnout, especially for midterm elections. So please don’t blow it off. The smorgasbord awaits you.
