Statement on Amendment 73 Election Results

My Dear Colleagues and Friends,

In last night’s election, we were disappointed to see that Amendment 73 did not pass. This ballot measure would have provided our schools roughly $150 million in additional funding for teacher compensation, supporting higher needs students and expanding Early Childhood Education opportunities. We are encouraged that more than 44% of Coloradans recognized our funding challenges and the need to invest in education. We know that Coloradans care about providing high-quality education for kids.

In Colorado, we fund our schools an estimated $2,100 per student less than the national average. We know our kids deserve better than that. Our state needs to increase our investment in education, and all of our voices play a vital role in this effort. It’s critical to be able to compensate our professionals and meet the equity needs of our students who live in poverty, are learning English or require special attention due to unique needs. These funds are sorely needed.

We’ll continue to press our legislators to make a change, and encourage educators, families and community members to contact their elected representatives to ensure their voice is heard too.

I bring my personal core values of moral purpose, respect and dignity, learning, and joy to our continued efforts with the state legislature for funding. I commit to you that I will be deeply engaged in this work to improve our state funding.

Sincerely,
Ron
Ron Cabrera, PhD