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Victory for Lobato plaintiffs
Written by Nancy Mitchell and Todd Engdahl on Dec 9th, 2011. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
Hick says that this ruling, if upheld, will “decimate other programs”. Which ones? That’s a serious question because I’d like to know precisely what combination of other programs outweighs the future of our children. Perhaps, when programs that TABOR supporters care about (public ed not being one of them) are affected, we’ll actually be able to overturn this misguided and hurtful amendment.
The level of funding for public education in Colorado is shameful. Even more shameful is that we can’t even get our governor, a Democrat, to put up a fight. DINO-Democrat in Name Only!
Finally, a true victory for every child that has left a Colorado school unprepared for further academic success and for every great teacher and principal who has been blamed for the challenges when our communities have continued to fail to provide the resources that would help to make a difference. Judge Rappaport took note of how little we invest in our children and has made a courageous statement. What has yet to be seen is whether our State’s politicians will care enough to finally act.
Kudos to the Lobato’s, whose older daughter I also congratulate for showing the initiative and potential to continue her schooling at the top-tier University of Denver. It is indeed a superior place to earn a degree, and some genuine education occurs there. But I suspect her real education began at home under the watchful eye of her parents, living the ranching life with its attendant lessons of hard work, respect for life, balancing priorities, and perhaps some exposure to music, family history, certain artistic crafts, and other languages and the cultures they introduce.
My Dr is of the math variety, and I get to work with some of the graduates of this state’s K-12 system as an adjunct for PPCC and UCCS. The experience is enjoyable, and I believe mutually so. But the kids are, as kids always are, stuck on “do”. Nothing wrong with that, as it is age-appropriate. However, “demonstrating sound mathematical reasoning” , a universally offered opportunity, is not a universally achieved outcome. The best catch it best and see its potential in a broader life setting, making it worth the effort for them to become better at it–it sharpens their thinking more generally. In other words, education is pursued, not received.
Which brings me to my point. The state cannot PROVIDE education to students en masse and programatically (“thoroughly and uniformly”). All the debased money in this country cannot make that happen. There is no such thing as education (delivery) system. Schooling/Training? Yes. We have a system to train students to perform pretty well on standardized tests, just as most can be trained to perform competently on an oboe. Those students who, thanks to their wiring and an inspiring teacher, connect with the writers or the beauty of the music they played on their oboes are those who will pursue an education in music, which may become a life vocation or a life-enriching hobby.
By all means, balance the dollars per student, for after all this is the only action that the court can demand. It cannot demand the provision of an equally qualified teaching staff state-wide, for it cannot mandate where people live and work, and it cannot overturn TABOR, for which we should bow the knee daily in gratitude that it was in place for many years before the sky fell in 2008. If not for a pugnacious California ex-pat lawyer, Governor Hickenlooper would be faced with thrice the cutting task he has now. No wonder his predecessor could stand only one term: cutting programs for a Democrat is antithetical to his or her emotional well-being. Let the legislature make its case to the voters to fund worthy programs under duress. I was outvoted on the ones offered last November, but the arguments for more taxes persuaded me. TABOR doesn’t make a tax increase impossible; it requires the offerer to make the compelling case.
In the District Judge’s ruling we see a logical conclusion drawn from the tyranny of words penned into the Constitution by unsophisticated politicians who valued high-sounding words over actionable language. Judge Rappaport’s order attempts the impossible, and she is to be commended. “Thorough and uniform education system”, indeed. Words matter. The law-writers should make the first order of business a constitutional amendment precisely prescribing what is possible with education, not what is ideal. There are other angels in this state that require funding every bit as much as the education system, and last time I checked, there have not been sudden riches made available to the spenders. Oh wait–there is oil and gas, but….oh, frack it.
Pugnacious? Are you referring to Doug Bruce? TABOR was a BAD idea and has hog-tied our state from making the kind of investments we need in education and infrastructure. You seem to think our legislators are incapable of making budget decisions without that anti-tax trickery. Listen, I vote for my representatives and I want them to make decisions and I want to hold them accountable at the ballot box. TABOR takes from my representatives and from me the power to perform democratically. Prop 13 and a slew of voter-initiated amendments has made California a financial basket case; I don’t want that to happen here.
Our schools do need better financing and better facilities, especially in rural areas of the state. I suggest you go visit the sometime.
When the decision of Brown vs. Board of education challenged the notion in the fifties that education could no longer be separate and unequal, our country has struggled, as evidenced by the achievement gap, to ensure all students perform at the level of proficiency. Fifteen African American families finally took a stand and brought about the most significant educational lawsuit of our country. They took a courageous stand and risked everything to ensure their children didn’t fall through the cracks. Do we have even a small amount of this courage to stand for our students?
As the expectations and accountability have increased, support has decreased to attain these goals. During a tough economic time, it makes sense that the state and local government funding will decrease. However, when you examine priorities for a state and country, educating our children must be our top priority.
As evidenced by our nation’s history, there is no better way to overcome the social oppression minority groups experience in our country than to have a system of education open the doors to more diverse voices and cultures and perspectives. Our future generation depends on this, and an investment in education is a direct and long-term solution to addressing poverty, institutional racism, cultural bias, homelessness, and many other issues facing our country. It is the long-term key to a more stable economic fuiture.
I am honored to be a native Coloradan today, and I hope and pray our legislators do not ignore the voice of the people and the silent voices of our children hoping that we have the courage to stand up and ensure the door of their future is opened wide for them. Educating all children is a civil rights issue. We as a country and a state must own the achievement gap and stand for all of our students to have educational access and a meaningful future.