COLORADO SPRINGS – A Colorado coalition hopes to receive a proposal when voting in November that would increase taxes on recreational marijuana to fund tutoring, afternoon care and mental health programs.
Learning Opportunities for Colorado’s Kids leads the Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress (LEAP) or Initiative 25 program to help children make up for pandemic-related learning losses and meet special needs for low-income and disadvantaged students.
“I think it’s one of the most innovative ideas I’ve seen in a long time. I am very excited about the bipartisan support it is generating across the state, ”said Luke Ragland, President of Ready Colorado.
He says the organization supports the election initiative and that it is a new type of proposal that the state has not seen in a long time.
“Simply putting children on the same path they were before the pandemic is not good enough. We actually need to help get children healthy and give them extra support to get them to where they were before the pandemic. The pandemic affected everyone differently and affected communities. “So I think that LEAP, based on parent choice and education, is something that could go a long way in trapping children”, said Ragland.
While it is a relatively new proposal, he believes it does a good job of accounting for how the funds are being spent.
“I think it creates specificity to make sure the money is properly managed, managed and used wisely,” Ragland said. “When Colorado legalized marijuana, I think they figured that the proceeds from marijuana would be used to support educational initiatives.
The move would ask voters for a 5 percent increase in excise tax on recreational marijuana through 2024, which would raise an estimated $ 137 million annually for educational programs. It would also create the Colorado Learning Authority within the state Department of Education to oversee them.
“The initiative is dishonest with their presentation. They start with that they are suitable for every child, and then you don’t have to go very deep when they start discriminating against certain children and / or families. So whenever you are on your side Then something is clearly wrong. Second, it creates a bureaucracy, and we have a lot of bureaucracy, and then it does it within the Department of Education. It already manages billions of dollars in budgets, and all of this only creates one of them, a group, Third, it uses syntax so that marijuana users are discriminated against, “said Jeff Kemp, Colorado Springs parent.
Kemp says this is another opportunity for the government to get more embedded in everyday life and pursue choices. He says the language of the initiative is not very clear about how the educational programs are to be implemented.
“None of the programs in the initiative are defined. It just says that it will help with interventions, does not say what the interventions are, and does not describe the programs. There has to be certification of the people who can do this. None of this is set in stone, not even close. It just says we will have programs. It doesn’t say how the partnerships should work, so all you need is some other bureaucracy or government program to get involved in a partnership and since the requirements are not determined by the voters, you can adjust the qualifications as you see fit then suddenly you have money for something that has nothing to do with education, ”said Kemp.
The Colorado Education Association originally supported Initiative 25, but recently withdrew its support. You are now neutral to the measure.
“During the pandemic, educators were downright heroic in their efforts to provide students with what they need to be successful, despite all the obstacles put in their way. Unfortunately, despite these heroic efforts, some students need extra support to keep up with their classes.
“Initiative # 25 creates the LEAP program, which could support students outside of normal school hours with additional educational offerings such as tutoring, summer science camps and additional special needs support to help students achieve success in their classrooms again. This program is aimed at students from low-income families who need them most and who often do not have access to additional services due to cost barriers.
“LEAP is structured in such a way that educators and districts are evaluated as pre-certified providers of additional services and as input for the decisions of the new state-wide board. The structure is a service provider model where families can choose services from a wide variety of certified providers, but all financial support goes directly to the provider. CEA originally supported Initiative # 25 and appreciated the efforts made by its proponents in drawing up this measure, but as with any new program there are general concerns and uncertainties about implementation that held us up. CEA is now neutral towards the measure.
“Basically, Colorado needs to finance our schools better. While this program does not affect or reduce the funding of our students and schools, it underscores the need that greater support during school hours would help students succeed. Funding our public schools fully would eliminate the need for the state to consider creative and alternative ways of funding critical services for students. “
Amie Baca-Oehlert, High School Counselor and President of the Colorado Education Association
“I have great faith in the electoral initiative and the independent board that manages the funds and is accountable. We have many educators across the state who support and are passionate about the initiative. Everything from STEM programs in Grand Junction and schools that focus on autism and children with special needs, “Ragland said.
Learning Opportunities for Colorado’s children have until August 2 to submit 124,632 signatures to the State Department for review.