Amendment 66 is a fairly controversial issue, but just what would happen if it were passed?
First, Amendment 66 would ask Colorado taxpayers for $950 million tax increase to give more funding to schools and change the way the Colorado distributes dollars to its 178 school districts. If it’s passed, the average family will be paying $133 more in taxes to fund the schools, according to the Coloradoan.
It’s meant to offer additional funding to programs that are on the verge of being cut such as art, music, theater, and eventually athletics. No more field trips, no more school newspapers, and a four-day school week are already results of budget cuts in some Colorado schools. Some schools have even cut art or music programs, like Fort Collins High School that recently cut its music program for lack of funding.
“I’m for it [Amendment 66]. Colorado is already 47th in the nation for school funding. It’s time they back their schools,” Ms. Cohen, an art teacher, stated. Fellow art teacher Mr. McHugh also agrees and said, “I think schools definitely need more funding and should support it.”
Obviously, on the surface it seems like a great idea. Fund the schools; provide better education for the children. So then why is it so controversial? The reason behind that is, while everyone is for funding their kid’s education, it’s not clear where the money would go in schools and whom it would go to. Everyone wants to keep their clubs and sports, but it’s hard to determine the best way to do that.
“It’s not accurate. It’s confusing, and we wouldn’t be sure where the money would go. I’m all for supporting our schools, but I’m not sure this is the best way,” said finance teacher, Mrs. Stewart.
Some students too are weary of what the future holds regarding their extracurriculars. “I love art class; I don’t want it cut. But just throwing money at schools won’t make a difference. What if it’s not spent on the right thing?” junior Haley Wernsman said.
Whether or not people agree if Amendment 66 should be passed, everyone can agree on the fact that we need extracurriculars in our system. The electives, clubs, and sports are essential.
“It’s been proven that majority of students are involved in school only for the extracurricular classes. Cutting out extracurriculars would affect everybody from the quarterback on the football team to the robotics club kids,” Mr. Gallagher, the FRHS Ridge TV teacher, said.
Mr. McQue, an art teacher, also agreed. “It would be drastic. All creative types of learning whether that’s theater or sports would be gone. It would be miserable for students. No one wants to come to school for just math, science, and history.”
Students, too, say that without extracurriculars, it would be damaging to students. Junior Alexis Wilcox said, “Having after school activities and electives cut would create a narrow minded student. Those are the classes that keep kids well rounded.”
Possible solutions to the problem of funding programs could include a variety in things, possibly even Amendment 66. Other than passing amendments, another solution is commercial advertising, which some schools are already doing to fund programs. Even some school sports have business relationships in order to keep the sport going, including FRHS’s field hockey team. Perhaps the solution could even be just spending money schools already have in the right areas.
“For example, here at Fossil. We aren’t in need of a vast majority of funds. We just need to put the money in the right places, like funding teachers,” Mrs. Stewart said.
Amendment 66 is a proposed solution to the problem of extracurriculars being cut. Regardless of people’s opinion on the proposal, everybody has agreed that something has to be done about the budget cutting. Nobody wants to see their favorite classes cut. And what fun is school if all you learn is academics?
“Let’s face it. If it weren’t for electives. I wouldn’t even come to school,” student Haley Wernsman said.
