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On July 15, 2010 the Great Futures Coalition released the Open Letter to Colorado Voters to media outlets across the state.

NEWS RELEASE

July 15, 2010

New Report Surveys K-12 Cuts for Upcoming Year

Education Coalition: “We will not let another year pass without giving voters the opportunity to provide a better legacy for our children.”

DENVER – Responding to the negative impacts of state budget cuts on Colorado students detailed in a new report by the Colorado School Finance Project, the Great Futures Colorado coalition today released an open letter to Colorado voters. By signing the letter, hundreds of Coloradans statewide joined the coalition’s call for a ballot measure in 2011 to address Colorado’s education funding crisis.

The CSFP Report details the decisions made by districts and charter schools throughout the state to meet the requirement that they passed a balanced budget for the 2010-11 school year by June 30, 2010. The Report indicates that districts throughout the state are resorting to cost-cutting measures that will have a significant and lasting impact on students and families: increased class sizes, shorter school years, transportation and technology fees, deferred textbook purchases, reduced art, music and physical education programs, and even four-day school weeks.

“The report makes clear that kids throughout Colorado will be returning to more crowded classrooms, for fewer days, and with narrower curriculum,” said Lisa Weil, Policy Director of Great Education Colorado, a member of the Great Futures coalition. “With the real threat of even greater cuts to K-12 and higher ed looming for the next two years, public education supporters recognize this crisis will only deepen until the voters are given the opportunity to fix it.”

Great Futures is a diverse and growing coalition of community and statewide organizations that was formed in January 2010 to advocate for a P-20 education system that has the resources to prepare all children for the challenges of the 21st century. Earlier this year, the coalition called on the legislature to refer a measure to the ballot in November 2010 to provide a mechanism for preventing even deeper cuts, but the legislation failed.

“We cannot stand idly by as cuts grow deeper every year,” said Lynn Huizing, President of Colorado PTA, a member of the Great Futures coalition. “Our constituents understand that our children can’t wait any longer for us to get our priorities straight and live our values. This letter is their way of saying inaction is no longer an option.”

More than sixty communities – from Arvada to Yampa, and Grand Junction to Rush – are represented in the open letter. Signers of all walks of life, ages, political parties, and occupations added their names to the list, showing the breadth and depth of support for public education in Colorado.