Students in Woodlin, out on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, could not drink from school fountains because the water supply was contaminated. Roofs of elementary schools in both Trinidad and Idalia fell in – each time, fortunately, when children were not present. The sewer system of the main school in Centennial backed up and flowed down the halls. Every year, that district applies to the state for funding to build a new school; every year, the state turns it down.
Like all students in Colorado public schools, the children in Woodlin, Trinidad, Idalia and Centennial are held accountable through the Colorado Student Assessment Program tests and School Accountability Reports. But where is the state’s accountability to Colorado’s children?
If children are given unsafe school grounds, outdated and insufficient textbooks, uncertified teachers and bathrooms and water faucets that are not sanitary or simply don’t work, should not the state have some responsibility?
The Colorado state auditor in 2003 identified $4.7 billion in unmet K-12 facilities needs. In 2005, the Donnell- Kay Foundation estimated that the need may be twice that amount. Too many students are attending overcrowded schools with unsafe electrical, plumbing and structural conditions. What makes this unmet need even more shocking is that our state leaders have ignored it.
Just last week, Gov. Bill Owens vetoed a measure (Senate Bill 65) that would have established statewide standards for buildings and provided a comprehensive assessment of school facilities needs.
This is denial, plain and simple. If we actually knew what was broken, then we might have an obligation to fix it. The governor would, it seems, rather keep our heads buried in the sand.
This problem is not new. The state settled a facilities lawsuit in 2000, agreeing to pay $190 million over an 11-year period. That was far less than the billions needed, but it looked like a step in the right direction. The problem is that in the years since, the state has fallen way behind on payments, and even though some needs were funded this past year, the state has no current plans to make up the shortfall. In fact, although Colorado’s communities have been passing record numbers of local bond proposals, facilities’ needs are worsening.
All the while, the legislature and the governor have continued to demand accountability from children, teachers and schools. Again, what is the state itself accountable for?
Facilities’ funding is only part of the problem. Special education students, English learners and others who start out behind cannot catch up unless schools provide them with additional services. Colorado’s funding system punishes schools for diversity by providing only cents on the dollar for the actual costs of programs to help high- needs students succeed.
The legislative Joint Budget Committee conservatively estimates that what it calls “full funding” would require substantial increases beyond what the state currently provides: The state would need to almost double the funding for special education and provide almost nine times the current amount for its English Language Proficiency program. Importantly, even such increases would leave schools woefully short of the actual money needed to pay for these programs.
A fair and just funding system would recognize and respond to the needs of all students. Instead, those who start out behind often drop out and rarely go to college. Yet all the while, the legislature and the governor have continued to demand accountability from these children, teachers and schools. What, pray tell, is the state itself accountable for?
Voters are also willing to help. They freed up some money for schools by passing Amendment 23 in 2000 and Referendum C last fall. And they recognize that this is not enough. A recent poll showed that a majority of likely voters think spending on public education should be increased, even if it means raising state taxes. But where are our lawmakers? Where is our governor?
Kevin G. Welner is associate professor of education at CU-Boulder and director of the Education and the Public Interest Center.
