Help School Choice Change More Lives Across Colorado | PODIUM | Opinion

When I was a fourth grade teacher at a public school in Aurora, I had an African American student in my class who was new to our school. By the time she arrived, she was already several years behind in both reading and math. At the first parent-teacher conference, her mother told me that she had had a bad time at her last school. She hadn't studied and had no friends.

Then her mother told me that she had changed since she came to our school. She was now motivated and learning. She had hope. Her mother said, “I don't know what would have happened to my daughter if we hadn't had the opportunity to send her to this school.” I recently found out that she received a scholarship to play basketball in college. The fact that this fourth grader had more than one choice of where to go to school, she came to a school that met her individual needs at a crucial time and helped her learn and excel.

The opportunity to choose school likely changed the course of her life.

My former student is not alone. There are countless similar stories across Colorado (and the country) – that's why it's so important that we protect school choice in our state. As a father of five young children, I know that children are unique and have different needs. One size does not fit all. Every student deserves access to a quality education that prepares them for success.

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That's why I support Amendment 80. This measure has a simple goal: to give every child the opportunity to be successful in life through educational opportunities. Amendment 80 is the easiest question on Colorado's ballot this year. It protects the current school choice rights we already have.

Why protect them when we already have them? Well, all of our school choice laws are mandated by law. This means that politicians can change them at any time. By including school choice in our constitution, the decision will always rest with the people, not politicians. When it comes to education, more options are always better than fewer.

My father, an African American, was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He later earned his doctorate and taught for more than 35 years. In his neighborhood, my father was the exception, not the rule. For him, education was not only the way to escape poverty and enter the middle class, but also to influence many people.

School choice is extremely popular across Colorado – and it is most popular among minorities. The reason school choice critics are spending millions of dollars lying about what Amendment 80 does is because they have a hidden agenda: depriving students and families of choice. They prefer to put our rights at the mercy of the politicians they lobby and donate to rather than permanently protecting them in our state constitution.

If you look at the Blue Book, you'll see that Amendment 80 has no impact on public school funding. They cannot have a tax impact less than zero dollars. This measure is all about ensuring that students and families continue to have access to a variety of educational opportunities.

Colorado's current school choice laws were passed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But if you don't think politicians are after school choice, think again. The writing is on the wall for anyone who cares to look. Just last session, lawmakers tried to pass a bill that would have affected school choice. The bill's sponsor — an ally of the groups that are devoting millions to opposing Amendment 80 — admitted her goal was to bring about the beginning of the end for school choice in Colorado. Luckily it didn’t happen – this time. But these types of laws will continue to be proposed until voters enshrine our school choice rights in our Constitution.

This year we have the opportunity to do just that. Vote Yes to Amendment 80 and ensure that children like my former student have every chance to succeed and excel in life.

Michael Fields is the president of Advance Colorado