DENVER (CITC) – School boards across Colorado are pushing back against a ballot initiative that would guarantee families in the state a constitutional right to choose schools.

Amendment 80, called the “Constitutional Right to School Choice Initiative,” will appear on Colorado ballots next month. The initiative aims to amend the Colorado Constitution to state that children have the right to “an equal opportunity to access a quality education” and parents have the right to “determine the education of their children.”

A 1994 state law already allows families to apply to attend a public school district in the state. However, the proposed constitutional amendment describes the “right to school choice” to include, but is not limited to, private schools, charter schools, and homeschooling options.

Advance Colorado, the advocacy group behind Amendment 80, argues that the measure is necessary because the state's existing school choice laws are “constantly under attack.” School Choice for Every Child, the political action committee supporting the amendment, adds that the measure would solidify school choice in Colorado and ensure parents can help their children “reach their full potential.”

However, school boards across the state said last month that they disagree.

The Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education passed a formal resolution opposing Amendment 80 on Thursday. School board members there expressed concerns that the change could widen achievement gaps between wealthy and low-income students.

To be clear, the word I think I'm struggling with right now is the idea that we would also fund private schools in addition to the public schools that we're already funding through Amendment 80,” said board member Erin Kenworthy.

The Greeley-Evans School District Board of Education also greenlit its own resolution opposing the change on Monday. The school board claims it is an “unnecessary change” to the Colorado Constitution and argues that existing law already allows families to choose educational programs that best meet their children's needs.

The Greeley-Evans resolution also notes that Amendment 80 does not require private schools to demonstrate “transparency” in order to receive public funds, arguing that such institutions lack the same “academic accountability” and “financial disclosure” as public ones Schools.

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Similar sentiments are expressed in a joint statement adopted last week by the Aspen School District Board of Education and its teachers union. The joint statement calling for a “no” vote on Amendment 80 calls the measure a “misleading proposal” that would funnel public money into “exclusionary, expensive and unaccountable” private schools.

“A well-funded, high-quality public education system is critical to the prosperity of our communities and the future of our state,” the statement said.

Advance Colorado dismissed the opposition in a statement to Crisis in the Classroom (CITC), claiming that Amendment 80 “only puts protections in place for our existing school choice rights.”

“The reason anti-choice and anti-parental rights groups like teachers unions are spending millions to stop Amendment 80 is simple: They want to continue their efforts to hinder charter schools, attack homeschooling and even make it more difficult.” Encourage parents to choose other traditional public schools,” said Advance Colorado.

Their false campaign claiming this is all about a voucher program is untrue and they know it,” the group added.

Survey data released this month by Colorado-based nonprofit Transform Education Now found that 75% of parents in the state feel they have “a choice” in their child’s education. However, only 40% said they were satisfied with their child's current school.

Amendment 80 requires the support of 55% of voters to become law because it is an amendment to the state constitution. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was “neutral” on the measure, explaining that while he supported the concept, he wasn’t sure “what a constitutional right would mean legally.”

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