Nicolais: JeffCo Public School 5A ballot measure squeaks through, but support for education seems tepid

Before final tallies came in on Friday, JeffCo Public Schools 5A ballot measure sat at five down. Not five points, five votes. Total. Cured ballots and late-arriving but valid military and overseas votes catapulted the measure to a 327-vote lead. A recount now looms.

The narrow victory, accompanied by the loss of 5B — which would have paid for building maintenance and upgrades — says a lot about tepid support for education in Colorado.

Schools across the state have struggled to adjust with changing demographics and needs. Stuck with funding models and programs more appropriate for 20 years ago, districts across the state make due with what they have. Teachers pick up extra classes, schools get consolidated and administrations work to provide the best learning environment possible in schools built decades ago. 

That is all hard without money. Even as local school boards get bombarded with parents angry about changes and closures, they frequently vote to tie both one arm and one leg behind educators’ backs. 

For example, in Douglas County — where my wife taught for 30 years before retiring in May — voters rejected a mill levy override that would have provided $50 million to schools struggling to budget for things like rising healthcare coverage and fuel and energy costs.

To put that in perspective, the U.S. Census Bureau recently ranked Douglas County as the eighth richest in the country. As a whole, county residents do not struggle in the same way others across the state do. 

They are not choosing between rent, food and a few more bucks in their kids’ classroom. Yet when asked to allow their schools to collect more money to teach their own children, they overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.

I wonder if those same folks will remember their vote when they show up to complain at the next school board meeting?

Concurrent to the JeffCo and DougCo ballot measures, the state as a whole passed Proposition NN by a margin of 10 points (not votes). It will raise about $330 million to boost teacher pay, reduce class sizes and invest in early childhood learning. 

Critically, the language of the ballot measure said it would do so “without raising taxes.” It will do so by allowing the state to raise the TABOR limit for those purposes.

I do not know whether the difference is because statewide voters are more generous or because the wording makes it seem like getting something for nothing. I suspect it is some amalgamation of causes. I do know that it will benefit future generations.

Education is the most direct investment in our future. For individual children, it can mean the difference between a life of struggle and one with at least a fighting chance for success. 

For example, the income gap between college graduates and those without continues to grow; the median income with a bachelor’s degree is more than twice the median for those without. Without a strong K-12 program, college could be a pipe dream. I know from experience.

I grew up attending JeffCo Public Schools. I had good teachers along the entire line. I also came from a working class family that struggled to make ends meet, much less put money into a college fund. I went to college (and eventually law school) because the educators in my schools helped me earn a full four-year Boettcher Scholarship.

The money earmarked for JeffCo will help ensure the current and future classes will have similarly outstanding teachers. They will be able to keep salaries in line with neighboring districts like Boulder and Denver. 

The alternative would have left them at a distinct disadvantage. Falling behind cannot be fixed easily; once teachers reach five years in a district, it becomes financially prohibitive for them to transfer. Consequently, if 5A failed, it would have taken substantially more money to undue the harm in the future.

On a macro level, strong education pays civic and economic dividends to communities. Supported schools mark neighborhoods of greater engagement, lower crime rates and better wages. 

While some may argue it is a chicken-and-egg problem, I disagree. A good school in an otherwise struggling neighborhood can help anchor a community turnaround. Keeping kids engaged in school keeps them out of trouble elsewhere. Providing a sense of local pride brings people together. Kids educated today come back to help tomorrow.

Every time these ballot measures are on the ballot, those are the outcomes we are really voting over. That is why every vote counts.

In JeffCo, the narrow passage means an automatic recount will be triggered. Our county clerk, Amanda Gonzalez, will oversee the process as her last act of service before bringing her talents to her new gig as Secretary of State. 

If the tally had only flipped to five votes up, I might be worried. But the 327-vote margin created by supporters’ cure campaign should be more than enough. 

Historically vote recount tallies vary minimally from the original returns.  For example, in 2022 Tina Peters demanded a statewide recount in the Republican primary she lost by 89,000 votes to Pam Anderson (another stellar JeffCo Clerk and Recorder). 

Both ended up gaining 13 votes, leaving the margin unchanged. Human error that left a handful of ballots in Elbert County led to the minor discrepancy. That aligns with a FairVote analysis tracking nearly 7,500 elections over 25 years; only three election outcomes changed.

Consequently JeffCo teachers, administrators, parents and kids can all breathe a little easier today. It looks like there will be money available to retain and support classroom work, even if it must be down in rundown buildings. That is a win for everyone involved.

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