Source: Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB)
Amendment 60
Resolution in opposition to the ballot initiative ON LOCAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUE
WHEREAS, the _______________ Board of Education is a public entity that provides educational services to the children in the _______________ School District; and
WHEREAS, a ballot initiative to amend Article X, Section 20 (“Taxpayer Bill of Rights” or “TABOR”) of the Colorado Constitution, which will appear on the general election ballot this November as Amendment 60, would cut in half all local property taxes used for the school district’s general fund and provides no credible means to replace these lost revenues; and
WHEREAS, the loss of 50% of the school district’s local property tax revenues would devastate the public educations provided to this community; and
WHEREAS, the decisions by voters of this school district to override TABOR revenue restrictions would be repealed by Amendment 60; and
WHEREAS, any future voter-approved property tax for the school district’s schools would expire within 10 years; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 60 would defeat and reverse the decisions of local communities on how to raise and allocate local resources, including public education, and consequently, eliminate local control of local budgets, including those of local boards of education; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 60 would reduce the local revenues available to local boards of education and severely impact the ability of school districts to effectively maintain an infrastructure to respond to the needs of educating Colorado’s children;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the ________________ Board of Education officially declares its opposition to Amendment 60.
Dated this ____ day of _____________________, 2010.
Amendment 61
Resolution in opposition to the ballot initiative ON public borrowing
WHEREAS, the _______________ Board of Education is a public entity that provides educational services to the children in the _______________ School District; and
WHEREAS, a ballot initiative to amend the Colorado Constitution, which will appear on the general election ballot this November as Amendment 61, would ban the use of any kind of debt by the State of Colorado and severely restrict the ability of local school districts to issue debt or to utilize appropriate and prudent business practices in managing the finances of the school district; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 61 would severely limit the ability of local communities to determine the appropriate use of local funds by this school board, including bonding and other appropriate and prudent debt obligations, for building and other capital needs; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 61 would disallow state funding programs that provide the means for some school districts to have sufficient cash flow to meet operating costs during the early parts of the school year (due to the timing of the collection of property tax revenues), and thus potentially cause school closures or reductions in education services; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 61 would prohibit or severely and unnecessarily constrain the ability of local school districts to use appropriate and well-established business practices in their normal day-to-day operations, such as refinancing bonded debt at a lower interest rate and using lease-purchase agreements to fund office equipment and furnishings; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 61 would eliminate prudent and cost-effective state programs that assist local school districts such as BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) that permits many school districts to build new schools; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 61 would result in the elimination of the resources available for public education programs and cause further cuts in public education at a time when public education is already suffering from cuts in resources that diminish the educational services and opportunities available to Colorado’s children; and
WHEREAS, Amendment 61 could be economically devastating to the Colorado economy by eliminating jobs and deterring out-of-state companies from doing business in Colorado or with Colorado public entities, including school districts;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the ________________ Board of Education officially declares its opposition to Amendment 61.
Dated this ____ day of _____________________, 2010.
Proposition 101
Resolution in opposition to the ballot initiative on Motor vehicle, Income and Telecommunications Taxes and Fees
WHEREAS, the _______________ Board of Education is a public entity that provides educational services to the children in the _______________ School District; and
WHEREAS, a proposed ballot initiative to amend the Colorado Statutes, which will appear on the general election ballot this November as Proposition 101, requires the reduction of public resources and valuable public programs, including public education, by radically reducing certain specific ownership fees and taxes; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 101 would reduce the state budget by over one billion dollars, forcing drastic and unsustainable cuts to public education, as well as health care, and dozens of other critical public services; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 101 would cause school districts to lose specific ownership taxes, including losses of up to _______________ by this district; and
WHEREAS, current economic difficulties and the resulting budget cuts, including cuts to the State Education Fund, are already in violation of the Article IX, Section 17 of the Colorado Constitution, as well as the Colorado Constitution’s mandate that the State establish and maintain a “thorough and uniform system of public schools” throughout Colorado; and
WHEREAS, the budget cuts that would result from Proposition 101 would ensure that the mandates of the Colorado Constitution could never be met;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the _______________ Board of Education officially declares its opposition to Proposition 101 because it would cripple the ability of the state to meet its obligations to establish and sufficiently fund public education in the State of Colorado and devastate the ability of local boards of education throughout the state, including this Board, to adequately serve the educational needs of children in the community.
Dated this ____ day of _____________________, 2010.
