{"id":800800,"date":"2019-10-29T10:12:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T16:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=373714"},"modified":"2019-10-29T10:12:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T16:12:10","slug":"opinion-julie-mccluskie-invest-in-education-with-no-new-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/opinion-julie-mccluskie-invest-in-education-with-no-new-taxes\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion | Julie McCluskie: Invest in education with no new taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

A
\ntidbit of trivia recently caught my eye. The first text message ever sent was
\nby Neil Papworth, and it said, \u201cMerry Christmas.\u201d It was typed from a personal
\ncomputer because phones couldn\u2019t text. The year was 1992. The same year
\nColoradans passed the most restrictive state spending limits in the country.<\/p>\n

The
\nworld is a different place than it was nearly three decades ago when that first
\ntext was sent. Just as technological advances have reshaped our world and how
\nwe experience it, there are countless examples of how smart public investments
\nhave transformed communities and expanded opportunity across the country.<\/p>\n

But in
\nColorado, even with a booming economy, we\u2019re unable to fulfill the basic
\nfunctions of government: to fund safe, reliable transportation systems and
\nensure that every child receives an excellent public education.<\/p>\n

Proposition
\nCC is Colorado\u2019s chance to get back on track. This common-sense measure
\nresolves one part of the state\u2019s antiquated budget system and helps move us
\nforward. Proposition CC asks voters a straightforward, simple question: Can the
\nstate invest the money it already collects, from things like corporate taxes
\nand tourism revenue, to fund transportation and education. The best part? We
\ncan do it with no new taxes.<\/p>\n

Asking
\nColoradans if revenue the state already collects can be invested in issues we
\ncare about most \u2014 education and transportation \u2014 is an appropriate question and
\nan elegant use of a tax law that has far out served its purpose.<\/p>\n

A good
\nportion of my professional experience has been spent in public education, and I
\nam a fierce advocate for adequate and equitable funding in public schools,
\ncolleges and universities. Never before in the history of our great state have
\nthe stakes been higher or the pressure greater to develop, train and educate a
\nworkforce ready for the demands of the vast array of jobs we couldn\u2019t have
\nimagined just 10, let alone 27 years ago. Our public schools struggle to
\nrecruit and keep highly qualified educators, maintain small class sizes and
\nprovide a world-class education with outdated curriculum, technology and
\nfacilities. We can\u2019t use yesterday\u2019s tools for tomorrow\u2019s careers.<\/p>\n

With
\none of the most robust economies in the nation, it is shocking that Colorado
\nranks as one of the bottom three states in K-12 public education funding,
\nbehind some of the poorest places in the country like Alabama and Louisiana,
\nand one of the worst states in higher education funding. Twenty years ago,
\nColoradans paid one-third of their in-state tuition, and the state covered the
\nrest. Today, kids pay two-thirds, and the state barely covers the rest. Passing
\nProposition CC allows us to flip the script and better ensure all students
\nreceive an equal shot to realize their potential.<\/p>\n

In
\naddition to Proposition CC, I strongly support Summit School District\u2019s ballot
\nMeasure 4A which asks voters whether the district can retain funding no longer
\nrequired for full-day kindergarten and repurpose these resources for educator
\nsalaries and behavioral-mental health needs. Like Proposition CC, no new taxes
\nwith 4A.<\/p>\n

Proposition CC will not solve our funding crisis, but it will allow us to move into the 21st century. We can invest in our priorities with no new taxes. We can help modernize Colorado\u2019s antiquated, constricted and flawed tax system. Together, we can invest the money we already have in the long-term health of our state and our children. Vote yes on Proposition CC.<\/p>\n

Julie McCluskie is a representative for Colorado House District 61, which includes Summit County. <\/em><\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A tidbit of trivia recently caught my eye. The first text message ever sent was by Neil Papworth, and it said, \u201cMerry Christmas.\u201d It was typed from a personal computer because phones couldn\u2019t text. The year was 1992. The same year Coloradans passed the most restrictive state spending limits in the country. The world is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-800800","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 17:21:14","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800800\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}