More contentious than guns, growth and even oil and gas, education was the premier issue. I voted for SB 186 because I saw it as a change to the status quo that was rendering unfavorable results. I never thought it to be teacher bashing. Rather, I saw the bill as an attempt to raise the standard, address the causes for unsatisfactory results, rally the necessary resources to address the problem and recognize that this is just the first step toward comprehensive reform. SB 186 is not a panacea, it is a start.
Comprehensive reform requires appropriating the necessary funding to support such change.
For the second year running, education was fully funded at more than inflation and growth. When the initial numbers came out less than desired, the entire legislative focus centered around increasing the funding. The end result was a 7.9 percent increase in total K-12 Department of Education funding. The key here is to work together to correct those components not right with SB 186 and enhance those things that are. 47th in total taxes paid by Colorado citizens.