Colorado Voters Reject School Funding Change
KKTV 11
November 6, 2013
Colorado voters have rejected a $1 billion income tax hike for school funding.
Amendment 66, rejected Tuesday night, would have created wholesale changes for how Colorado funds public education -- from expanded preschool to more money for K-12 schools with high numbers of at-risk students.
11 News caught up with Jan Tanner, a supporter of Amendment 66 and president of the District 11 Board of Education prior to the election and again on Tuesday to get her thoughts.
"This was our real chance to get out there and get our message out," Tanner said. "If its going down we're not getting the message out -- but it doesn't mean there's not a need in our districts...we definitely need to restore the funding we've lost in the past five years."
The measure would have raised income taxes from 4.63 percent to 5 percent for taxable income up to $75,000 a year. Income above $75,000 would have been taxed at 5.9 percent.
Colorado Treasurer Walker Stapleton issued the following statement on Colorado voters rejecting Amendment 66.
"Coloradans rejected an imperfect bill to reform our education system that left open too many unanswered questions. Having spent the last eight months arguing that this particular bill was not the right path for Coloradans, tonight's result does not mean education reform is dead in Colorado. We will go back to the drawing board to reform our vitally important public education system the right way."
The school funding overhaul was approved by lawmakers earlier this year but required voter approval to take effect.
Amendment 66's loss means that Colorado will retain a flat income tax structure in place since the 1980s.
KKTV 11
November 6, 2013
Colorado voters have rejected a $1 billion income tax hike for school funding.
Amendment 66, rejected Tuesday night, would have created wholesale changes for how Colorado funds public education -- from expanded preschool to more money for K-12 schools with high numbers of at-risk students.
11 News caught up with Jan Tanner, a supporter of Amendment 66 and president of the District 11 Board of Education prior to the election and again on Tuesday to get her thoughts.
"This was our real chance to get out there and get our message out," Tanner said. "If its going down we're not getting the message out -- but it doesn't mean there's not a need in our districts...we definitely need to restore the funding we've lost in the past five years."
The measure would have raised income taxes from 4.63 percent to 5 percent for taxable income up to $75,000 a year. Income above $75,000 would have been taxed at 5.9 percent.
Colorado Treasurer Walker Stapleton issued the following statement on Colorado voters rejecting Amendment 66.
"Coloradans rejected an imperfect bill to reform our education system that left open too many unanswered questions. Having spent the last eight months arguing that this particular bill was not the right path for Coloradans, tonight's result does not mean education reform is dead in Colorado. We will go back to the drawing board to reform our vitally important public education system the right way."
The school funding overhaul was approved by lawmakers earlier this year but required voter approval to take effect.
Amendment 66's loss means that Colorado will retain a flat income tax structure in place since the 1980s.
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