Advocacy Updates

Advocacy Update - November 2022

Colorado PTA endorses the following Ballot Positions; additional information can be found below.

COLORADO PTA BALLOT ISSUES GUIDE

Colorado PTA has taken positions on these 4 state ballot issues:

Ø Proposition 121, State Income Tax Reduction – OPPOSE

Ø Proposition 123, Dedicated Revenue for Affordable Housing Programs – SUPPORTT

Ø Proposition FF, Healthy School Meals for All – SUPPORT

Ø Proposition GG, Add Tax Information Table to Petitions and Ballots – SUPPORT

PROPOSITION 121, STATE INCOME TAX REDUCTION — OPPOSE

· Proposition 121 reduces the state income tax rate from 4.55% to 4.40%. In 2022–23 this measure would reduce state General Fund revenue by an estimated $638 million.

· PTA believes that every child must have access to a well-rounded, high-quality free public education, to ensure that they have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Public education must be supported through sustainable and adequate funding.

· Therefore, we oppose any reduction in funds that go into the State General Fund — which Proposition 121 would do. Colorado already significantly underfunds our public schools, and a reduction in tax revenue would make it worse.

PROPOSITION 123, DEDICATED REVENUE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS — SUPPORT

· Proposition 123 takes 1/10^th of 1% of taxable revenue in Colorado and exempts it from the TABOR revenue limit, requiring the money to be allocated in specific ways related to affordable housing.

· PTA believes that all children residing in the United States have the right to shelter. Funding affordable housing will help ensure that all our children and their families have access to shelter.

· Increasing access to housing encourages diversity in our neighborhoods and schools, benefiting all students.

· Having more affordable housing available will enable teachers to live in the school communities they wish to work in.

PROPOSITION FF, HEALTHY SCHOOL MEALS FOR ALL — SUPPORT

· Proposition FF creates the Healthy School Meals for All program. This program would make school meals free for all public school students regardless of family income, starting next school year.

· In 2024–25, the program would also provide grant funding to purchase local products, increase wages for employees, and provide training, equipment, and technical assistance.

· Proper nutrition is imperative to the health, development, and academic achievement of children, and students receive a significant portion of their daily nutritional needs from school meals. PTA is dedicated to children’s health, well-being, and educational success. A key part of PTA’s advocacy is to enhance the nutritional health of our nation’s children and families.

· PTA prides itself on being instrumental in the original passage of legislation at the national level that created the school lunch program over a century ago. It was one of the first pieces of legislation that PTA advocated for at the national level.

PROPOSITION GG, ADD TAX INFORMATION TABLE TO PETITIONS AND BALLOTS — SUPPORT

· Proposition GG requires that any citizen-initiated ballot measure which changes the state income tax rate include a tax information table on the ballot and circulated petitions. The table breaks down the average changes in taxes owed across specific income categories.

· Supporting public education is central to the mission of PTA — to make every child’s potential a reality. A good way to go about this is to educate our families and communities on public school needs and public school finance issues. The transparency ingrained in Proposition GG does just that — requiring Colorado voters to be informed about how proposed ballot measures would directly affect their tax responsibility and would impact state tax policy.

· Proposition GG enables voters to make a more informed decision at the time of signing a petition and while voting.

Please see Colorado PTA’s Guidelines for Advocating PTA’s Positions on Ballot Issues! You need to be sure that your local unit is LEGAL when advocating on ballot issues.

Voting information

· To register to vote, check your registration, or change your registration, please visit www.govotecolorado.com. If you are registered to vote by Oct. 31, you will receive a ballot in the mail – this must be mailed back, put into a voter drop-box, or delivered to a Voting Service & Polling Center by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 8.

· You can sign up to track your ballot at https://colorado.ballottrax.net/voter/ - the Ballot Trax system tracks the status of your mail ballot and sends a series of alerts notifying you where your ballot is in the election process.

· Alternatively, you can register to vote and/or vote in person at a Voting Service & Polling Center from Oct. 24 through Election Day (except Oct. 29, Oct. 30, and Nov. 6).

Colorado PTA endorses this Call to Action; additional information can be found below.

Tell the State Board of Education to restore the standards: Every student should have an honest, inclusive, comprehensive education. There have been new revisions made to the Social Studies standards that Great Ed is not in support of as we believe that the standards should be inclusive, transparent, and comprehensive for all students. Click here to see the new revisions. In November, the State Board of Education will decide whether to accept the original social studies standards or the new revisions. We are urging you to send a message to the State Board of Education and ask them to support the original revisions to the standards. Virtual Town Hall October 29^th^: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-ysqDMtGNN4AhHAx8di40g6iPiPWS0m

COLORADO PTA LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

TESTIMONY AT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION IN SUPPORT OF INCLUSIVE SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS

Thank you for your time, today I am representing Colorado PTA. The mission of PTA is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. As the largest child advocacy association in the nation, PTA is committed to the creation of innovative curricula that support culturally and linguistically-responsive teaching and learning so that the history of all students—including but not limited to African American, Latinx, Native American, Asian, and LGBTQ+ groups—is accurately represented and taught.

Colorado PTA strongly urges you to vote in favor of the original Social Studies Standards revisions and reject the proposed changes that would make them less inclusive. As you know, it is essential that our students from all backgrounds and family compositions know that they are valuable, seen, and respected though the curriculum. PTA believes that students should have an honest and fair understanding of how our nation’s history has unfolded, and we encourage the implementation of diverse and inclusive curricula in K-12 public schools nationwide.

The original standards revisions proposed in November 2021 align well with our positions and commitments to advocate for all children and youth—we urge you to adopt them.

Classrooms that celebrate diverse histories and cultures break down existing barriers and create supportive and inclusive schools that encourage students to grow and learn in the safest and most empowering spaces possible.

We urge you to discard the proposed changes that eliminate most references to the LGBTQ+ community and diminish the commitments to include the history, culture, and social contributions of American Indians, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans that the State Legislature ordered.

Our kids deserve age-appropriate inclusive and accurate social studies lessons, which will help them become the critical thinkers we need to make this a more just, prosperous, and equitable country.

It has come to our attention that the American Birthright Standards have been introduce for consideration. These standards do not align with PTA’s positions. We strongly urge you to adopt the original revisions created by the committee within Colorado and clearly reject the third party model that is not reflective of Colorado’s values or laws.

Thank you for your time and the thoughtful manner in which you are approaching the revision of the Social Studies Standards.

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