By Curtis Hubbard
Former Colorado Governors Bill Ritter and Bill Owens are among dozens of supporters from across the state who’ve come together to support a November ballot measure to improve educational outcomes for Colorado students.
“In Colorado, a student’s success is too often connected to their race, family income, and where they grow up. That is especially true when it comes to access to out-of-school learning options, where a growing ‘opportunity gap’ fuels disparate academic outcomes — the ‘achievement gap’ — based largely on socioeconomic factors,” Bill Ritter said.
Initiative 25 would provide funding for families to choose from a menu of approved out-of-school learning providers, including tutoring and career and technical education-training programs, among others.
“This first-in-the-nation initiative to help close the opportunity gap, which has only grown during the pandemic, is uniting Coloradans regardless of their political leanings or where they live,” Bill Owens added. “That’s because they understand the futures of so many of our young people — who are our future employees, employers, and community leaders — are on the line.”
The Colorado Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress (LEAP) Program would be funded by an additional 5 percent tax on recreational marijuana sales and by repurposing a portion of revenues derived from leases, rents, and royalties paid for activities on state lands.
Funding would be prioritized toward students from low-income families and could be used for a variety of learning opportunities shown to reinforce in-school learning, including tutoring, extra support for students with special needs, and enrichment activities.
The LEAP initiative has been endorsed by more than 50 education advocates and elected leaders on both sides of the aisle, and more than 30 organizations and providers.
“The pandemic highlighted for us the disparities that already existed for Colorado students in access to opportunities,” said Rudy Gonzales, Executive Director of Servicios de la Raza. “The LEAP initiative tackles this problem in a unique way and, moving forward, we must help Coloradans understand the urgent need to take action to help all of our kids succeed.”
Jesse Ogas, CEO of Firefly Autism, highlighted Initiative 25’s inclusivity: “The measure specifically outlines that financial aid from the LEAP Program could be used to pay for targeted support for those with special needs and learning disabilities, which is a lifeline to many families struggling to promote learning and meet the social and emotional needs of kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
Tutoring and other out-of-school programs are critical to helping close the achievement gap. A study from the non-partisan Rand Corporation found that these services and programs “provide measurable benefit” and “can demonstrably improve academic outcomes.”
Under the ballot measure, providers of tutoring and other out-of-school services would be required to undergo a certification process to ensure quality and accountability. School districts would be pre-certified as providers, and teachers would be given priority approval to become qualified providers. The program would provide funding of at least $1,500 to low-income students. Notably, the money could not be used to replace normal school operations or to pay for school tuition.
The LEAP initiative must gather valid signatures from at least 124,632 Colorado voters by August 2 in order to be placed on the November 2021 statewide ballot.
Learn more about the LEAP program, view a complete list of supporters, or make a donation online at leap4co.com.
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