Colorado Senator Condemns Court Decision Overturning School Choice Law
by Jim Brown
December 5, 2003
(AgapePress) - The president of the Colorado Senate says a district court ruling declaring the state's school voucher program unconstitutional is "wrongheaded" and adversely affects black and Hispanic students in failing public schools.On Wednesday, Denver Judge Joseph Meyer tossed out Colorado's school voucher law, saying it strips public school boards of their power. Meyer praised the goals of the program, which is the first in the nation since the U.S. Supreme Court okayed voucher plans last year. However, he says the law violated the Colorado constitution by eroding local control of schools.
State Senator John Andrew says the judge's decision hurts low-income families. "This is the worst Christmas news that a lot of these families could get," he says.
Andrews notes that many poor families have been working towards a fast-approaching deadline to apply for vouchers to broaden the options for their children in failing schools, and 140 schools across the state have already been certified to accept the vouchers. But now, the senator says, "the Grinch has stolen all of that from them this Christmas."
The court challenge to the new law was filed by a coalition of liberal teachers, religious organizations, and education groups, and Andrews believes the ruling was also politically motivated. He points out how the deck was politically stacked against the new voucher program, with "a Democrat-appointed judge, the teacher union here in Colorado vowing to do whatever it takes to keep vouchers away from Colorado families as an option for their kids," and that teachers' union being "the single-most powerful campaign contributor and volunteer pool for Democratic political races."
Nevertheless, the senator says he is confident that a higher court will see that Colorado's constitution does allow for expansion of educational choice for poor families.
