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Letter to the editor: SB61 harms true education experience

I’m a former teacher with a grandchild in third grade, and I’m very concerned about SB61.

It’s aim is to dilute local school boards’ mil levy funds by including charter schools on a per-pupil basis. I’m not against supporting charter schools, but this bill is too broad. Even worse, it is a stepping stone for corporate and right-wing agendas to gain a foothold in public schools.

For-profit organizations are increasingly operating charter schools. In our own state, we have so far approved funding for two school districts to operate corporate-run online schools to serve any students K-12. The corporation receiving your tax dollars to educate our kids is based in Maryland, from which it operates online charter schools in 28 states.

Its regional name is Colorado Connections and it is owned by backers of the DeVos “reform” of public education, Pearson Learning Corporation.

It is inconceivable that a five-year-old can receive an appropriate education on-line, from a virtual teacher. I wonder if education officials would so willingly turn over the reins of public schools to a corporation had they sufficient funds for actual classrooms and teachers. It’s true, qualified teachers are expensive – and priceless.

Colorado schools rank 13th from the bottom in the nation for per-pupil funding. Legislators should change that before forcing a one-size-fits-all mandate on local school boards. Call your state representatives and senators to shut down this bill.

Sandra R. Blacklund

Lafayette