Higher Taxes for More Education Spending Voted Down in Colorado. Voters Must have Seen the Dismal Chart of Education Spending & Test Scores.

The LA Times reported Colorado voters on Tuesday (November 1) voted down a tax increase for schools 65%-35%. That's certainly a lopsided election result. What were the tax increases for? From the article:

Supporters intended for the extra money to plug holes in the state’s K-12 and college education budgets, which have endured hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts. Opponents said the state’s economy was too fragile to withstand higher taxes, which would have expired after 2016, and that throwing money at education wouldn’t necessarily improve its quality.

Here's the link from Cato showing the chart of educational flat lined test results even with 190% increase in federal spending over four decades.

Perhaps Colorado voters are weary of higher taxes for education with no improvement in test results. Are the voters becoming wiser in understanding throwing money at education is not the answer to the problems in education? Are they starting to think educational problems might be due to out of control costs, federal control/mandates and cultural issues? xxxxxxxx

Be sure to read the readers' comments. Here are some that are spot on.


Jim Lee · Top Commenter · University of California, San Diego

There is no correlation between education funding and education outcomes. In fact, if there is any correlation at all it is negative. The highest per-capita spending on K-12 education is Washington DC. Washington DC schools are also the lowest performing schools in the nation. Consequently, the idea that more money will translate into higher academic performance cannot be supported. The public eduction system in the US is broken beyond repair. There is a way to increase academic performance but raising taxes to give more money to incompetent public school administrators is going to do nothing to raise academic performance. There is no causal relationship between the two. The Colorado voters were very wise not to throw their money away. It would have made them poorer and it won't help the students one bit.

Jacki Legg Wells · Palisade, Colorado

Here is an idea I always pitch to my fireman, police, and teacher family and friends. When I think of a reason to pay taxes it is these people we want and need. So then why do we pay 15- 20% taxes to the federal goverment wait for certain strings to be pulled, laws, grants, national disasters, polictical lobbying for the money to get clear back to Colorado for education, national disasters, roads and bridges? We should pay 3% to the feds and 15-20% to the state of Colorado. That way I can see how my money is spent. There would be less politics with my tax money! People turn your thinking around!