Colorado Politics recently published opposing views regarding Amendment 80, the school choice ballot proposal. First, there was an objective article by term-limited Colorado State Board of Education member Debora Scheffel, a Republican (“Put school choice in Colorado constitution to protect state education,” Aug. 21), then a follow-up piece from Democratic board members Lisa Escárcega and Kathy Plomer (“Don’t be fooled, Amendment 80 not just about school choice,” Sept. 10).

I was a Democrat for 40 years, until 2018 when Colorado opened primary elections to unaffiliated voters. As such, I’ve voted in nearly every Democratic primary since then and plan to vote for Kamala Harris as well as a few other Democrats in this year’s general election.

It’s no secret, though, Democrats are losing support among working-class voters and the “little guys.” One of the reasons for this is the party’s animosity toward school choice, especially charter schools. As the GOP’s Scheffel noted: “School choice is one of the most important foundations of Colorado’s education system… (and among) those choices are charter schools, which design their own curricula and empower teachers to innovate. Colorado is blessed with a wide array of charter schools that serve different interests and learning styles.”

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Sadly, Democrats Escárcega and Plomer resorted to scare tactics, fearfully warning unspecified “future innovations” in Amendment 80 are cause for panic. In reality, this proposal is an overdue opportunity for citizens to affirm their support of school choice in general and charter schools in particular. Too many self-serving education establishment types utter “welcoming and inclusive” rhetoric as they sabotage charter schools, claiming a monopoly on public education and labeling charters as invasive outsiders.

Colorado was one of the first states to establish charter schools more than 30 years ago. Charter-based public schools and district-based public schools are now both traditional public schools. Without these choices, families are often compelled to move in order to find something better for their children, which is completely impractical for the poor and proverbial little guys.

It’s time to end three decades of hateful attacks and undermining efforts by enemies of charter schools. In the 2024 session of the state legislature, many Democrats supported a bill seeking to strangle charter schools by various means, including the ability for school boards in districts with declining enrollment to close charter schools within their boundaries. After all, in the real world, McDonald’s gets to shut down a Wendy’s when its own local business struggles — right?!

Fortunately, enough legislative Democrats rejected this nonsense, and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, a charter school founder himself, promised a veto if it passed. However, legislators come and go, while Polis is term-limited in 2026.

Colorado needs a constitutional assurance that school choice prevails. This is especially so for charter schools. I encourage all voters, regardless of party, to uphold education reform. Vote YES on Amendment 80.

Burke Scot Beu is a retired non-profit worker and substitute teacher. He is a resident of Commerce City, Adams 14 school district and Congressional District 8 (where he supports Republican Yazmin Navarro for the Colorado state Board of Education). He was the Democratic candidate for CU Regent at-large in 2000 and has been an unaffiliated voter since 2018.