This November, the government will hold elections on local and federal levels. Despite the presidential election being widely publicized, what are arguably the most influential of these elections are smaller local and congressional races. Many people believe that they are irrelevant and will affect little in their day-to-day lives. However, these elections hold a large stake in local policy and even Creek.
The Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) lies almost entirely within Colorado’s Sixth Congressional District, a division of Colorado that elects a leader to represent said district in Congress. The district is currently represented by Democrat Jason Crow.
Government teacher Fletcher Woolsey can’t exaggerate the importance of congressional and local elections.
“Roughly speaking, 80 percent of the laws and the actions that the government takes, that directly impact your life, are going to come either from congress or local government,” Woolsey said.
Despite their stressed importance, many people still believe that congress and local government play a negligible role in their lives. “I don’t really care about it, I don’t think it really affects my current lifestyle,” sophomore Hiro Shibuya said. “I’m just not really interested in politics.”
However, the issues that will appear on the local ballot have the capacity to very directly affect Creek. In November, Colorado voters will have the option to approve more funding for the school district, which will very directly affect the abilities of the school to provide for the needs of teachers and students alike. “I can’t overstate how enormous the problem would be for the district if we don’t get that money,” Woolsey said.
But some students doubt the competence of the funding initiative.
“Funding is a very complex issue due to the fact that it doesn’t really come out as it’s wanted,” sophomore Anastasia Dorsey said. “In theory it’s supposed to give us more pencils, more notebooks, but I never see these things in class. Usually they come out of a teacher’s wallet, and though [funding] may support small improvements, I don’t think funding for schools through taxpayer money will make a difference at CCHS.”
Amendment 80, a new piece of state legislation, will provide parents all over Colorado with the ability to choice their kids into any school regardless of where they live.
“It would have a massive effect on education,” Woolsey said. “Some people would say it’s good, because now you’re no longer trapped in a failing district. Some people would say it’s bad because it could create all kinds of chaos where people are crisscrossing districts, so it’s no longer clear who’s going to what school.”
Students also have thoughts on the ability to choice-in.
“In theory, amendment 80 is good for parents and good for students,” Dorsey said. “However in practice, what happens is these lesser-funded districts and schools will not receive any students, therefore they will get less funding. I think it’s therefore more important to fund schools in need rather than moving students to [better funded] schools.”
Other pieces of Colorado legislation also propose redirecting funds to public schools, namely a tax initiative that would leverage a 6.5% tax on firearms and ammunition and send it to school mental health programs. However, some are doubtful that this will make a difference.
“I’ve been a teacher for 19 years, I’ve seen literally billions of dollars thrown at school districts and sometimes it’s used well and sometimes it’s just wasted,” Woolsey said. “Quite frankly, I’ve watched Denver Public Schools waste billions of dollars every year, and the schools don’t seem to get any better. I’m always a little suspicious that any money from any revenue stream [will] make schools and students massively better off.”
The United States Capitol Building as seen from Pennsylvania
