The road to support Amendment 66 was passed by Monday by board members from the Mancos School District as officials neither opposed nor supported the measure.<\/p>\n
Despite being listed as an action item on the board\u2019s agenda, officials opted not to take any action at all in adopting a resolution to support the school-finance reform measure. Instead, they voted to remove the item from the agenda completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur constituency is strongly anti-tax,\u201d said board president Monty Guiles. \u201c(Amendment 66) is a payroll tax.\u201d<\/p>\n
If passed by voters in November, the ballot initiative stipulates that 43 percent of the state\u2019s revenue would be designated to fund public education. The Mancos School District could subsequently receive more than $185,000 in additional state funds if approved.<\/p>\n
During their work session Monday night, board members agreed the reform measure could have been better designed. Board treasurer Chris Kloster said he supports increased funding for education, but he opposes the mechanisms outlined in the mandate, adding he was concerned that strings might be attached to funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bitter pill for me to swallow in Amendment 66 is it\u2019s focused on at-risk children at at-risk schools,\u201d he said. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t benefit that much, and that\u2019s what bothers me.\u201d<\/p>\n
If approved, the amendment is funded through payroll taxes, meaning a 5 percent cut in paychecks for those earning less than $75,000, and a 5.9 percent cut in earnings for those making more than $75,000.<\/p>\n
As an educator, school superintendent Brian Hanson supports the measure, but he remains on the fence as a voter.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, when I walk into that ballot box I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to vote,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
School officials in Cortez, Dolores and Durango have adopted resolutions in support of Amendment 66, but officials in Dove Creek and Pagosa Springs have not.<\/p>\n
In related news, the Colorado Association of School Boards recently granted its peer-nominated McGuffey Award to Kloster.<\/p>\n
The outgoing Mancos School District treasurer, Kloster admitted he likes to stay under the radar as an elected official, but added the recognition was an honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe acknowledgement from my peers is what\u2019s most rewarding about receiving the McGuffey Award,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hanson described Kloster as insighful, thoughful and geniunely concerned about improving education across the district, adding that Kloster\u2019s experience would be missed.<\/p>\n
\u201cChris has represented Mancos very well,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cHe has been an excellent board member.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kloster\u2019s daughters attended schools in Mancos, and he\u2019s thankful he was able to give back to the community he has called home for the past 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the schools have made vast improvements, and I think we\u2019ve helped make it an excellent choice for parents to send their kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A biologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Kloster has served on the school board for the past six years. He has opted to give up his post in November.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not running for re-election,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to retire as a school board member.\u201d<\/p>\n