The school voucher program in Colorado’s Douglas County is on thin ice after voters on Nov. 7 ushered in an anti-voucher slate of candidates by huge margins. All four winning candidates have promised to permanently end the school district’s efforts to use public funds to pay for private schools.

“This is a great election result for all students in Colorado, preventing the spread of harmful voucher schemes,” said Colorado Education Association President Kerrie Dallman.

The voucher program began in 2009, when a group of conservative candidates won control of the district school board and began a sweeping effort to privatize the education system in Douglas County — one of the wealthiest in the country. In addition to enacting the voucher program, the conservative-led board ended the district’s collective bargaining agreement with the local teachers union and set up a performance-based salary schedule for teachers.

The new board members’ plan to shutter the voucher program faces legal hurdles. The school district and board are defendants in a lawsuit over the constitutional merits of the county’s voucher system. The suit recently was sent back to the state from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Both public school advocates and voucher backers are weighing the legal situation before announcing their next moves.
Politico, Nov. 8
Denver Post, Nov. 9