Amendment 66 Would Ensure Every Child Counts, Every Day

Each year on Oct. 1, school administrators in Colorado count the number of students in attendance and that count determines the school’s funding for the rest of the year. “Count Day” is a high-stakes day that determines how much money per student schools get from the state for the school year.

One of the significant school finance reforms that Amendment 66 would enact would be to move from the antiquated single-day count to an Average Daily Membership system. If the ballot measure passes, every child will count on every day. Schools would have the financial incentive to keep—and attract—kids throughout the school year. High-growth schools would no longer be hamstrung by short budgets at the end of the year.

This significant reform is just one of the many improvements that our school finance system would see in order to ensure more one-on-one attention, smaller class sizes and greater accountability in schools.

For more information, read Public News Service’s story, “Counting CO School Children So Every Child Counts” or visit the Colorado Commits to Kids campaign online or on Facebook.

About Tara Manthey

Tara McLain Manthey leads the Children’s Campaign’s development, advocacy, and communications efforts. In this role she manages teams advancing and supporting the Children’s Campaign’s work through digital and in-person outreach and philanthropy. She serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School, a Denver Public Schools charter school. A citizen of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, Tara serves on the editorial board of the Osage News and is co-founder and co-chair of the Colorado Osage Association. She serves on the board of Denver Indian Family Resource Center and is past chair of the national Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT Steering Committee.