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<v Speaker 1>Right now, we're going to talk about some ignorance lying

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<v Speaker 1>around about the proposed Amendment number eighty. Joining me now

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<v Speaker 1>is Christy Burton Brown with Advanced Colorado. Also side note,

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<v Speaker 1>she's also running for the Board of Education in the

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<v Speaker 1>fourth district. And I already voted for you or her,

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<v Speaker 1>So there you go. My secret ballot is out now Christy,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 2>First of all, thank you, Mandy, I appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 1>Andrew vote, Well, we're going to talk first about the

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<v Speaker 1>Amendment eighty, which is a school choice amendment and Advanced

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<v Speaker 1>Colorado and what other organization put this forth? It just

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<v Speaker 1>went out of my head.

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<v Speaker 2>Actually we are the organization of posts. Okay, so we

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<v Speaker 2>have a good coalition supporting it.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, great, So Advanced Colorado puts this forth. It is

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<v Speaker 1>a very simply worded amendment and that I think is

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<v Speaker 1>part of its beauty but also part of the issues

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<v Speaker 1>that have arisen, or at least issues that have been

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<v Speaker 1>seized on by people who don't want this to pass.

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<v Speaker 1>And I want to start by talking about where are

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<v Speaker 1>the money's coming from on the anti side, Kelly, because now, no,

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<v Speaker 1>let's not start there. Tell people what amendment eighty does,

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<v Speaker 1>and why it's important that it passes first, Let's start.

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<v Speaker 2>There, sure your right, Mandy, that is actually completely simple.

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<v Speaker 2>Out of all the fourteen measures on your ballot, Amendment

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<v Speaker 2>eighty is basic. It is putting the right to school

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<v Speaker 2>choice we've enjoyed in Colorado for decades in our constitution

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<v Speaker 2>so that it's no longer at the mercy of politicians

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<v Speaker 2>who can change it whenever they want.

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<v Speaker 1>So the purpose of this is to push back against

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<v Speaker 1>the sort of shifting tides in Colorado because Colorado, and

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<v Speaker 1>I talked to my listeners about this earlier, Christy, Colorado

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<v Speaker 1>was really at the forefront of the school choice movement

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<v Speaker 1>many years ago, and because of that, we have a

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<v Speaker 1>vibrant charter school community. We have a vibrant home school

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<v Speaker 1>community with great supports, but they are outside the control

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<v Speaker 1>of the teachers union. And that's what brings us to

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<v Speaker 1>who's spending against Amendment eighty. Is it all coming from

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<v Speaker 1>teachers unions or there are other people trying to get

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<v Speaker 1>this defeated.

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<v Speaker 2>So it is almost entirely coming from the teachers Union.

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<v Speaker 2>And what I think people really need to know is

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<v Speaker 2>that it's the National Teachers Union who's funding the majority

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<v Speaker 2>of the campaign, putting those ads on your TV and

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<v Speaker 2>lying about an amendment eighty. As of a few days ago,

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<v Speaker 2>the National Teachers Union had put in over four million dollars,

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<v Speaker 2>and the other roughly million dollars that they have has

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<v Speaker 2>come from in a state, the Colorado Teachers Union and

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<v Speaker 2>a couple other organizations that smaller amounts. But it really

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<v Speaker 2>is National Teachers Union doesn't understand our system here in Colorado,

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't know how popular it is, aligned to voters telling

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<v Speaker 2>them this is threatening public school funding when the Colorado

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<v Speaker 2>Fiscal note by a non partisan government agency say this

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<v Speaker 2>is zero dollar fiscal impact. This is not a funding amendment.

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<v Speaker 1>So one of the things I want to take a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit of a different tact than you just did.

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<v Speaker 1>I do believe that the teachers unions know how popular

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<v Speaker 1>this is. I do believe that they understand that we

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<v Speaker 1>have a vibrant charter school system and they absolutely hate it.

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<v Speaker 1>And even though all of the people who voted for

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<v Speaker 1>school choice and all of the people who have supported

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<v Speaker 1>charter schools in Colorado over the years, they've all moved

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<v Speaker 1>on right because they have jobs and families and they

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<v Speaker 1>figure it's done so we don't have to worry about

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<v Speaker 1>it anymore, whereas the teachers' unions never stop thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>how to undermine and destroy a parent's option to choose

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<v Speaker 1>the educational opportunity for their kid that best fits that kid,

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<v Speaker 1>which is at the heart of this amendment. I do

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<v Speaker 1>want to ask them, yeah, oh go ahead.

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<v Speaker 2>I was just going to say, and I agree with

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<v Speaker 2>you that their motives are very interfarious when you look

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<v Speaker 2>at what they do. They like to come in from

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<v Speaker 2>any you know, from their national high place, and come

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<v Speaker 2>into any state and say, doesn't matter what you guys

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<v Speaker 2>think of your system, right, hate it, and so we're

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<v Speaker 2>going to fight it.

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<v Speaker 1>So let me ask you about some of the criticisms

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<v Speaker 1>that have been levied against Amendment eighty And the biggest,

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<v Speaker 1>most common one that I have heard from kind of

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<v Speaker 1>a surprising place is from homeschoolers or charter school parents

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<v Speaker 1>who say, wait a minute, does this give the government

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<v Speaker 1>any way to sort of snaggle their way in under

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<v Speaker 1>the guise of quote ensuring equality education.

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<v Speaker 2>Sure, and I've heard that's concerned as well, and I

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<v Speaker 2>think it comes from a good motive, but it's misplaced

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<v Speaker 2>when you look at that amendment eighty. It is like

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<v Speaker 2>the fact is the legislature could meet tomorrow in their

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<v Speaker 2>next session and put any restrictions on our rights to

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<v Speaker 2>school choice that they want to. They don't need our

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<v Speaker 2>permission to do that. And that, in fact, is the

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<v Speaker 2>exact reason we need Amendment eighty is because you tell

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<v Speaker 2>politicians to get their hands off your rights when you

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<v Speaker 2>put them in the constitution, because only the voters in

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<v Speaker 2>Colorado can change the constitution, not the legislature. So you

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<v Speaker 2>know the language, the operative language, this is very simple.

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<v Speaker 2>It is the right to school choice. And parents always

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<v Speaker 2>exercise rights in Colorado on behalf of their children, so

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<v Speaker 2>that's also very clear. Even though the right to school

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<v Speaker 2>choice is being given to every case through twelve child,

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<v Speaker 2>the purpose language also says parent and have the right

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<v Speaker 2>to direct the education of their child. That's an general

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<v Speaker 2>precedent Colorado camp violate. So that's immense parental rights and

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<v Speaker 2>school choice rights in our constitutions.

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<v Speaker 1>This to me should be a no brainer, I mean honestly,

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<v Speaker 1>but is it enough of an issue to get people

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<v Speaker 1>to say, yeah, we need to put this in our constitution.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I know that we have a large chunk

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<v Speaker 1>of our children for any state. We have a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>good chunk of our children in charter schools. I know

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<v Speaker 1>that out of the top ten most successful schools in

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<v Speaker 1>the state, a good chunk of those are charter schools

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<v Speaker 1>or private schools. I think there's only one public high

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<v Speaker 1>school in the top ten. So I mean, I'm just

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<v Speaker 1>afraid there's complacency and people saying, look, why do we

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<v Speaker 1>need this, why do we need this now after we

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<v Speaker 1>have this vibrant system already?

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<v Speaker 2>Sure and media, I actually think you're right that people

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<v Speaker 2>tend to get complacent when you have rights that are

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<v Speaker 2>currently protected and you're not seeing the attacks coming on

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<v Speaker 2>the horizon. Where we work in the education issue every

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<v Speaker 2>day and we see what the legislature is proposing and

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<v Speaker 2>that they're trying to, in their own words, attempts to

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<v Speaker 2>create the beginning of the end for charter schools. In Colorado,

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<v Speaker 2>we have the second highest population in the nation of

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<v Speaker 2>charter school students. But I think a good relation that

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<v Speaker 2>people can see is to property taxes. Before our property

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<v Speaker 2>tax spike that happened last year, there was actually an

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<v Speaker 2>amendment on the ballot that would have stopped whose spikes

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<v Speaker 2>from happening and replaced Gallagher with something effective, and voters

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<v Speaker 2>voted it down because they weren't feeling the effect of

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<v Speaker 2>high property taxes. And now that this year you saw

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<v Speaker 2>everyone in the really have said about it and wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to fix I hope the same thing doesn't happen to

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<v Speaker 2>school choice. That people are like, well, we have the rights,

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<v Speaker 2>we like them, why put them in the constitution. And

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<v Speaker 2>then two years from now we see major attacks succeed

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<v Speaker 2>against school choice rights, and then people are like, oh, shoot,

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<v Speaker 2>we should have passed it. Like we're basically saying, be proactive.

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<v Speaker 2>If you like the rights you have on school choice,

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<v Speaker 2>get ahead of the politicians, put them in the constitution.

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<v Speaker 2>Don't leave yourself at their mercy.

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<v Speaker 1>And one of the things that I think people don't

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily pay attention to is the Board of Education in Colorado.

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<v Speaker 1>And people may not realize that if you are in

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<v Speaker 1>the Boulder Valley School District, your chances of getting a

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<v Speaker 1>charter school approved are very very low. So the option

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<v Speaker 1>to go and become a charter school under the Board

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<v Speaker 1>of Education to get around from anti charter union controlled

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<v Speaker 1>school boards is a huge thing that has to remain.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's my understanding and maybe you can correct me

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<v Speaker 1>if you're wrong, since you're running for the Board of Education.

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<v Speaker 1>The makeup of the Board of Education has changed in

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<v Speaker 1>such a way that puts those new approvals through the

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<v Speaker 1>state perhaps at risk. Is that accurate?

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<v Speaker 2>Yesinitely, Actually all going to depend on the election this November,

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<v Speaker 2>because right now, even though it's a six ' to

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<v Speaker 2>three Democrat majority on the board, it's full of five

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<v Speaker 2>to four pro charter majority. But because what happened in

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<v Speaker 2>one of the Democrat primaries this year, it's set up

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<v Speaker 2>to be an anti charter board unless Yasmin Navarro and

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<v Speaker 2>CD eight when the Board of Ed seed if she wins,

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<v Speaker 2>there's still one Democrat on the board who's pro school choice,

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<v Speaker 2>in pro charter, who could still have a pro charter

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<v Speaker 2>majority if Yasmin wins.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, Christy, it's kind of crazy to me that

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<v Speaker 1>this has become so politicized on the Republican and Democrats side,

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<v Speaker 1>because there's an organization called Democrats for School Choice. So

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<v Speaker 1>this didn't used to be a highly politicized issue. When

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<v Speaker 1>did that happen? I mean, when did we go from

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<v Speaker 1>everybody saying, look, we want every kid to succeed and

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<v Speaker 1>we want parents who know their kids better than anybody

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<v Speaker 1>else to help them succeed. And yet here we are

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<v Speaker 1>still having this conversation. When did that shift take place?

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I think, honestly, Mandy, it has been a

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<v Speaker 2>shift among to your point, elected Democrats, not Democrats on

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<v Speaker 2>the ground when we've been pulling this issue. Their support

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<v Speaker 2>for school choice and keeping those rights in the constitution,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, a majority among all political parties. And that's

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<v Speaker 2>true across the nation because parents belong to all political

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<v Speaker 2>parties and want their kids to succeed. But I'd say

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<v Speaker 2>it about the last ten years in Colorado, the Democrat

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<v Speaker 2>Party has elected more people who are anti charter school,

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<v Speaker 2>anti choice, and you know, want to in my opinion,

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<v Speaker 2>they're leaving minority students, economically disadvantaged students in sailing schools

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<v Speaker 2>and saying you're stuck there. Too bad for you, this

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<v Speaker 2>is the only system you can choose, and studies actually

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<v Speaker 2>show that's what's going on. You know, when people like

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<v Speaker 2>that get elected to office, and so Amendment eighty gives

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<v Speaker 2>people on the ground, like Democrats on the street, who

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<v Speaker 2>don't feel that way, who want to make sure kids

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<v Speaker 2>from those kind of families are most vulnerable. Kids have

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<v Speaker 2>the option to go to a better and different school.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what Amendment eighty would cement and kind of put

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<v Speaker 2>back on these politicians that just aren't representing what people

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<v Speaker 2>in their party actually think.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, let me read this text message I just got

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<v Speaker 1>and people can text the Common Spirit Health text line

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<v Speaker 1>at five six six. And I know if you have

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<v Speaker 1>questions for Christy Mandy, the commercials against ad have said

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<v Speaker 1>that it may take money away from public education. I

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<v Speaker 1>know my wife voted against it for that reason. Can

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<v Speaker 1>you go through that?

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<v Speaker 2>Sure? And you know that is what the ads are saying.

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<v Speaker 2>They're telling people this is going to put public school

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<v Speaker 2>funding at risk. The problem is that's a lie. And

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<v Speaker 2>the way you can know that, if you're like I

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<v Speaker 2>don't know which campaign to believe, they read the Colorado

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<v Speaker 2>Blue Book that is put together by non partisan analysts

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<v Speaker 2>that always do a fiscal impact statement, which says, basically,

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<v Speaker 2>how much is this measure going to cost us? Zero dollars.

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<v Speaker 2>That's not from our campaign, that's from the Union. That

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<v Speaker 2>is from non partison analysts who works for the state

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<v Speaker 2>of Colorado, and they say there is no cost associated

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<v Speaker 2>with this amendment. So I think people need to get

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<v Speaker 2>to get the facts for themselves, because again, those ads

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<v Speaker 2>on TV are being funded by the National Teachers Union.

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<v Speaker 2>That's straight up line to voters and the union ad debates.

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<v Speaker 2>I've debated them a couple of times. They acknowledge at

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<v Speaker 2>the debates, well, no, it's true, this isn't a voucher.

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<v Speaker 2>There is actually no funding, but maybe one day there

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<v Speaker 2>could be. So they actually acknowledge in person that the

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<v Speaker 2>suggestion this causes or sorry, cost money to voters is

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<v Speaker 2>a lie.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, now done a really good job just conflating a

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<v Speaker 1>school choice with vouchers. Right, They've demonized vouchers, So now

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<v Speaker 1>the move is to tie those two things together as

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<v Speaker 1>if they are the same when they are not. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I personally am pro voucher, but I think that's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be one of those things that you are going

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<v Speaker 1>to have to get a lot of buy in from

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of different people before you can even attempt

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<v Speaker 1>it in a state. It can't be done at the

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<v Speaker 1>district level. It's got to be done at the state level,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's going to require a lot of conversation and talking,

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<v Speaker 1>and you cannot inflict that on people and expect it

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<v Speaker 1>not to just end up in the courts for decades,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I mean, It's like vouchers. I love

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<v Speaker 1>the idea, but the practicality of it, I have it

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<v Speaker 1>on the back burner. I just want to make sure

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<v Speaker 1>that parents can choose the best option for their kids.

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<v Speaker 1>That's all I want out of this entire.

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<v Speaker 2>Thing, exactly, Mandy and I think, and that's what we're

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<v Speaker 2>doing in Amendment eighty. You know, I think if you're

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<v Speaker 2>realistic about where we are in Colorado right now, and

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<v Speaker 2>where we are in Colorado right now is a system

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<v Speaker 2>that has been enjoyed and celebrated protected on a biperson

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<v Speaker 2>basis for decades that you get to pick the best

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<v Speaker 2>school for your kids. And in Colorado, if you want

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<v Speaker 2>to put them in private school or homeschool, then, like

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<v Speaker 2>my husband and I do, you've got to pay for

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<v Speaker 2>that yourself. And then the eighty wouldn't change that. But

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<v Speaker 2>what it does say is the government can't interfere with

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<v Speaker 2>those rights. The government can't say, oh, sorry, we're going

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<v Speaker 2>to close down the charter school in your districts because

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<v Speaker 2>we don't like the enrollment numbers. That's as a local

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<v Speaker 2>school doesn't matter the charter school succeeding. We want to

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<v Speaker 2>close it down right now, they can do that in Colorado.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, they could ban open enrollment if they want to,

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<v Speaker 2>which is actually used by a lot of families in

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<v Speaker 2>Colorado to cross district lines go to a better school

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<v Speaker 2>for their kids. Then the legislature can dam that next

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<v Speaker 2>session if they want to. The only way to stop

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<v Speaker 2>that is to put those rights in the constitution, which

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<v Speaker 2>is very simply what in an eighty does without impacting fundings.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of textures asking a variation of this question, Mandy,

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<v Speaker 1>I heard this would allow funding of private schools by

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<v Speaker 1>using tax money. Does it do that?

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely not, absolutely not, And that is what the Union

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<v Speaker 2>is spending millions of dollars saying on TV to people.

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<v Speaker 2>And it is an absolute why. And again people can

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<v Speaker 2>look at the blue books take take non partisan analysts

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<v Speaker 2>from the state's word for it. I mean, the state

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<v Speaker 2>is no. The current state is no fan of any

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<v Speaker 2>conservative issue. If this were going to cost money to

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<v Speaker 2>public schools, they would say so. They put fiscal impacts

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<v Speaker 2>on every measure, and they have said the fiscal impact

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<v Speaker 2>is zero dollars. You cannot get less funding than a

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<v Speaker 2>zero dollar fiscal impact. To no, this is not a voucher.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not a funding program. Would not take money from

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<v Speaker 2>public schools and put them into private.

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<v Speaker 1>This person said Mandy. The concerns I'm reading from homeschoolers

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<v Speaker 1>is that the amendment says quality education. The concern is

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<v Speaker 1>who determines what is a quality education. They're afraid that

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<v Speaker 1>the government will decide exactly what that means. Can you

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<v Speaker 1>ask Christy if there's a possibility that the government can

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<v Speaker 1>decide how homeschoolers are taught?

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<v Speaker 2>Sure, great question, And I would say right now, the

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<v Speaker 2>government could meet in next legislative session and put any

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<v Speaker 2>restriction it wanted to on homeschooling families. It doesn't need

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<v Speaker 2>anyone's permission or a new law to do that. That

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<v Speaker 2>puts us, you know, if you are a homeschooler, and

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<v Speaker 2>I am a homeschooler and a homeschool grad, Actually that

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<v Speaker 2>puts us in a very scary situation where it's a

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<v Speaker 2>mercy of politicians who can restrict us tomorrow if they

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<v Speaker 2>want to so. And then an ad on the other hand,

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<v Speaker 2>would actually put the right to homeschool your kids as

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<v Speaker 2>a school choice option in the Colorado Constitution. You cannot

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<v Speaker 2>have greater protection from the winds of politicians than putting

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<v Speaker 2>that right in the Colorado Constitution. The quality language that

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<v Speaker 2>some homeschoolers are getting a little bit hung up on,

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<v Speaker 2>which I understand, is actually in the purpose language. And

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<v Speaker 2>it's really really important that people understand the difference in

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<v Speaker 2>purpose language and operative language. Operative language is the law,

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<v Speaker 2>that's the language that establishes the right to school choice

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<v Speaker 2>in our constitution. The purpose language basically answers, why are

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<v Speaker 2>we doing this, or we're doing this because every kid

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<v Speaker 2>should have access to quality education. But that is not

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<v Speaker 2>part of the actual law here, and so no, it

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<v Speaker 2>does not give the government any for permission to mess

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<v Speaker 2>with education standards in Colorado.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess when I just heard you say that this

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<v Speaker 1>legislative session, the legislature could simply pass a law banning homeschooling.

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<v Speaker 1>That never occurred to me until right now.

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<v Speaker 2>I think the homeschool group are missing that hugely, which

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<v Speaker 2>you know, I'm a homeschooler, so that that Bob and me,

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<v Speaker 2>they're completely ignoring that. I saw an email from them saying,

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<v Speaker 2>let's just be vigilant and defend the rights we currently have.

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<v Speaker 2>At the legislature. The legislature doesn't listen to homeschoolers. They

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<v Speaker 2>don't care what we say. They could absolutely restrict and

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<v Speaker 2>ban whatever they want next session. And the only way

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<v Speaker 2>to protect that is to put our right to homeschool

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<v Speaker 2>in the constitution.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, we're talking about Amendment eighty with Christy Burton Brown,

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<v Speaker 1>also a candidate for the fourth District for the Board

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<v Speaker 1>of Education. This is a critically important amendment to do

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what Christy just said. This is going and let's

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<v Speaker 1>be clear, Christie, there's no and people don't often understand this.

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<v Speaker 1>We will pass let's see Amendment eighty passes. What we've

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<v Speaker 1>passed is essentially the skeleton framework of what this is

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<v Speaker 1>actually going to mean. And then they're going to pass laws,

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<v Speaker 1>and then there's going to be lawsuits, and then they're

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<v Speaker 1>going to put the meat on the bones of this amendment.

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<v Speaker 1>So if we're worried about things like quality education, there

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<v Speaker 1>are ways to address that going forward. As the meat

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<v Speaker 1>gets put on the bones of this entire situation.

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<v Speaker 2>Sure, and you know it's not what people are worried about,

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<v Speaker 2>they can certainly involve themselves in any discussions later that

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<v Speaker 2>may happen. I do think that people do need to understand,

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<v Speaker 2>like this is a constitutional right, like the freedom to speech,

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<v Speaker 2>like the freedom of religion that we have in the

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<v Speaker 2>US Constitution. Are there lawsuits that go on about those

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<v Speaker 2>rights all the time? Sure there are. You know, people

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<v Speaker 2>sue over rights to make sure they're protected. But that

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't change the fact that we should have those fundamental

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<v Speaker 2>rights present in our constitution. So that we're putting the

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<v Speaker 2>government on notice you can no longer interfere with our

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<v Speaker 2>right to school choice. Here in Colorado, every family gets

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<v Speaker 2>to make the best choice for their child. You can't

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<v Speaker 2>block access.

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<v Speaker 1>Christy Burton Brown is my guest, Christy Burton. I know

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking about the amendment. Well, why don't you give

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<v Speaker 1>your sales pitch of why people should vote for you

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<v Speaker 1>for the fourth Congressional District Board of Education seat.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh thanks, Mandy. I am running to give parents a

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<v Speaker 2>voice to empower parents. You should be able to pick

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<v Speaker 2>any kind of school that you want for your child,

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<v Speaker 2>and I don't think the state Board of Education should

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<v Speaker 2>block your access to doing that. So that's one of

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<v Speaker 2>the fights I'll engage with on the state Board. I'll

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<v Speaker 2>support charter schools and people's choice. So that's the kind

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<v Speaker 2>of voice we need. Also, I have school aged kids,

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<v Speaker 2>and no one who's going to be on the board

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<v Speaker 2>next year right now has school age kids, and I

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<v Speaker 2>think that's also an important voice we need on the board.

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<v Speaker 1>I agree, Christy. Thank you so much for making time

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<v Speaker 1>for us today.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Mandy all Right,