By now you’ve probably heard about last Friday’s outrageous court ruling in the Lobato school finance case, a ruling that could have a devastating impact on Colorado taxpayers and state services. You can help make sure that Gov. John Hickenlooper and Attorney General John Suthers do the right thing by appealing this terrible ruling.

Clayton Fletcher of Colorado Springs, Colorado has won the 2011 Freidman Legacy Day Colorado Essay Competition. His winning essay is below. Congratulations to Clayton.

WHY SCHOOL CHOICE IS IMPORTANT
BY: CLAYTON FLETCHER

School choice is a great thing! It is very important because it gives a student independence. A student can pick different schools or no “school” at all. They can homeschool where their parents choose what they learn. Or, a student can do online school where they learn on the computer. Then, there are private schools. There are many private schools to choose from, and many times they give a better education compared to public schools. Lastly, there is more freedom with school choice. So, a student can go to a school where they can talk about their religious freedoms and learn with kids that are like them.

In just a few minutes’ time you can make a difference for transparency, fiscal accountability and quality public education.

Your local Jefferson County school board appoints district administrators to negotiate with union leaders over how employees are paid, teacher and staff working conditions, and various union perks. The JCEA teacher’s union bargaining agreement says “Negotiations shall be conducted in open sessions, unless both parties agree to the contrary.”