Wear Red On Tuesdays To Support 27J Educators

Three easy steps to support the kids of 27J.

1. Get on the List -- Did you know that people can register to vote right up to Election Day? To do so, visit one of the Voter Service Centers in your county starting on Monday, October 29: Adams, Weld, or Broomfield (most everyone in 27J are in Adams County)

2. Fill out Your Ballot --

• If your ballot has not come in the mail and you think you are registered to vote, then go to a Voter Service Center.
• If you did get a ballot, follow the instructions to fill it out, place it in the privacy sleeve, then seal the ballot envelope and sign the affidavit on the back of the envelope. Now your ready to submit your vote!

3. Get Your Vote In! -- You can drop your ballot off at one of the many convenient 24-hour drop-off locations across Adams County.

• If you have any issues, the clerk has set up Voter Service Centers across the county that are open starting Monday, October 25th.
• Eligible voters can register to vote and cast their ballot right up to Election Day at any of these Voter Service Centers!
• Of course, you can also just apply postage and drop your ballot off in the mail, but try to do so no later than Friday, October 29th. Remember, the ballot has to be IN THE CLERKS OFFICE or a DROPBOX (not just postmarked) by 7pm on November 2nd.

Scroll down for a handy map of all the sites where you can drop off your ballot in Adams County.

ALSO, while how you voted is completely private, whether you have voted is public. Check the list of people who have voted to make sure you are on the list! Check and see if friends and family are on the list as well. If not, send them a friendly reminder.

Warren Buffet said “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” A Greek proverb says “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” And B.C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes Magazine, said “It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.” These references are not exclusive to agriculture and gardening. They also relate to children and the fact that they are the future leaders of our world.

Our community and school district are in the proverbial “Spring” of a continuing trend of explosive growth. School District 27J, which covers Brighton, parts of Thornton and Commerce City, as well as a tiny sliver of Weld County, is one of the fastest growing in the state, and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. More people means more kids, which means the need for more schools, and schools require teachers and supplies. With the passage of the bond in 2015, we have been able to build the new schools and increase seats and/or perform much needed maintenance and building updates to existing facilities. But bond funding only covers physical structures—in essence empty buildings.

Public schools are funded with tax money. Per pupil funding from the state has been cut several times over the last nine years. According to Colorado Legislative Staff, Colorado ranks 40^th nationally in per pupil spending overall, spending an average $2,053 less per student annually than the national average for K-12 schools. In 1993, Colorado ranked 23^rd in state funding putting us in the 54^th percentile. Today, Colorado is ranked 43^rd, dropping us to the 14^th percentile.