It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Amendment 23, approved by voters in 2000, required funding increases to raise the state’s support for public schools to the national average.
But when Colorado’s economy soured in the early part of this decade, legslators found themselves slashing other programs — such as health care and higher education — to keep the promise to public schools.
Amendment 59 on the Nov. 4 ballot would resolve that problem in the future by creating a savings account for schools to be filled when economic times are good and spent when times are bad.
During those lean years, the legislature balanced the budget with “a lot of baling wire and duct tape,” said House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. “This (Amendment 59) is a much more responsible way to balance the budget.”