DENVER- Even though Jared Polis regards himself as the education candidate in Colorado’s gubernatorial race, his record on the State Board of Education points to a much different conclusion. New teacher application fees spiked 65% during Polis’ six-year tenure on the board. These increases costed new teachers applying for licensure at least $1.89M each year and made it harder for Colorado school districts to place talented teachers inside Colorado classrooms.
“While Jared Polis would have you believe he is the only candidate that supports Colorado teachers remember he is also the only candidate that has made it more expensive for these everyday heroes to do the job they love,” said Adam Johnson.
“As Chairman of our State Board of Education Mr. Polis supported teacher licensing fee increases of over 65% in a single term on the Board. That is real money taken directly out of the pocket of potential educators who are joining an industry that is significantly underpaid and underappreciated.”
Polis regularly took money out of educators’ pockets by increasing these fees multiple times during his one-term on the State Board of Education. These prohibitive fee increases hindered teachers’ ability to join the labor market during a time of huge economic prosperity. His obsession with increasing taxes and administrative fees has caused untold damage to school districts that should have enjoyed a labor surplus instead of being significantly understaffed. His time on the State Board of Education was harmful to everyone involved. It is clear Jared does not have our educators’ best interests at heart.
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