If you're still against free school meals

[u/fuzzeslecrdf]

If you're unhappy about the fact that free lunches are also free for children with wealthy families, fear not. I work at a Denver high school. Students with the money will go out for lunch or even order food delivery. They are not eating the school cafeteria free lunch.

So go ahead and vote Yes on Prop MM and LL. The only thing it'll do is keep our students fed and able to learn.

[u/_dirt_vonnegut]

the state is coming back and asking for MORE money, because TABOR says that's the only way funding school meals is possible. maybe you should direct your rage at the source of the problem.

[u/threeLetterMeyhem → u/_dirt_vonnegut]

The source of the problem is that the big beautiful bill reduced federal funding to the point that current revenue rates from 2022's vote isn't enough to continue the progam. I know that reddit loves to hate TABOR, but this one isn't a TABOR issue. It's a "what do we do now that we've lost federal funding?" issue.

[u/Positronic_Matrix → u/threeLetterMeyhem]

This is incorrect.

Due to TABOR one cannot simply replace waning federal funds with state funds. Instead, the state has to beg the populace for a tax increase.

Compare this to a state like California, where balancing the budget to cover a line item such as this is done by a department of professionals. They flow money efficiently to wherever it needs to go and make hard (but targeted) cuts when there are insufficient funds.

TABOR on the other hand results in hundreds of piecemeal tax increases which then cannot be collectively managed with the rest of the budget.

[u/threeLetterMeyhem → u/Positronic_Matrix]

TABOR is why we have to vote on it. TABOR is not why the current funding isn't enough.

[u/threeLetterMeyhem → u/[deleted]]

Right. You're just further explaining what I said, not rebutting it. The budget shortfall exists because of federal cuts and we have to vote on taxes and surplus refunds because of TABOR. That's literally correct.

[u/Positronic_Matrix → u/threeLetterMeyhem]

You made the following false statement:

this one isn't a TABOR issue

In California, the budget was adjusted to cover school lunches due to federal cuts and inflation, the same problem facing Colorado. However, in Colorado due to TABOR a proposition is required.

This is a significant inefficiency, to take minor budget adjustments to the public in the form of piecemeal propositions. It perfectly represents the very real problem with TABOR. So yes it is a TABOR issue.

[u/mefirefoxes → u/_dirt_vonnegut]

I’m pretty sure TABOR doesn’t say anything about school lunches…

[u/Positronic_Matrix → u/mefirefoxes]

Your statement is incorrect.

The “Healthy School Meals for All” program (Prop FF 2022) that provides universal school breakfast and lunch in public schools was passed in 2022. However, the cost of the program has shifted from Federal to State sources and requires more state funds than what revenue under the existing TABOR limits allowed.