Yesterday, Colorado voters not only rejected Democrat Sen. Mark Udall’s re-election bid, they passed a very important, under-reported ballot measure. Colorado’s Proposition 104 will “require all school boards to have their collective bargaining negotiation meetings open to the public.”
As is the case in Washington State, under current Colorado state law, school boards do not have to conduct negotiations in public. The public only becomes privy to how hard-earned tax dollars will be spent when the results of the secret meetings are posted online and negotiations are all said and done.
Certainly, Proposition 104 represents a significant win for government transparency in Colorado. Given Jay Inslee’s tendency toward secrecy—and the results of his secret “negotiations” with state employee unions—Washington State sure could use a similar victory for transparency.
