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Democratic 2022 Colorado House of Representative

Andrew Boesenecker

I was born in Holland, MI, I grew up just a stone’s throw away from the shores of Lake Michigan. I was raised in a family that included public school employees, teachers, veterans and law enforcement officers. I am also proud of a family heritage that includes generations of farmers – people who know the importance of growing healthy food for their neighbors and community.I spent my childhood and teenage years sailing on Lake Michigan, exploring parks and forests, and riding my bike anywhere it would take me. One of those kids who couldn’t stop beating on pots and pans, I received my Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from Western Michigan University in 2001. I love playing drums and the marimba (and also the pots and pans) with my three children to this day.

Public Education

I am a proud product of public schools & a public university.

I am also a parent with three students enrolled in the Poudre School District. I believe in the value of a public school education. I affirm and support the dedication of teachers, principals, school counselors, support staff and administrators in making sure each and every student has access to an unparalleled public education in the state of Colorado.

As a former elementary music teacher in a Title I school, I have experienced firsthand the negative impacts of underfunding educators and students. In Colorado, our educators face an extraordinary set of fiscal challenges. I support educational equity, expanded vocational and technical training programs, competitive pay for teachers, and de-emphasizing our current reliance on standardized testing. I support buying down the Negative Factor and restoring educational funding to the previously mandated levels (pre-2010). Our students need and deserve access to mental health services and school counselors, and I was proud to support and work on both the 2019 Mill Levy Override and the 2018 Behavioral Health Initiative. 

The Gallagher Amendment and TABOR have long presented a challenging obstacle to the commitment to restore full funding for K-12 education. I was proud to support the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment in November 2020. I support repealing TABOR in full, as well as a graduated income tax rate (with no increase for those earning less than $150,000/year). The fiscal well-being of our state depends on our ability to enact equitable public policy in order to untangle the fiscal thicket we find ourselves in at present. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting economic impacts, this is more critical than ever before. 

I support increased funding for Higher Education. For too long we have understood funding for higher education in the state of Colorado to be discretionary and/or negotiable — doing so places an undue burden on students, erodes the ability of colleges and universities to hire and retain faculty and staff, and encourages future college graduates to seek education and employment elsewhere. It’s time we retain the best and brightest Colorado has to offer — this starts by restoring funding to our colleges and universities.