Approved

By Jimmy Sengenberger | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE In the pandemic’s aftermath, Colorado’s public PreK-12 school system faces deteriorating enrollment. Contrary to the narrative spun by politicians, educrats and teachers union bosses — that the slump is simply due to demographic shifts, unaffordable housing and COVID-19 — it’s far from the full story. Last week, the Denver Gazette reported 1,800 fewer students were enrolled at the October count, a 0.20% year-over-year dip. While Colorado’s population burgeoned, education department data reveals public-school enrollment plunged by 30,024 students (3.3%) in the 2020-2021 school year — the state’s first drop since 1988. The subsequent rebound for 2021-2022 was modest, regaining just 3,318 students (0.38%). The statewide exodus continued,...

By The Gazette Editorial Board | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE The only downside to school choice in our state? There isn’t enough of it. It’s the right prescription for what ails Colorado’s public schools — an inoculation against the plague of malaise and abysmal performance at too many schools in too many communities. It’s why we salute the 14th annual National School Choice Week, which kicked off Sunday and runs through Saturday in Colorado and across the rest of the country. It’s a week in which school choice’s diverse advocates and supporters not only raise the movement’s profile for state policymakers but also reach out to parents to help them take advantage of the education options available to them. The observance, organized by the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, wil...