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Denver voters choose union-backed Democrats over reform in school board sweep
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Chalkbeat Colorado, Approved, Local

Denver voters choose union-backed Democrats over reform in school board sweep

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado A “blue wave” swept across the country on Election Day. But in Denver, all the school board candidates were Democrats. So, faced with similar choices, voters bubbled their ballots for the candidates endorsed by a Democratic stalwart: the teachers union. “If you’re in a blue city and you’re a blue voter, you’re going to vote for the true-blue candidates — and the true-blue candidates were the union candidates,” said Van Schoales, a longtime supporter of the Democratic brand of education reform. For many years, Denver Public Schools was considered a national exemplar of the type of education reform that favors school choice and charter schools but not private school vouchers. A 2019 teachers strike sparked in part by pushback to reform polici...
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Colorado refuses to certify DEI removal order, risks $800M in school funds
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, National, State

Colorado refuses to certify DEI removal order, risks $800M in school funds

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado will refuse a demand from the Trump administration to certify that its schools have eliminated what the federal government says are illegal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, state Commissioner of Education Susana Córdova said Thursday. “I am not signing that,” Córdova said. “I am not asking our districts to sign that.” However, Córdova told the State Board of Education she will sign a new assurance that the state is in compliance with Title VI, which bans discrimination on the basis of race, “so that my name, in addition to the department’s previous commissioner who signed our previous assurance, is on file and on record to be able to indicate that we are fully enforcing Title VI.” The U.S. Department of Educatio...
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Judge rejects Denver Public Schools’ attempt to block Trump ICE guidance
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local, Top Stories

Judge rejects Denver Public Schools’ attempt to block Trump ICE guidance

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado A federal judge on Friday rejected Denver Public Schools’ attempt to reinstate a federal policy that treated schools as “sensitive locations” where immigration enforcement should only take place if there is immediate danger to the public. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico said there is little practical difference between the prior policy, the last iteration of which was issued in 2021 under former President Biden, and a pair of memos issued by the Trump administration in January. “The concern was that there would be no limitations or no protections for schools, necessarily, under the new memo,” Domenico said in a ruling from the bench. “That is an overstatement. And the fact that there have been no actions on school property in the ...
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House bill would impact about 175 private equity-backed child care chains
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

House bill would impact about 175 private equity-backed child care chains

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado parents and teachers would get 60 days’ notice about staff layoffs or enrollment changes if their child care centers are acquired by chains backed by private equity firms. That’s one of the provisions in a bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday, with an 8-5 vote in the House Health and Human Services committee. The bill, sponsored by three Democratic representatives, seeks new guardrails for child care centers backed by institutional investors such as private equity or venture capital firms. Experts say such firms aim to generate big profits for their investors, often at the expense of children, families, and workers. Firms do this by cutting costs and charging fees. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO...
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Democrat-led SB 63, seeking to curb library book challenges, clears first hurdle
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Democrat-led SB 63, seeking to curb library book challenges, clears first hurdle

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado’s public schools would be required to have policies governing school library book challenges, and only parents with students at a school would be allowed to challenge a book in that school’s library. These are some of the provisions of a school library bill that cleared its first legislative hurdle Monday evening, advancing out of the Senate Education Committee in a 5-2 vote. The bill represents the second attempt by Democratic lawmakers to curb school library book removals and protect school librarians from retaliation for doing their jobs. A similar school library bill died during the 2024 legislative session, though a separate one focused on public libraries passed. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Proposal would result in once-a-decade adjusting of Denver school boundaries
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Proposal would result in once-a-decade adjusting of Denver school boundaries

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Denver Public Schools’ superintendent would have to “analyze and adjust” school enrollment boundaries every 10 years or less under a proposal being considered by the school board. Board member Scott Esserman, who introduced the proposal Thursday, said it was a long time coming. The district hasn’t systematically reviewed its school boundaries in several decades, since it was the subject of a school desegregation lawsuit that led to widespread busing. The proposal, known as Executive Limitation 19, would require the superintendent to analyze and adjust school boundaries in conjunction with the federal Census. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Denver school board considering pausing any future school closures
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver school board considering pausing any future school closures

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado The Denver school board is considering pausing any future school closures until closures that are underway are executed and plans for vacant buildings are finalized. The proposal comes three months after the board voted in November to close or partially close 10 schools with low enrollment at the end of this school year. More than a year and a half earlier, the board voted to close three small schools in the spring of 2023. The proposal doesn’t include a timeframe for a moratorium on school closures, though several board members floated the idea of two or three years during a meeting Thursday. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Senate Bill 64 would expand Safe2Tell, require notification of certain events to teachers
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Senate Bill 64 would expand Safe2Tell, require notification of certain events to teachers

By Jason Gonzales | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado lawmakers gave first approval of a bill that would require educators to get notified if one of their students experiences trauma such as domestic violence, serious accidents, or abuse and neglect. Senate Bill 64 would require the Safe2Tell program to notify teachers, counselors, and administrators that a student who has been involved in an incident has been designated as “handle with care.” School officials wouldn’t get any other information other than the designation, but it would signal to educators that the student has undergone significant stress and needs extra support. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Report finds 63% of age 25-plus Coloradans have education beyond high school, leading the nation
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Report finds 63% of age 25-plus Coloradans have education beyond high school, leading the nation

By Jason Gonzales | Chalkbeat Colorado Colorado residents are still the most educated in the nation, but Massachusetts now shares the top spot, according to a report released last week. This year’s Stronger Nation Report found that 63% of Colorado residents aged 25 and older had an educational credential beyond a high school diploma in 2023, matching Massachusetts. That’s above the national average of 54.9% of residents who have earned college degrees or certificates or an industry certification. The figure is mostly unchanged from 2022, when about 62.9% of Colorado’s residents held a college credential. However, the percentage of Native American Colorado residents with college degrees or credentials has fallen, a troubling sign after years of steady increases. READ THE FULL ST...
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Why Colorado Mesa University’s president decided to stand alone when it comes to higher ed funding
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Why Colorado Mesa University’s president decided to stand alone when it comes to higher ed funding

By Jason Gonzales | Chalkbeat Colorado After four years on the job, Colorado Mesa University President John Marshall felt he needed to break ranks. Colorado higher education leaders have made it a tradition to sign a letter stating how much more money they need beyond the governor’s November request, including this year. The unified financial requests have led to far more money for all colleges and universities in recent years. But Marshall said he couldn’t sign onto this year’s letter for the sake of the students he serves. He hopes his absent signature sparks a conversation about the challenges the Grand Junction school has faced — not a disagreement that Colorado universities need more state funding. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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