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Tag: Colorado Education

Jade’s escape: From a government-assigned school to a Jesuit work-study education
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Wayne's Word, Approved, Commentary, State

Jade’s escape: From a government-assigned school to a Jesuit work-study education

By Wayne Laugesen | Commentary, Wayne's Word A quiet war rages in Colorado classrooms. The casualties are almost always the children of the poor, ethnic and racial minorities. For decades, defenders of our state’s public education monopoly have built a fortress around zip-code budgeting. They tell low-income parents to wait for the next tax hike or bureaucratic restructuring. But a young Denver girl named Jade didn’t have time to wait. Her childhood—her prime learning years—was ticking away. Trapped by GeographyJade grew up in a low-income household where ambition ran high but financial options ran dry. In her government-assigned school, she faced a system designed for uniformity rather than excellence.Wealthy families simply write a check for private tuition. For Jade’...
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Kindergarten sex ed at Colorado district challenged over explicit content, letter says
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The Western Journal, Approved, Commentary, Local

Kindergarten sex ed at Colorado district challenged over explicit content, letter says

By Samuel Short | Commentary, The Western Journal A Colorado school board is proving once again that the left truly relishes in talking to young children about sex. In a letter from the Alliance Defending Freedom to the Roaring Fork Schools Board of Education, Director Katherine L. Anderson of the Center for Parental Rights noted some truly disturbing and graphic imagery that children are seeing as part of the 3Rs curriculum, a comprehensive program to teach about sexuality. The Rs in question refer to “Rights, Respect, Responsibility” according to the website of its creator, Advocates for Youth. The curriculum “seeks to address both the functional knowledge related to sexuality and the specific skills necessary to adopt healthy behaviors. Rights, Respect, ...
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Cherry-picking the rankings: A columnist’s case against Polis education claim
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Cherry-picking the rankings: A columnist’s case against Polis education claim

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado Colorado ranks 47th in crime and corrections, 45th in fiscal stability, and 39th in opportunity, according to U.S. News and World Report, Governor Jared Polis noted in July. Ha ha, just kidding! Polis proclaimed that “Colorado Ranked #1 in Education,” ignoring the low rankings in other categories and downplaying the fact that most Colorado students cannot read or do math at grade level according to state testing. You can see the U.S. News rankings for yourself. Colorado ranks as 17th “best state overall,” which I guess is kind of good? I mean, it’s the top half, right? Okay, sure, we got beat by Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Delaware, while our neighbor Utah took the #1 spot. Not embarrassing at all! Cherry pick...
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Colorado law already protects Douglas County teachers. Why a union contract?
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local

Colorado law already protects Douglas County teachers. Why a union contract?

By Martha Carver | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice You may be aware that the Douglas County Federation (DCF), the teachers’ union, is asking the Douglas County School District to engage in Collective Bargaining.  Before making a major shift in school governance, district leaders should recognize the protections already in place and require clear support from a majority of teachers.  But the most important question is what does this proposal actually mean for teachers? Collective bargaining agreements (CBA) are contracts between the union and administrators that cover teacher pay, benefits, seniority rules, transfer rights, evaluations, and grievance procedures.  Currently, teachers have the option to join the union, and this will not change if the S...
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A four-year-old is worth more than a fifth grader to Colorado schools
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State, Uncategorized

A four-year-old is worth more than a fifth grader to Colorado schools

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The incentive structure hiding in Colorado’s UPK I recently shared a video that went into (among other important things to know about school finance) how Colorado’s public school enrollment is dropping. That video is linked below if you missed it before; it’s great and cheap education on school enrollment and funding. Not too long after I put up the newsletter with that video, I had a reader send me something I thought interesting enough to share. There is a marked disparity between how much money someone gets from our Universal Pre K program for a child vs. how much they get for educating a child in K - 12. The second link below is to the state’s UPK rate sheet. It lists the 2026-27 rate the UPK progra...
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New Douglas County Charter School Opens With Focus on America’s Founding Principles
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CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

New Douglas County Charter School Opens With Focus on America’s Founding Principles

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado The ribbon has officially been cut on a new Colorado school as Douglas County continues to grow. John Adams Academy is the first school to open in the fast-growing community of Sterling Ranch. The school describes itself as liberty-based and offers a classical education. "This has been a long time in the making," said John Adams Academy Douglas County Co-Founder Kim Gilmartin. "We knew that there was a need for a school like this, so we put our heads together and brought it to fruition." CBS Gilmartin and her co-founder, Sterling Ranch mother Ellie Reynolds, say the school hopes to educate students through rigorous academics and a focus on the Founding Fathers' vision of America. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Colorado schools expect 16,000 fewer students as funding debate approaches
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado schools expect 16,000 fewer students as funding debate approaches

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Colorado Schools Are Losing 16,000 More Students. And yet there’s a ballot measure saying we need more money to go to schools. The video linked below is a great one on the basics of not only school funding but also the expected drop in enrollment that Colorado schools are projected to see this Fall. From the video’s description, the hosts cover the following: -Why Colorado is projected to lose 16,000 students-How does the School Finance Act determines funding?-Why declining enrollment doesn’t always mean immediate funding cuts?-How do districts plan their budgets?-What parents should (and shouldn’t) expect this school year.-What’s still changing in Colorado’s education funding formula? So wherever yo...
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If more education spending works, why not require proof?
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

If more education spending works, why not require proof?

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project This coming November voters will be deciding on Proposition NN and possibly Initiative 195, the former being a referred measure by our state legislature and the latter a ballot initiative which as of this writing was out for signatures with no definitive answer on whether it will be on the ballot yet. Both measures are of the type I like to label with “won’t someone think of the children?!” That is, both of them are geared emotionally to tap into the completely natural desire to help children. The thing is, there are some problems with the reasoning in both. To demonstrate, I will lean heavily on the well-written op ed about education funding from one of the interns at the Independence Institute (as well a...
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Sheridan Parents Launch Recall Effort Against School Board After Historic Teacher Strike
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

Sheridan Parents Launch Recall Effort Against School Board After Historic Teacher Strike

By: Adria Iraheta | Denver7 Denver7's Aurora/Arapahoe County Reporter Adria Iraheta is following up after learning a group of educators and parents are submitting a recall petition targeting the Sheridan Board of Education. SHERIDAN, Colo. — Three months after Colorado's longest education strike in recent history, Sheridan School District parents are now leading an effort to recall the superintendent and board of education. Denver7 Aurora and Arapahoe County community reporter Adria Iraheta happened to run into the group of Sheridan parents and educators at the county administration building this week while working on a different story. The group was there to submit a petition with the elections division — an effort to recall Sheridan's superintendent and board of ed...
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Colorado’s homeschool freedoms were hard won. The fight isn’t over.
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s homeschool freedoms were hard won. The fight isn’t over.

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC) Colorado homeschool families fought for liberty and their rights in the 1980s and won. We continue to fight for your homeschool freedom all year long. Homeschool families of today have a dizzying array of curriculum choices. So many, in fact, that it can be overwhelming. However, it was not always this way. In 1980, Colorado homeschool families had three options.     Use a state-approved curriculum.     Get permission from your local school district to use the curriculum you have chosen.     Be a certified teacher to choose your own curriculum. Independent-minded families were not okay with that. They knew that God had called them to disciple and homeschool their children. They rightly be...
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