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Ganahl: Say ‘NO’ to political flags in our classrooms!
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Approved, Commentary, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Ganahl: Say ‘NO’ to political flags in our classrooms!

By Heidi Ganahl | Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Durango 9-R School Board is poised to take an alarming step that undermines the values of neutrality and inclusivity our schools should uphold. On Tuesday, the school board plans to vote on a resolution that would officially designate certain political symbols — like the Black Lives Matter and Progress Pride flags — as the district’s own speech. This sleight of hand allows them to avoid the protections of the 1st Amendment, shutting the door on diverse perspectives while granting preferential treatment to one viewpoint. Let’s be clear: this is government-sanctioned discrimination. By rebranding these flags as “compatible with educational goals,” the board is imposing a specific political ideology on our classrooms. This is wro...
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Parents plead for dyslexia screening mandate, and some Colorado education officials are on board
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Parents plead for dyslexia screening mandate, and some Colorado education officials are on board

By Ann Schimke | Chalkbeat Colorado Bri Luna said her daughter started kindergarten with the nickname “Little Miss Sunshine” and by middle school was on antidepressants because of her reading struggles. Mary Sailas said her second grade son, who shifted from foot to foot next to her, told her he’d choose the ability to read over the superpower of flying. And in a particularly heart-breaking moment, Amy Thompson described how her high school-age daughter took her life in 2022 after years of floundering in reading and in school. The three mothers were among about 10 Colorado parents and advocates who begged the State Board of Education at the group’s monthly meeting Wednesday for mandatory statewide dyslexia screening. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Buena Vista middle schooler competes in first-ever National Civics Bee
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Buena Vista middle schooler competes in first-ever National Civics Bee

By Daniel Boniface | The Denver Gazette A Buena Vista middle school student on Tuesday represented Colorado in the first-ever National Civics Bee. Joseph Drexler, a student from Darren Patterson Christian Academy, competed in the first two rounds of the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., answering multiple-choice questions on history and democracy against competitors from across the country. The top 10 competitors from the opening rounds advanced to the third round, during which the middle school students delivered civic-minded speeches. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Douglas County School District considers consolidating elementary schools
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Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Douglas County School District considers consolidating elementary schools

By Greg Perez | Fox 31 News The Douglas County School District will hold a community meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to discuss a possible school closure plan. According to a letter that was sent to families, district leaders want to consolidate up to six elementary schools in Highlands Ranch by August 2026. They said enrollment numbers have been dropping in the area and the figures are not expected to improve anytime soon. “DCSD is taking a proactive approach to address the challenges of growth and decline in the North Planning area. Since last school year, DCSD committees made up of leaders and community members have discussed the best ways to manage decline to benefit our students and families. We have not only learned from other districts in the same position but al...
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Colorado voters seem poised to approve about half of school district funding measures, deny the rest
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Colorado voters seem poised to approve about half of school district funding measures, deny the rest

By Yesenia Robles | Chalkbeat Colorado When it came to giving schools more local funding, Colorado voters were reluctant to raise taxes this year. Typically presidential election years can be good years for districts to ask voters to raise taxes for schools. But this year, only about half of the requests, or 22 out of 41, were successful, according to unofficial results as of Friday morning. That’s fewer than in 2020 when about 90% of the measures were successful and also in 2016 when 68% of measures passed. This year, of those 22 that voters approved, only 11 were actually tax increases. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Seven Denver schools recommended by superintendent to close, 3 to partially close
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Seven Denver schools recommended by superintendent to close, 3 to partially close

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado Five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school would close if the Denver school board accepts a recommendation made by Superintendent Alex Marrero Thursday meant to address declining enrollment in Denver Public Schools. Three other schools would be partially closed, meaning they would serve fewer grades. The school board is expected to vote on the recommendation on Nov. 21. If the board votes yes, the 10 schools would close or partially close at the end of the school year. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Amid dropping enrollment, Colorado districts deciding what to do with closed schools
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, State

Amid dropping enrollment, Colorado districts deciding what to do with closed schools

By Ann Schimke , Melanie Asmar and Yesenia Robles | Chalkbeat Colorado Construction workers in hardhats and safety vests bustled around the 7,000-square-foot Loveland building, installing fixtures and painting. It was late October, and they had two months to go before the grand opening. Soon, the former Thompson School District preschool would become “The Landing,” the first shelter for homeless youth in northern Colorado. Leaders of the effort say the state-of-the-art-building will give young people ages 15 to 20 a safe place to live and receive services while they get their lives back on track. READ THE FULL STORY AT CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Denver will use these criteria to decide which schools to close for low enrollment
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Approved, Chalkbeat Colorado, Local

Denver will use these criteria to decide which schools to close for low enrollment

By Melanie Asmar | Chalkbeat Colorado How many seats are filled and whether the neighborhood is experiencing declining enrollment are the first two criteria that Denver Public Schools staff will consider when deciding which schools should be recommended for closure. That’s according to a methodology released Monday night, a week and a half before Superintendent Alex Marrero is expected to make school closure recommendations on Nov. 7. The school board is set to vote on those recommendations two weeks later, on Nov. 21. District officials have not indicated how many schools will be closed or consolidated. The board directed Marrero to close schools to address declining enrollment. Although DPS enrollment is up 2% this year due to an influx of migrant students, officials said t...
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In rural school districts, creative solutions to house teachers being created
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

In rural school districts, creative solutions to house teachers being created

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice From Deer Creek School District on the far Eastern Plains to Rangely on the western border of Utah, from Telluride and Aspen to Vail and Steamboat Springs, school districts all over rural Colorado are struggling with a need for affordable and available housing for teachers. In an effort to begin finding solutions for what school districts foresee as a long-term problem, Colorado Rural Schools Alliance (CRSA) hosted their first Rural Housing Forum in Beaver Creek on Thursday, Oct. 24. CRSA represents 146 of 178 school districts in Colorado. The remaining 32 are located in urban areas.  Chris Holbert, formerly a Colorado senator and Minority Leader, and current consultant for CRSA, doesn’t think that one-size solutions fit all sc...
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Denver teachers demanding cost-of-living increase in order to live in city
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver teachers demanding cost-of-living increase in order to live in city

By Nicole C. Brambila | Denver Gazette Collette Simkins — a theater and visual arts teacher at West High School — works two extra part-time jobs just to live in the Cap Hill neighborhood near the campus she has taught at for three years. “I think it’s important to live in the community in which my students live,” said Simkins, 29. She — and the nearly 4,000 educators that the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) represents — was counting on a full cost-of-living increase this school year. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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