Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Public Schools

Cherry Creek Schools Target Of New Federal Civil Rights Investigation
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Cherry Creek Schools Target Of New Federal Civil Rights Investigation

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette The U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into Cherry Creek School District on Monday over allegations of racial discrimination. The department said its Office for Civil Rights is reviewing claims that the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by sponsoring “a wide range of racially-discriminatory programming.” The complaints alleged the district discriminated on the basis of race in student clubs, academic support programs, teacher training and a parent committee, the department said in a news release. In a statement, the district said it has not yet received a copy of the complaint and could not comment in detail. “We strongly disagree with the characterization of the district programming...
School Funding Concerns Grow As Douglas County Faces $22 Million Deficit
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

School Funding Concerns Grow As Douglas County Faces $22 Million Deficit

By Nicholas Fogleman | The Denver Gazette The Douglas County School Board on Tuesday previewed its proposed 2026–27 budget amid declining enrollment and a projected $22 million deficit. District officials said the shortfall will be partially covered by a one-time drawdown of the district’s general fund, bringing the balance in line with pre-COVID levels. However, leaders warned the approach is temporary and will require more permanent solutions in the following year. “Without a structural change to how we fund schools in this state, there is at least a substantial risk that next year’s budget would not just be lower but substantially so,” board member Brad Geiger said. “Any substantial decrease in our budget means decreasing employees.” The proposed $901 ...
New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options
The Colorado Sun, Approved, Commentary, State

New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options

By Brenda Dickhoner | Commentary, The Colorado Sun State lawmakers made the right move to postpone legislation that would have created barriers for the program. Colorado lawmakers have been working to close a budget gap of more than $1.5 billion, and programs that students and families rely on are under pressure. At the same time, a new federal tax credit gives Colorado a chance to bring substantial philanthropic dollars into education without drawing from the state’s general fund. The Education Freedom Tax Credit allows taxpayers to receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for charitable contributions to scholarship-granting organizations that support K-12 students. Essentially, the program encourages private giving to step in where public fun...
Colorado Student Granted Religious Exemption From School’s Digital Monitoring System
Westword, Approved, Local

Colorado Student Granted Religious Exemption From School’s Digital Monitoring System

By Hannah Metzger | Westword "The district is deeply committed to honoring parental rights." Hail Satan? A young member of the Satanic Temple was granted a religious accommodation from the Elizabeth School District, arguing that the district’s digital hall pass system conflicts with her beliefs. The parents of the Elizabeth High School student had requested that she be exempted from the system, but their request was initially denied, according to TST. That’s when the Temple’s lawyers stepped in. “This was a cut-and-dry case of a TST member’s bodily autonomy being violated by invasive digital controls,” says Eliphaz Costus, campaign director of the Temple’s Protect Children Project. Using the digital hall pass system to monitor and restric...
It’s your child: Why parents must take the lead in education
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

It’s your child: Why parents must take the lead in education

Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I really liked the video linked at bottom. I think at some point the Independence Institute started a new video series about education, and this is one of their episodes. The thing that made this one catch my eye was the topic. It’s something near and dear to my heart: not just an encouragement to get involved in your child’s education, it’s also a guide. To give you a quick sense of the topics in this discussion, I took a picture of the timestamps from the video description and attached as screenshot 1. I’ll leave it to you to watch the video, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a couple last thing. One of the most important things you can (and should if you’re not) be doing to make sure...
Cutting Social Studies Tests Means Less Accountability For Schools
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Cutting Social Studies Tests Means Less Accountability For Schools

By Ari Armstrong | Commentary, Complete Colorado If “public education is the bedrock of Colorado’s democracy,” as Democratic sponsors declare in the TABOR-busting Senate Bill 26-135, then why do lawmakers want to cut social-studies testing from two grades to one? Someone might conclude that not even the legislators believe the slop they’re slinging on behalf of the teachers’ unions. A look at social-studies testing Given how abysmally most Colorado students perform on the social studies portion of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, maybe it’s no wonder that some legislators want to sweep the evidence of underperforming public schools under the rug. If you look at CMAS results by year, you’ll find that the last publicly-released data f...
Colorado collected $3.1 billion in marijuana taxes. Here’s how much actually reaches schools.
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Colorado collected $3.1 billion in marijuana taxes. Here’s how much actually reaches schools.

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice When Colorado voters said yes to legal marijuana back in 2012, schools were a big part of the pitch. More than a decade in, the state has collected over 3.1 billion dollars in tax revenue. So where does it all go? That number still carries a certain weight. It suggests a level of impact that would be visible in classrooms across the state. But when the dollars are traced through the system, then stacked up against what it actually costs to run schools, the effect looks different. Not invisible. Just smaller than people tend to expect. A closer look at what schools receive In the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, Colorado collected about 231.1 million dollars in marijuana tax revenue, according to the state’s nonp...
National School Association Tells Schools to Treat Campuses as “Safe Zones”
Just The News, Approved, National

National School Association Tells Schools to Treat Campuses as “Safe Zones”

By Esther Wickham | Just the News The webinar highlighted that public schools should function as “safe zones” for children and are not legally required to assist federal immigration enforcement without a valid judicial warrant. The American Association of School Administrators hosted a members-only virtual webinar last week, providing school leaders with guidance on how to respond to potential encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on school campuses, according to materials exclusively obtained by The Center Square. The webinar highlighted that public schools should function as “safe zones” for children and are not legally required to assist federal immigration enforcement without a valid judicial warrant. The webinar, titled: Operational Rea...
Teachers Accused of Pushing Anti-ICE Activism on Young Students Nationwide
Breitbart, Approved, National

Teachers Accused of Pushing Anti-ICE Activism on Young Students Nationwide

By Warner Todd Huston | Breitbart Anti-American, left-wing teachers are forcing K-12 kids to join anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests all across the country as Democrats and foreign-funded activists continue to march in support of criminal illegal migrants. A school teacher in Boston, for instance, proudly released a video showing what appears to be first grade children parading inside the classroom with anti-ICE signs, according to the MassDailyNews. https://twitter.com/MassDailyNews/status/2018930359635689602?s=20 Teachers have a vested interest in Joe Biden-styled, open borders immigration because as more illegals enter the country, more students from families of illegals are fed into the school systems for free education. Hence more t...
Greeley-Evans School District Nurse Reprimanded Over ICE Protest Email
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Greeley-Evans School District Nurse Reprimanded Over ICE Protest Email

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado GREELEY – While businesses closed, teachers called in sick and students walked out of class across Colorado as a sign of solidarity with two recent shootings by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minnesota, one Greeley-Evans School District 6 staffer decided to push her political opinions onto colleagues via the district email system, earning her a sit down with human resources about the appropriate use of school resources. The recent killing of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE officials in Minneapolis, who were attempting to take into custody suspected criminal aliens in the country illegally, has sparked protests across the country, including in Colorado. Although District 6 has had classes as usual, and...