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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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Polis Celebrates Education Gains But Healthcare Access, Crime And Budget Challenges Remain
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Polis Celebrates Education Gains But Healthcare Access, Crime And Budget Challenges Remain

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette Colorado officials said they have something to celebrate this week, in addition to the state’s sesquicentennial birthday on Saturday. U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday gave Colorado its top ranking for education efforts from pre-K to postsecondary, though it didn’t fare well in other areas, such as health access and crime. Gov. Jared Polis celebrated the announcement with a trip to the Farrell B. Howell ECE-8 School in east Denver.  U.S. News & World Report issued its annual best states rankings on Tuesday. Colorado earned its first place in education based on “increases in associate degree completion and attainment rates, as well as substantial growth in preschool enrollment enabled by the Colorado...
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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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Colorado lawmakers debated dozens of bills touching faith, family and parental rights
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado lawmakers debated dozens of bills touching faith, family and parental rights

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado More than 700 bills were introduced in the 2026 Colorado General Assembly, but by God’s grace, none of Colorado’s homeschool freedoms were lost. CHEC was there to stand watch over bills that could affect homeschool freedoms, religious liberty, and parental rights, and sound the alarm when action was needed to engage legislators directly. The 2026 Homeschool Freedom End-of-the-Session Report is published and linked in this post, as well as the Voting Grid chronicling legislators’ votes on 24 of the bills included. Please use these as tools to equip you to take action with your legislators. Still, there were consistent groups and areas that were targeted throughout the 2026 legislative session. F...
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Colorado Lawmakers Close 2026 Session With Greater Government Control And Higher Fiscal Risk
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Lawmakers Close 2026 Session With Greater Government Control And Higher Fiscal Risk

By Jake Fogleman | Complete Colorado The Colorado legislature officially adjourned May 13, after weighing more than 600 bills over the course of 120 days. Lawmakers entered the 2026 legislative session facing a set of familiar problems: another billion-dollar budget deficit, rising voter frustration over affordability, and growing concerns about Colorado’s economic competitiveness and business climate. Yet despite those warning signs, the Democrat-dominated legislature largely doubled down on the same governing philosophy that has increasingly defined the Capitol in recent years—more fees, more special interest tax benefits at the expense of other taxpayers, and more attempts to carve revenue streams out from under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). To be sure, not...
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Government knows best? Colorado homeschool advocates say families should decide
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Government knows best? Colorado homeschool advocates say families should decide

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado In the 1950s, there was a popular television show that aired for many years called Father Knows Best. It was a wholesome program about a typical American family in the Midwest. Today, if we created a show about the state of Colorado, it would be called “Government Knows Best.” This is because our state government has never met an area of life that they don’t want to regulate or control. Education is one of those areas that is funded and controlled by our state. This also extends to part-time homeschool enrichment funding, which has become more popular to use due to the growing number of publicly provided and publicly funded programs across our state. Alarmed at the number of families taking advantage of these programs...
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New Federal Tax Credit Could Expand Colorado School Choice Options
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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...
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The golden rule of government: Who controls the funding shapes Colorado education policy
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

The golden rule of government: Who controls the funding shapes Colorado education policy

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado We have all heard the Golden Rule, based on Matthew 7:12, which commands that we treat others the way we would like to be treated. But have you heard of the Golden Rule of Money? This rule says that “He who has the gold makes the rules.” It is a truth based on ownership of resources, which we should be very familiar with here in Colorado. The part-time homeschool enrichment public funding conversations happening under the golden dome in Denver are an incredibly clear example of this golden rule. The Joint Budget Committee (JBC) has asked for a bill* to be drafted that addresses Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) operating programs outside their member districts, defines “instructional time,” and clarif...
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Colorado’s assault on families: TABOR, parental rights and the bills lawmakers killed
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Christian Home Educators of Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s assault on families: TABOR, parental rights and the bills lawmakers killed

By Colleen Enos | Commentary, Christian Home Educators of Colorado In the United States of America, we cherish our freedoms. We have the freedom to protect our families, to practice our faith, to educate our children, and to live in safe communities. Coloradans want to experience those freedoms in our state, too, not just as an ideal in our country. We want truth, justice, and the American way. The American way of limited government and keeping our own money is at risk with the constant attack against the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). Homeschool families' ability to educate their own children becomes increasingly difficult as the state of Colorado takes additional resources away from us. SB26-135, State Public K-12 Education Funding, wants to circumvent TABOR restrictions and proposes k...
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Democrat Gov Jared Polis Sees Opportunity in Federal School of Choice Funds
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The 74, Approved, State

Democrat Gov Jared Polis Sees Opportunity in Federal School of Choice Funds

By Kevin Mahnken | The 74 "In Colorado, we trust the parents," Governor Jared Polis. The school choice proponent — and possible 2028 contender — is one of just two Democratic governors opting into a new federal scholarship tax credit. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis may be the Democratic Party’s single most prominent supporter of school choice.  In his life before politics, he co-founded two charter schools in his home state. During his time serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, he authored bipartisan legislation to expand high-performing charters, citing hundreds of thousands of families on waitlists nationwide. And now, in his last year as Colorado’s chief executive, he has even signed on to participate in the Trump admin...
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