Coloradoan: Improve education by making it a state budget priority
By any measure, $6.635 billion is a lot of money. That’s how much funding the state of Colorado appropriated this fiscal year for K-12 public education.
But it’s fair to ask whether it is enough given the explosive population growth our state is experiencing and the pressures faced by our school districts to provide an ever-increasing number of students with access to quality education.
Colorado is barely passing when it comes to funding schools, according to the latest Quality Counts report, which gave the state a D-plus grade for school finance. Colorado came in 40th among the states with a score of 67 out of 100.
Considering other factors in Education Week’s annual national assessment of public education, including students’ chances for success and K-12 achievement, Colorado received an overall score of 73.9, or a C.
Read more at coloradoan.com.
10th Circuit grants Boulder-Weld district’s fire chief immunity for firing union leader
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 10 minutes ago
The Denver-based federal appeals court decided on Monday that the chief of a fire protection district spanning Boulder and Weld counties could not be held liable for terminating a union leader through the process outlined in the collective bargaining agreement....
Michael Allen says a weakened justice system, rising crime drove him to run for attorney general
Thelma Grimes
thelma.grimes@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 1 hour ago
Michael Allen said he is running for attorney general because he believes Colorado’s criminal justice system has been weakened by recent legislation and that rising crime is directly increasing the cost of living. A Navy veteran and longtime prosecutor, Allen...
Colorado House ethics committee delays hearing to allow Rep. Lindsay to seek legal counsel
Marianne Goodland
marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 4 hours ago
The Colorado House ethics committee voted Monday to pause the ethics complaint against Rep. Mandy Lindsay while she seeks legal counsel. The hearing was scheduled to begin with two days of testimony, during which Lindsay could present evidence and call...
State Supreme Court oral arguments, 10th Circuit nominee recuses from cases | COURT CRAWL
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 5 hours ago
Welcome to Court Crawl, Colorado Politics’ roundup of news from the third branch of government. The state Supreme Court will hear its last set of oral arguments this week before breaking for the summer, and the nominee for a vacancy...
‘Peaking at the right time’: Barbara Kirkmeyer is confident as ballots go out
Thelma Grimes
thelma.grimes@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 hours ago
Calling 2026 an “interesting” year, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer said the race for the Republican nomination has taken her from a “bizarre debate” to a broader effort to maintain the party’s integrity, while making the case that she’s ready to lead...
Sheehy calls for Rubio to take over Iran negotiations if Vance can’t swing it
Claire Carter, Washington Examiner
claire.carter.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 6 hours ago
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) on Monday suggested Secretary of State Marco Rubio should be waiting in the wings to handle negotiations with Iran if Vice President JD Vance can’t get a long-term agreement with Tehran over the finish line. Vance...
Rural frustration, parental rights shape Scott Bottoms’ pitch ahead of Colorado’s gubernatorial primaries
Thelma Grimes
thelma.grimes@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 8 hours ago
With just weeks before Colorado’s June primary, Republican gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Scott Bottoms is spending nearly all his time on the road — literally crisscrossing the Western Slope and eastern plains — in a final push to connect with...
Appeals court adopts federal standard for jail deaths under Colorado law
Michael Karlik
michael.karlik@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 9 hours ago
Colorado’s second-highest court decided last month that the standard used by federal courts for assessing whether government officials may be liable for constitutional violations upon the death of a jail detainee also applies to claims made under the Colorado Constitution....
District court judges weighing Trump policies face repeated slap downs by appeals courts
Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner
kaelan.deese.washington.examiner@gazetteedit.wpenginepowered.com
Updated 6 hours ago
Federal district court judges reviewing President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda and other contested policies are increasingly being checked by appeals courts, raising questions as to whether some members of the federal judiciary are implementing the law or seeking partisan ends....
Registered voters on the eve of the 2026 primaries | Cronin & Loevy
Tom Cronin Bob Loevy
tom-cronin-bob-loevy@coloradopolitics.com
Updated 2 days ago
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office has published the latest voter registration figures for the state and its counties as of June. Colorado ranks among the highest states for independent, or unaffiliated, voters. Only Alaska and Massachusetts have more. New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maine and Oregon also rank highly. So here...
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Durango Herald: More information needed on Secretary Zinke’s goals
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is redesigning his department to move hundreds of public employees from Washington out West. In theory, putting decision-makers in closer touch with the landscapes and people they will affect is a good idea. We are, however, skeptical about intent, because, as with the Bureau of Land Management most of them are […]
Cash infusions to shorten waiting time for El Paso County child care program
The waiting list for a cash-strapped child care subsidy program could end by mid-summer, the program’s director said Friday. The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program recently received two funding boosts – one from state lawmakers, and the other from Capitol Hill – that could allow El Paso County officials to begin accepting new families in […]