Author: Chalkbeat Colorado
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Could a new vaping and tobacco tax pay for free preschool in Colorado? Advocates want to ask voters in November.
Colorado voters could decide this November whether to fund free preschool for 4-year-olds statewide by taxing tobacco and vaping products. On Friday, two citizens took the first step toward putting the question on November’s ballot, filing more than a dozen possible versions with the state’s Office of Legislative Council, which reviews potential initiatives before sending…
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With 15.7% average pay increase post-strike, more Denver teachers returned
Far more Denver teachers returned to the classroom this fall than in previous years, a retention boost that district officials attribute to pay increases won after a teacher strike last year. But because veteran teachers tend to make more money than new hires, the higher retention means the district is paying more in teacher salaries…
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Here are the first Colorado education bills of 2020 to hit the floor
The first bills filed on opening day of the 2020 Colorado General Assembly give a window into the education priorities of both political parties. A number of these bills came out of the School Safety Interim Committee and reflect the desire to better coordinate school responses to threats and to better support student mental health.…
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Now we know the full cost of Colorado’s full-day kindergarten expansion
More Colorado children than predicted have enrolled in full-day kindergarten, but these additional students are unlikely to break the state budget — in part because Colorado has fewer students in the older grades. Complete pupil counts for the 2019-20 school year won’t be released until later this month, but early numbers provided to legislative analysts…
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$34M grant buoys Colorado’s early childhood efforts
Colorado won a $34 million federal grant intended to give more young children access to quality early childhood services. The grant will pay for a long list of projects, including updates to the state’s early childhood technology systems, improvements to the child care rating system Colorado Shines, scholarships for childcare providers seeking a common industry…
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Committee won’t recommend changes to Colorado’s school finance formula
A special committee charged with changing Colorado’s outdated formula for distributing money to schools will not recommend any legislation in 2020. The Democratic chair of the bipartisan Interim Committee on School Finance, state Rep. Julie McCluskie of Dillon, said the group ran out of time. Reaching the end of the third year of what started…
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A new Denver school board takes a softer tone with low-performing schools
The Denver school board is in the midst of radically changing its approach to school improvement, moving from an inflexible strategy that closed or replaced struggling schools to a more collaborative one that gives schools time to turn things around. But it’s clear that some schools still perceive district intervention as a threat. At the…
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New Denver school board member says he will sit during the Pledge of Allegiance
On the eve of his first monthly meeting Thursday, newly elected Denver school board member Tay Anderson said he would remain seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. “As a Black man, I am reminded today and every day of the injustices that still exist in our society,” Anderson said in a statement. “I am remaining…
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Aurora’s bonus experiment was mixed for teachers, promising for school psychologists and nurses
An experiment in the Aurora school district of offering up to $3,000 to entice teachers to stay another year has shown mixed results. But the same tactic did seem to help in retaining more school nurses and psychologists, a final report shows. Aurora officials called the improvements “significant,” in a final report presented to the…
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Colorado early childhood efforts could get a major boost from federal grant
A multimillion federal grant, combined with an $11 million state match, could pump nearly $50 million into Colorado early childhood efforts over the next three years. Federal officials will announce grant awards by the end of December. One thing the birth-to-5 grants won’t do is create large numbers of new preschool and child care slots.…