Author: Erica Meltzer
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Colorado teachers unions launch merger talks
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Colorado’s two main teachers unions are exploring a merger that both groups hope will increase their influence on state and local education policy. The Colorado Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, and AFT Colorado, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, announced this week that they are forming an “exploratory unity…
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Colorado families are leaving $58 million in federal food aid on the table
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The families of more than 200,000 Colorado children could miss out on hundreds of dollars in food assistance if they don’t act soon — and many of them don’t even know they’re eligible. Colorado has distributed less than half of the $110 million it received from the federal government through the Pandemic EBT program, and the…
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Colorado expands public television lessons for young children
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Colorado students in kindergarten through third grade soon will have access to lessons in reading, math, science, and art through their television sets. Gov. Jared Polis announced the launch of “Colorado Classroom: Learn with Me at Home” on Monday. The programming starts Sept. 7 and airs for at least 15 weeks on Rocky Mountain PBS.…
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Denver Public Schools set to open its preschools in September
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Denver Public Schools will open its preschools starting early next month. It’s a first step toward bringing students back to the classroom in Colorado’s largest district, where most students are learning remotely until at least Oct. 16. Early childhood centers at Escalante-Biggs, Pascual LeDoux, Sandra Todd-Williams, and Stephen Knight plan to open on Sept. 8,…
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A late surge in demand overwhelms Colorado’s state-sponsored online school
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Colorado’s state-sponsored online school has been overwhelmed by demand as a diverse collection of districts turn to the nonprofit provider to serve students whose parents don’t want them in a classroom during the pandemic. Colorado Digital Learning Solutions had to suspend registration just a few days after it opened last week to work through a backlog…
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New Colorado quarantine guidance would allow more students to stay in school
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Colorado public health officials have revised their quarantine guidance for schools in ways that would send fewer children home and allow them to return to school more quickly — in situations where cold- or flu-like symptoms are unlikely to be COVID-19. State public health officials said the new guidance, issued Wednesday, was developed through feedback…
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Meet the two candidates who want to represent Denver on the State Board of Education
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The former head of the Colorado Association of School Executives and a retired data analyst and accountability manager with the Colorado Department of Education are competing to represent Denver on the State Board of Education. Both women have long careers in education and extensive experience with the accountability system the board oversees. Lisa Escárcega previously…
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Here are the first Colorado education bills of 2020 to hit the floor
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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
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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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Committee won’t recommend changes to Colorado’s school finance formula
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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…
