Author: Erica Meltzer CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Large Colorado school districts that collectively serve thousands of children in half-day kindergarten programs are preparing to switch to full-day programs this fall, potentially pushing up the cost of Gov. Jared Polis’ signature education initiative. Lawmakers have set aside $185 million – about 80 percent of what Polis requested – to pay for full-day kindergarten…

A bill that would ask voters to let Colorado keep more tax revenue – with a third of the money going toward schools – moved forward Monday, even as backers stressed that it is not a “cure-all” for the state’s broader fiscal challenges. Those challenges will be on full display this week as lawmakers in…

Jeannie Nelson didn’t have to pay for full-day kindergarten for her two older children because her family was below the Denver school district’s income threshold. But her husband, an EMT, recently got a raise, and now the family is waiting to know if they’ll have to pay for their third child, a 5-year-old who will…

A coalition of youth advocates is pushing Colorado to allow most high school juniors and seniors to vote in school board elections. “Students are experts in their own education,” said Tezcatli Diaz, director of  youth civic engagement for Student Voice, Student Vote, one of the groups calling for the change. “A lot of people on…

The influential Joint Budget Committee gave its endorsement Tuesday to funding full-day kindergarten by next fall, but doing so could require “tightening our purse strings” and not funding other initiatives, lawmakers said. Funding full-day kindergarten is a top legislative priority of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who campaigned on making it available in every district at…

Concerned about the high number of Colorado students who don’t read at grade level, some lawmakers want to dictate how schools teach reading. A bipartisan bill introduced Monday in the Colorado Senate would also require that teachers gets new certifications in reading instruction and move state dollars earmarked for struggling readers to programs that help…

Faced with tens of thousands of students who lack basic literacy skills, Colorado’s influential budget committee is holding back $33 million used to teach struggling early readers in hopes that new legislation will yield better results than the money is currently getting. The 2012 READ Act aimed to get students reading proficiently by the end…

Most Colorado educators would no longer receive a full, formal review every year, and student academic growth would carry less weight in those evaluations under changes being pushed by Colorado’s teachers union. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Tammy Story, an Evergreen Democrat, that will be introduced later this month would allow educators with three…

Colorado schools submitted more than 50 requests worth more than $800 million this year seeking a share of state funds to pay for new roofs, heating and cooling systems, asbestos abatement, safety upgrades, and – for a lucky few – new school buildings. They were eyeing the state’s Building Excellent Schools Today or BEST program for…

Lindsay Drakos’ daughter didn’t get diagnosed with dyslexia until she was in fifth grade, after years of struggling with reading. Leaving Children’s Hospital Colorado after a nine-month wait to get screened, Drakos recalled the years she spent reaching out to teachers and wondering if something was wrong. She turned to her daughter and said, “What…