Author: Erica Meltzer CHALKBEAT COLORADO
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Denver district begins cutting central office positions to pay for teacher raises
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Denver Public Schools began the process this week of cutting more than 150 administrative positions from its central office, which will free up $17 million for raises for teachers and other district employees, as well as additional money for special education services. The Denver district has far more administrators than others in Colorado, and Superintendent…
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Colorado could expand lunch subsidy to high school students
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When Colorado expanded a school lunch subsidy to middle school students, the number of sixth- through eighth-graders eating lunch at school went up in districts across the state. Twenty-sixth percent more middle school students ate lunch at school in the Greeley-Evans district, where a majority of students live in poverty, but even in the more…
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Colorado bill would take back money from state-authorized charter schools
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A bill introduced in the Colorado House would take back money set aside for state-authorized charter schools and return it to the general fund, where it would be available for any purpose. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Democrat and former Poudre School District board member, would repeal one portion…
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New Denver teacher contract: Questions answered about the tentative pact
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One reason many Denver educators didn’t like the district’s old ProComp pay system was that it was too complicated and unpredictable. Both sides agree that the deal reached early Thursday morning creates a much simpler pay system for teachers. But educators – and the general public – still have a lot of questions about the tentative ProComp…
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Fewer Colorado students of color take advanced courses; a bill aims to help close the gap
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Olivia Batist is taking honors math and physics, but her friend – whom she thinks is just as smart – is not. Batist, a ninth grader at DSST: Conservatory Green in northeast Denver, believes the difference is that her friend’s parents aren’t able to advocate for their daughter the same way her own parents have advocated for…
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With strike on hold, Denver teachers stage ‘walk in’
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Rather than walking off the job on Monday, many Denver teachers planned to “walk in,” entering their school buildings together dressed in red to show their support for their union in its pay fight with the district. The strike that was authorized by members of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and that could have started…
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Denver Public Schools asks for state intervention in pending teacher strike
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After meeting with Gov. Jared Polis for roughly an hour Wednesday morning, Denver Public Schools officials formally requested state intervention in a potential teacher strike. The request is not a surprise – Denver Superintendent Susana Cordova said she would ask for state intervention almost immediately after the Denver teachers union on Jan. 8 filed its…
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Denver hopes to keep its schools open in a strike — and the union wants you to send your kids
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Superintendent Susana Cordova says she is committed to keeping Denver schools open and continuing to educate students in the event of a strike. In Los Angeles, where a teacher strike is entering its second week, many students are watching movies and playing games. Cordova said she plans to do more for the 71,000 students in…
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Here’s a look at the first education bills to hit the Colorado legislature
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The more than 100 bills filed on the first day of Colorado’s 2019 legislative session include proposals to address the teacher shortage, bolster mental health services in schools, reduce regulation on rural schools, and provide bonuses to teachers deemed highly effective. Among the first 10 bills filed in each chamber were two ideas struck down…
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Even with Democratic majorities, money constraints will shape Colorado’s education agenda
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There is an elephant in the room as the Colorado legislature convenes with Democratic majorities in both chambers – and it’s made of money. Lawmakers have ambitious goals for education that include improving the preparation and support of novice teachers, attracting more teachers to shortage areas, ensuring more students learn to read and that more…