Author: Lisa Walton

On Friday, over 3,000 teachers from over a dozen school districts gathered at the Capitol to demand an increase in state funding for public education. One of the outcomes of inadequate funding – according to the Colorado Education Association by $822 million, $2,700 below the national average in per-pupil funding – is that over the…

Public notices – the legal notices that governmental entities pay to place in newspapers as a means of informing the public – have played an important role in informing citizens about the actions of their government for more than 200 years. Nearly every year, almost like clockwork, someone in the Colorado Legislature proposes a bill…

Teachers in Colorado are exercising their First Amendment right to assemble and to have their grievances heard in a public forum. The court of public opinion seems to be the venue of choice these days for anyone who wants to be heard. As normal avenues for redress, i.e., bosses, government, become less responsive, or part…

Greeley City Council members are considering a request that the city ban smoking in outdoor public areas like parks. The initial reaction of the council members was favorable, and we share their sentiment. It makes sense. Parks are places for kids. They’re places for working out or taking a walk. They’re not places, generally, where you want…

Steamboat Pilot & Today has been reporting for quite a few years about the school district’s ongoing efforts to assimilate non-native speakers from primary grades to the high school into its classrooms. But we were surprised this week to learn that there are currently 278 English language learner students representing more than 8 percent of…

The $1.3 trillion spending package passed by Congress in time to avert a government shut down last month includes something western states have long wanted: money dedicated specifically to fighting catastrophic wildfires. For years, once federal agencies have exhausted their inadequate firefighting budgets, they have had to “borrow” – a euphemism for raiding – from…

The Herald editorial board applauds state Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango, for her bill introduced last week to hold future mine operators responsible for water contamination caused by their operations, even in the case of a company abandoning its work or going bankrupt. The public should not be left footing the costs of clean up. Co-sponsored…

If you believe students should stay in school, regardless of any situation, because they need to learn, then we would welcome you to endorse the recent walkouts and marches. We know the walkouts were frustrating to some of you. Just a couple weeks ago, more than 500 Weld County students walked out to protest gun…