Once again, charter schools survived Colorado’s legislative session. There are many legislators from both political parties that deserve to be praised for their support of charter schools. However, Sean Bradley, the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Colorado League of Charter Schools, deserves a loud “shout out” from all those who support charter schools. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk!
As a Democrat education reformer, Sean is passionate about providing kids with the best educational opportunities. GOOD job Sean and thanks! Click the play button below to listen to a new iVoices podcast as Pam Benigno and Sean discuss this past legislative session and the GOOD news that Michael Johnston was selected as the new Senator from District 33.
To realize the impact of yesterday’s Arizona Supreme Court decision watch this video about a little girl named Lexie. Also, read the media release from the Institute for Justice. Lexie has multiple disabilities. Her public school was not able to meet her needs, but the state-funded scholarship program for children with disabilities gave her the opportunity to attend a private school where she received more attention and learned new life-changing skills.
SHAMEFULLY, Lexie and other children served by the voucher program will not receive a voucher next fall. Ironically, other students supported by public dollars will remain in Lexie’s school. The difference is that public school staff made the decision to send the children to the private school, not their parents.
The Arizona Supreme Court struck down both of the state’s voucher programs on the basis that they violate one of the state’s Blaine Amendments. One program serves children with disabilities, and the other serves foster children.
The “usual suspects” filed the SHAMEFUL lawsuit - including the ACLU, People for the American Way, PTA, teachers unions, and the school board and school executives associations.
Parents were required to endorse the checks for tuition aid over to the schools. Arizona’s highest court said this action constituted state aid to the non-public schools.
The battle for a quality education for America’s children continues…
Today, two public schools received waivers from 40 state statutes, 32 district policies, and 18 collective bargaining agreement provisions. The Colorado State Board of Education unanimously voted in favor of granting waivers to two Denver Public Schools, Manual High School and Montclair School of Academics and Enrichment.
The schools are the first “Innovation Schools” under a law passed in 2008 sponsored by Senate President Peter Groff and Senator Nancy Spence. The Denver Public School Board voted 4-3 Monday night to allow the district to seek the waivers from the State Board.
State Board of Education member Elaine Gantz Berman declared, “This is groundbreaking for Denver Public Schools and the state of Colorado.”
Yesterday the Joint Budget Committee cut the printing of next year’s School Accountability Reports (SAR). Also, a bill going through the legislature that will make major changes to Colorado’s accountability system does not include printing of the new reports. Not sending home a SAR (aka school report card) keeps parents in the dark about a school’s student performance. This is BAD news for families!
When you look at the cost of printing the reports, it would cost less than a can of cheap soda pop per kid. Yet the value of parents reading the SAR can mean the difference between failure and success for thousands of children. The kids that live in the big houses in safe neighborhoods will do fine. Besides, they probably have at least two computers in their homes and if they aren’t happy with their neighborhood school or if they want to know about a school’s student performance, they will conveniently check out the school report card online.
But what about the other kids? The ones who don’t have a computer in their home? At the very least schools should be required to print the report on a piece of copy paper for every student. Oh, but that is an unfunded mandate!
The government needs to get in touch with the basics of school reform. Parents are very important to improving a school. They should be provided with the truth about a school’s student performance. The best way to disseminate that message is to send home a school report card. If Colorado schools can find the money to buy ice cream on the October 1 count day to ensure every penny due to them, they can certainly find the money to print a copy of the SAR for each child. It is SHAMEFUL if every effort isn’t made to inform parents about student performance!
In today’s Denver Post there is a story by Jeremy P. Meyer about the parents of 67 students from Hanson PreK-8 School located in Adams 14 School District. The parents are boycotting the CSAP because they are unhappy that the principal has been placed on leave for undisclosed reasons, the elimination of the year-round schedule, and changes to the district’s English language development program.
The district is making a GOOD move to reform its failed English development program. In early February the district announced community meetings about the changes.
Whether or not the parents have a valid argument about the principal and the school calendar, it was BAD judgment on their part to boycott the CSAP. The school is already rated low on its School Accountability Report for both the elementary and middle school levels. It is very possible that the school will receive an unsatisfactory rating next year because the many absent students will receive a score of zero.
The parents’ lack of judgment may throw the school into complicated mechanisms developed to rescue failing schools. Besides, there will be a lack of valuable data to measure the academic growth of the individual students who skip the CSAP. Now isn’t that SHAMEFUL!
Today is a really bad day for education reformers. Today’s edition was the last edition of the Rocky Mountain News.
For many years, the paper has provided readers with high-quality and in-depth stories about education issues. The editorial page has voiced commonsense opinions about needed reforms.
Colorado is a leading state in the area of public school choice and innovative programs. Policy wonks (and the foundations that support them) and policy makers passionately work to improve the educational opportunities for Colorado’s children.
The Rocky Mountain News has helped move forward needed reforms. Thanks to Vincent, Rick, Nancy, Berny, Lynn, Tina, April, Laura, and all the rest who over the years have graced us with your talents.
The BVSD debate continues. Van Schoales from the Piton Foundation and a Charter School Institute board member offers another perspective about the lawsuit:
Some are saying the district’s lawsuit is a waste of taxpayer dollars , but I’m not sure it is such a bad idea to go all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court….
It’s about time we had more discussion about whether school districts and their monopoly have outlived their value managing all public schools.
Van makes a couple of good points. Colorado’s open enrollment law and the growth of cyberschools make one wonder if physical boundaries should remain the primary way to define a school community. A Colorado Supreme Court decision in favor of the Charter School Institute could resolve the issue and help to open new doors to innovation.
However, a potential victory in support of the Institute doesn’t justify the actions of BVSD. Listen to Pam Benigno and Ben DeGrow discuss the lawsuit on an iVoices podcast.
According to an article in the Boulder Daily Camera, Boulder Valley School District is going to take a couple of weeks to decide if they continue with the lawsuit against the Charter School Institute. School district superintendent, Dr. Christopher King was quoted saying, “…the decision to pursue the lawsuit was made in more plush times. It will be a harder decision to make in these tough times.”
Boulder residents should be happy to know that during these tough times the board of education is going to be more careful with how they spend your tax dollars. However, during “plush times” residents beware! Using tax dollars designated for educating students to make a political statement is always shameful!
Dear Boulder Valley School District Board of Education,
Just how much of the taxpayers’ money did you spend in your lawsuit against the State Charter School Institute? You lost the suit in district court but appealed to the Colorado Court of Appeals, costing not only the school district but the state more money. All to deny families more educational choice and opportunity. Thankfully, the appeals court justices had the good sense to uphold the district court’s decision.
Shame on you, Boulder Valley School District!
(Update: “Boulder Valley officials said they’ve spent $198,695 to date on the lawsuit.”)
