In the aftermath of hotly contested, big money school board elections around the state, Colorado lawmakers are seeking to cap for the first time how much money donors can give to candidates in those races. But legislation that passed a House committee Monday won’t affect spending by independent committees that play a significant role in […]
Rep. Emily Sirota
Posted inColoradans, Education, News
Colorado is lowering teacher qualifications amid staff shortage a year before expanding preschool access
Tens of thousands of Colorado children will be eligible to enroll in the state’s expanded preschool program come fall of 2023, but as an educator shortage has swelled to “crisis” levels, pressure is mounting to find enough teachers to staff classrooms. One solution the state implemented in December: lowering the bar on credentials to become […]
Posted inElection 2020, Opinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Prop. 116 would divert money from schools and health care. Why you should vote no.
A good rule of thumb when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging. Coloradans are working to overcome many difficulties right now. The worst thing that could happen is approving Proposition 116 (formerly known as Initiative 306), which would take even more money out of our schools and our health care system […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Why Colorado needs an immediate statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures
Roughly 2 million Coloradans are renters. And as for those of us who are fortunate enough to own our homes, a full 72% carry a mortgage — second highest in the nation. If folks can’t pay because they’ve just lost their jobs (like the draw-dropping 22 million Americans who’ve filed for unemployment in the past […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics and Government
Will 2020 be the year Colorado bans plastic bags, Styrofoam and other single-use plastics?
The Town of Avon did something daring in January: It banned expanded polystyrene food containers, a.k.a. Styrofoam. The move made the town the first community in Colorado to forbid such take-out food containers, which don’t do well in microwaves — or with trash recyclers. But it also put them at odds with an obscure state […]