“Have you heard the news?” came the phone call on my day off, my birthday. “There’s been a school shooting.” I learned about the April 20, 1999, shooting at Columbine High School while standing in the parking lot at Target with a new bicycle in the trunk of my car, a gift for my daughter’s […]
schools
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Should Colorado teens get a vote in school board elections? These legislators think so
By Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat Colorado 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. […]
Posted inEducation, News
To boost student attendance and well-being, more Colorado schools ask: “Need help with laundry?”
By Anne Schimke, Chalkbeat Colorado Smiling shyly, 9-year-old Morgan Pohl tossed a heap of clothes into the washer and carefully added detergent to the top of the machine. She hit the start button and headed off to lunch in the next room — the cafeteria at Doull Elementary School in southwest Denver. Doing laundry at […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Children need to READ and it is their right: The READ Act Challenge
Schools know how to teach children to read, right? Every child learns to read, right? Well, “No,” according to recent data collected as a required component of the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act. The READ Act was passed by the Colorado legislature in 2012 amid high acclaim and bipartisan support. The law […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Let’s give Colorado’s children the support they need and save lives
The way we support our children will be the measure of our future success. Today, many of our children are struggling to get ahead and even dying by their own hands. Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death among our young people. It’s time to give them the support they deserve. The […]
Posted inEducation, News, Politics and Government
Denver teachers are heading back to class, but their strike revealed a national divide over bonus pay
By Colleen Slevin and Carolyn Thompson, The Associated Press Denver teachers went on strike to improve their pay, but the fight wasn’t that simple. Emboldened by teacher activism nationwide and struggling to live in a rapidly growing city, Denver educators challenged one of the nation’s oldest incentive pay systems, which was originally endorsed by the teachers union […]
Posted in2018 Voter Guide, Education, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s school finance system is broken. Is Amendment 73 the answer?
On its face, the question Colorado voters will be confronted with this November is a simple one: Should taxes go up to inject more money into the state’s schools? They’ll have the chance to weigh in through a $1.6 billion statewide tax hike, and through a host of local measures. They’ll also have choices between […]
Posted in2018 Voter Guide, Business, Crime and Courts, Energy, Environment, Growth, News, Politics and Government, Transportation
A preview of Colorado’s 2018 ballot: Taxes, roads and an existential crisis for oil and gas
This time two years ago, Colorado voters “raised the bar” in a bid to shrink the state’s ballot and keep potentially devastating policies out of the state constitution. Two years later? In the first test of the new requirements, the statewide ballot looks as packed as ever. And Colorado political leaders say the stakes are […]