Education and Improving Local Schools
Nearly every education study has shown that the three fundamental factors for increasing high school graduation rates and reducing drop out rates are more parental involvement, small class sizes so our students don’t slip through the cracks, and supporting experienced, well-trained, and accountable teachers.
Additionally, we must improve teacher professional development so that teachers are better equipped to communicate the relevance of the curriculum to students. Many studies have concluded that students drop out of school as early as junior high because they don't see how school is relevant in their life.
Public Education Values
My father taught kindergarten through sixth grade art for 33 years. My father, like a lot of teachers I know, spent approximately $4,000 a year of their own money on school supplies. This is outrageous. When you talk to teachers, PTA and PTO members, and administrators – they all communicate the same point – each student learns differently.
We need to allow creative teachers to individualize their instruction so each student can learn a rigorous curriculum individually. We also need to emphasize a well-rounded education that focuses on teaching students critical thinking, speaking, writing, and listening skills – skills that will help them succeed in any profession. Today's graduates will change jobs, on average, eight times. We owe it to them to equip them with the skills they need to compete in a global and ever-changing economy.
Also, we need to create employment opportunities for the approximate 60% of students who don’t attend college. We need to do a better job of making college more affordable so more students can afford to earn a degree and invest in more trade programs so non-college bound students can learn practical experience in computer programming, nursing, plumbing, electrical, para-legal, a teacher’s assistant or other professions that will allow them to earn a job upon high school graduation.
I believe that teachers are under paid and under valued. That is why I am proud to sponsor a bill to improve Colorado's Teacher of the Year program to make it the best program in the nation. Along with State Senator Joyce Foster, I will raise $75,000 private sector dollars to give the teacher of the year a sabbatical to travel the state teaching their best practices to other teachers and to publish a paper. The funds will also be used to compensate the school district to hire a substitute teacher so they are not penalized for having the best teacher of the year.
Finally, we need to address the important goals of students with special needs. Why aren’t we investing more resources and personnel in helping children and young adults with autism and special needs? If I'm elected, I will make these issues a high priority.
During 2010, the Colorado General Assembly Accomplished the Following Major Education Goals:
SB 36
Race to the Top Application Program Results For Educator Preparation
Senate Bill 10-036 is a crucial step taken in order to bolster an application for Race to the Top funds from the Federal Government. There is $4.35 billion in federal funds for states who participate in Race to the Top. The bill would, according to Race to the Top guidelines, establish a system for tracking teacher and principal performance and then utilizing such data to evaluate teacher training programs. The fee to implement the program is $16,000 and it will be paid for with some of the Race to the Top funds. Colorado is currently seeking a $377 million grant by working towards progressive education reform as well as the rewriting of laws to expand education standards.
The bill will establish a council in charge of over-hauling teacher and principal evaluations. The 15-member council will be composed of state education officials, higher education leaders, school administrators, charter school representatives, a businessperson, a parent and a student. The tasks facing the The Council for Educator Effectiveness are primarily to:
↪Improve training programs and evaluation systems of educators.
↪Track teacher performance in a publicly available progress report during the first three years of placement.
If Colorado's proposal is not accepted they will have a chance to re-apply during the second phase of grants in September. Regardless of grant money, Governor Bill Ritter has said he will continue onward with the goals laid out by the Race to the Top proposal.
Effective July 1, 2011.
HB 1036 and SB 91
Public School Financial Transparency Act
This bill requires each school district, district charter school, board of cooperative services, institute charter school, and the state charter school institute to set-up, by September 1, 2011, an on-line, publicly available revenue and expenditure database. This will create a no-cost-to-user transparency program concerning moneys collected and expended by their local education provider. Each local education provider will:
↪Follow database guidelines set forth by SB-91.
↪Provide a database that may be readily downloaded, searched in a systematic manner, and updated monthly.
↪Create a link for users to be notified when changes to their visited on-line database occur.
The goal of this act is to provide tax-payers with information about how public schools are spending tax-payers' dollars.(10-a)
SB 59
Colorado D.A.R.E Check-off
This bill stems from the epidemic of violence, drug, and alcohol abuse in Colorado's public school system. The general assembly seeks to enable Coloradans to support the Colorado D.A.R.E. program by allowing citizens to make a contribution on their state income tax returns. Federal income tax forms will, from January 1, 2010, until January 1, 2013, display a line whereby each individual may make a contribution.
HB 1131
Colorado Kids Outdoor Grant Program
A grant program through the Department of Natural Resources, seeking to provide funding for the Coloradan youth to participate in outdoor activities for the purpose of promoting:
↪Field based learning.
↪Experiential environmental studies.
↪Promoting environmental conservation through sportsmen activities.
↪Create interest in careers relating to natural resources, science, and agriculture.
The bill further directs the state of Colorado to officially adopt a state-wide environmental studies program and strengthen environmental education through teacher training. Programs will be dependent upon gifts, grants, and donations, which will determine the scope of program capabilities.
HB 1082
Felon-Free Schools Act of 2010
This act prohibits school districts from employing a non-licensed person who has been convicted for a crime such as those listed in subsection (6) of the House Bill 10-1082. Employees and those seeking employment will be subject to fingerprinting which will be examined by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, utilizing the Federal Bureau of Investigation at no cost to the person. HB 10-1082 further amends mandatory disqualifications for Licensed educators to include any conviction for a felony drug offense.
Farm-to-School Interagency Task Force
SB 81 creates the 12-member Interagency Farm-to-School Coordination Task Force and specifies its membership and duties. In addition to members with experience in agriculture and school nutrition, the task force includes members from the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the Department of Agriculture, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The task force must study, develop, and recommend policies and methods to best implement a farm-to-school program. A farm-to-school program encourages school districts to use local agricultural products to provide healthy food to students. The task force, in developing and recommending farm-to-school program concepts, shall consider the following:
▸ farm-to-school pilot programs;
▸ funding sources and grants to offset any increased costs of using locally raised products;
▸ training for farmers and ranchers to enable them to sell their products to schools; and
▸ assistance to school districts and school food services to integrate locally raised products into school meals.
The task force must meet by December 31, 2010, and must report their findings to the Education and Agriculture committees of the General Assembly by April 1, 2013. The task force is repealed on December 31, 2013, following a sunset review. Awaiting Action by the Governor
In 2009, I Supported the Following Educatioin Goals That Improved Our Local Schools:
• We enacted nationally recognized education reforms aimed at improving high school graduation rates, cutting the achievement gap in half and doubling the number of college degrees and certificates earned by Coloradans. A degree will help you get a job!
• We passed the Dual Enrollment bill so high school students can earn both a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree in five years, getting into the workforce faster.
• We made the most substantial commitment in the history of Colorado to rebuild and repair K-12 schools, providing $1 billion to build new schools statewide and repair crumbling roofs and failing electrical, heating and plumbing systems in aging schools.
• We expanded preschool and full-day kindergarten for tens of thousands of children.
Healthy Snacks in Schools
SB46 would have required each school district board of education and the State Charter School Institute to adopt policies regulating the sale of snack foods. The policy applied to the sale of snack foods in school cafeterias, vending machines, school stores, and at fund-raising activities. However, the following activities would have been exempt from the snack policy:
▸ fund-raising activities with snack sales occurring off campus;
▸ sales of snack foods by booster clubs or parents groups at functions that are attended by a significant number of adults; and
▸ sales resulting from contracts entered into prior to July 1, 2010.
