EdNewsColorado.org -- the only news service devoted to continuing, in-depth coverage of education policymaking in the legislature and state government and to serious analysis of such issues as school choice, accountability and education reform. http://ednewscolorado.org Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:03:43 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://ednewscolorado.org/images/M_images/ednews_rss.png http://ednewscolorado.org EdNewsColorado.org -- the only news service devoted to continuing, in-depth coverage of education policymaking in the legislature and state government and to serious analysis of such issues as school choice, accountability and education reform. http://ednewscolorado.org/election-2008/first-severance-tax-plan-makes-ballot.html The proposal to redirect some severance tax revenues to Interstate 70 improvements has been certified for the Nov. 4 ballot as Amendment 52 (http://www.leg.state.co.us/LCS/InitRefr/0708InitRefr.nsf/89fb842d0401c52087256cbc00650696/5883b7bb9604654e87257487004dabf9/$FILE/%23120.pdf). The measure joins seven other interest-group initiatives and four legislative referenda on what is promising to be a very crowded ballot this year. Petitions for seven other proposals await verification. Amendment 52 is seen as a counterproposal to Initiative No. 113 (http://www.elections.colorado.gov/WWW/default/Initiatives/Title%20Board%20Filings/2007-2008%20Filings/Final%20Text/final_text_113.PDF), Gov. Bill Ritter’s proposal to eliminate a severance tax deduction to fund college scholarships and a number of environmental programs. Petitions for 113 still are being reviewed. The provisions of Amendment 52 would cap revenues to an existing state severance tax trust fund and direct revenues above that to a new transportation fund that would be used for I-70 improvements. Other revenues would continue to flow to a local government fund. Unlike Ritter’s proposal, the measure would leave severance tax rates unchanged. The plan is being pushing by a group of Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, and Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita. Proponents submitted 137,341 signatures, of which the secretary of state’s office verified 6,868 (5 percent). There were 4,699 valid signatures found in the sample, meaning a projected 93,969 of the total were valid. This year 76,047 signatures are required. Proponents of Ritter’s plan also submitted about 137,000 signatures. Also awaiting signature verification is Initiative No. 126, House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s proposal to change the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and Amendment 23 to create a dedicated funding source for K-12 education. Amendment 50 (http://www.elections.colorado.gov/admin/LogReportingManagement/LinkClick.aspx?table=Links field=ItemID id=3545 link=%2fDDefault.aspx%3ftid%3d1067), which would allow changes in state... Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:57:34 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/other-news/boost-procomp-bonuses-now-panel-says.html Denver’s ProComp teacher pay system needs a significant overhaul if it is to become a useful tool for retaining good teachers and boosting student achievement, says a new citizens committee report. More money should go to incentives and less to salary base-building, and the pace of payouts should be accelerated, beginning immediately, says the report release today by the A-Plus Denver Finance and Facilities Sub-Committee. The report’s findings hew closely to the position of the Denver Public Schools administration, which is locked in contentious contract negotiations with the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. The DCTA wants to spend more time studying ProComp before making any significant changes. And the union has objected to the school district’s proposal, which would significantly boost the salaries of early and mid-career teachers, while slowing the pace of increases for more senior teachers. The union says this is unfair. The district counters that more senior teachers benefit disproportionately from a generous pension system, and something needs to be done to attract and retain younger teachers. Today's report makes it clear that A-Plus agrees with DPS on the ProComp issue, though the report says that some aspects of the district proposal aren't aggressive enough. ProComp, funded by a $25 million annual tax increase passed by voters in 2005, pumps new money into Denver teacher pay. The “results-based” boosts the salaries of teachers who meet student achievement objectives they write, who receive satisfactory evaluations from their supervisors, and who successfully complete “professional development units.” It also pays bonuses to teachers who work in challenging, high-poverty... Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:34:12 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/state-boards-and-agencies/partisan-note-injected-in-routine-sbe-task.html One of the State Board of Education’s many routine but legally required duties is issuing state school aid to local districts, and it had two such resolutions on its agenda Thursday. But this time the votes were occasion for some brief political theater as two Republican members objected to the resolutions but then voted for them. Why did Bob Schaffer of the 4th District and Peggy Littleton of the 5th object? Because of Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter’s property tax “freeze.” The freeze, contained in a 2007 pushed last year by Ritter and Democratic legislative leaders, was designed to shore up the State Education Fund, which serves both as a backstop for overall state aid to schools and as a source of extra funding for special programs. Using the legal theory that citizens in most school districts already had voted to exempt themselves from Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights limits, SB 08-199 stopped property tax cuts triggered by another, 1994 law in 115 districts. (Taxes did go down in 30 districts and didn't change in another 33 districts.) The total amount of local revenue retained by SB 07-199 was $117 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year, freeing up the same amount for the state because it didn't have to cover the loss to local districts. A roughly equal amount was “saved” in the current, 2008-09 budget year. Republicans have argued all along that the freeze was illegal because it wasn’t put to a statewide vote. A lawsuit instigated by the Independence Institute was filed, and Denver District Judge Christina Habas ruled May 30... Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:16:58 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/other-news/romer-put-education-first.html Showing his trademark intensity, former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer Thursday urged Coloradans to think about how candidates stand on education when they consider whom to vote for this November. “Ask this question” when you talk to candidates, Romer said. “What leadership are you going to provide” to improve the education of children. Romer, Colorado governor for three terms starting in 1987, now is chairman of Strong American Schools, a national advocacy group that is working to make education a top issue in the 2008 campaigns, primarily through its Ed in ’08 campaign (http://www.edin08.com/). (Strong American Schools also is behind those TV ads you’ve been seeing that show a boy raising a set of flags, illustrating that the U.S. ranks 21st internationally in the quality of education. View ads. (http://www.edin08.com/Media.aspx)) Romer brought his “national education awareness campaign” to the west steps of the Colorado Capitol Thursday morning, flanked by a who’s who of Colorado politics and education. Romer said he wants to “emphasize the importance of education in this campaign. …There is one issue that underlies all of them … and that is education.” He stressed the importance of improved education to America’s economic future, given that the nation’s schools are lagging behind those of other nations. Referring to the Olympics, Romer said, America “wouldn’t be on the podium” if medals were given out for math or science achievement. Three education reforms “are vital,” Romer said: “We need to raise expectations of what students can achieve.” “We need to improve teaching in every classroom.” “We need to spend more time on education,” referring to how much more... Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:04:16 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/other-news/districts-struggling-with-skyrocketing-fuel-costs.html Second in a series As students return to class this month, school officials across the state and nation will monitor the price of oil and hope their budgets can stand the rising cost of fuel. The recent spike in gas prices has dramatically increased the cost of transporting kids to schools. It has forced some administrators to streamline bus routes and ponder extending walking distances to reduce fuel expenses. Some districts will use global positioning systems in buses to navigate more efficient routes. Others will pack more kids into school buses. Nearly all will instructed bus drivers to limit idling time to save fuel. The Jefferson County School District, the state’s largest, set aside an extra million dollars last year to compensate for an expected rise in gas prices in the 2008-09 school year. “We are waiting for the first quarter projections to see if we were accurate enough with our budget,” said Jefferson County School District spokesperson Melissa Reeves. “If not, we have to ask for more money to cover the increase cost of fuel. It depends on what the first quarter brings. “We are using GPS systems (in buses) to conserve gas,” she added. “The drivers are learning to cut back on idling time and there is also talk about using an electric bus, but that is in the future.” Jefferson County School District buses travel about 24,000 miles every day (equal to the circumference of the Earth) according to Reeves. Jefferson County, along with other state district, pays no taxes on gas. Still diesel fuel prices range more than... Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:26:33 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/other-news/enrollment-dips-dinging-district-budgets.html This is the first story of a series Colorado school districts are looking at more red ink this fall than a D+ student at mid-terms. In many cases, school districts are slashing millions from their budgets to cope with funding shortfalls caused by declining enrollments. From the long-suffering St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont – where budgetary crisis is all too familiar – to the normally flush Douglas County, the realities of school finance law in Colorado are hitting and hitting hard. Many districts are pondering whether the time is right to go to voters – already stung by rising gas and food prices – to seek mill levy overrides. And in a number of districts, some teachers and other staff members simply won’t be coming back to school this fall. Their jobs were eliminated in the need to balance budgets. Even if voters approve school tax hikes in November, those lost positions won’t be filled during the 2008-09 academic year. They’ll have to wait. In many cases, declining enrollment and other demographic realities are forcing the cuts. For District 11 in Colorado Springs, charter schools and suburban flight have taken a big toll. Statistics from the Colorado Department of Education show that last year, 903 students residing in the district chose to attend school in nearby Academy District 20 instead. Moving north, the Cherry Creek School District snagged 821 students from Aurora Public Schools. But changing demographics are also at play. Roughly 75 percent of residents in the neighborhoods served by Adams County District 50 don’t have... Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:29:12 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/other-news/act-test-results-flat-for-2008.html The national average composite score on the ACT test was 21.1 in 2008, the testing organization reported Wednesday in its annual compilation of scores. That composite is down from last year’s 21.2 but equal to the 2006 average. The composite rolls up scores on the ACT’s reading, math and science sections. (The highest score possible on any ACT test is 36. In 2008, 22 Colorado students had perfect ACT scores.) Some 1.42 million students took the test, representing 43 percent of all 2008 high school graduates. That’s an increase of 9 percent from 2007. In Colorado, 50,420 students who graduated this year took the test, recording a composite score of 20.5, the highest in the last five years. (The lowest was 20.2 in 2005.) The average test scores were 19.8 for English, 20.3 for math, 20.8 for reading and 20.4 for science. The composite was 20.3 for males and 20.6 for females. The composite and average scores for black and Hispanic students were lower than for test takers as a whole. Colorado, Illinois and Michigan are the only states where all 11th graders take the ACT tests. Illinois’ composite was 20.7, while Michigan’s was 19.6. But, the more interesting, and unsettling, statistics in the ACT report are the ones that measure college readiness. Using what it calls College Readiness Benchmarks – the test scores that predict at least an even chance of success in college-level composition, social science, algebra and biology courses – ACT reports the percentage of test takers who achieved those benchmarks. Only 22 percent of students met or surpassed... Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:26:43 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/election-2008/bond-issues-will-add-to-crowded-ballots.html With less than a month to go before the Sept. 5 deadline for local ballot issues, many school districts around the state are preparing to ask their voters for both construction funds and operating revenue. The Aurora school board this week approved two ballot measures, and the Denver board took a hard look at a proposal. Here’s rundown on some of what’s happening around the state. Aurora The proposals include a five-year bond issue to raise $215 million for new schools and improvements, including $53.75 million for a new high school and $27.25 million for a new K-8 school. There’s already been criticism because the plan would provide only $750,000 for charter-school improvements. The bonds would not require a tax increase. The proposed mill levy hike – costing about $120 a year in additional taxes on a $200,000 home – would raise almost $15 million a year in new operating money that would provide employee raises, full-day kindergarten, new programs and technology improvements across the district. It would be the first mill levy increase for the district since 1990. Click here for a district video on the proposals (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgNXg-QVqvs). Cherry Creek Unlike most other districts, the board voted back on April 14 to propose two measures to voters. The bonds would provide $203 million for renovation of 14 elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools, system upgrades at 50 schools and facilities and construction of three elementary schools. The mill-levy override would generate $18 million for operating expenses, including maintenance of current class sizes. The bond and budget election would cost the owner of... Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:55:01 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/election-2008/gaming-measure-makes-the-ballot.html Colorado’s Nov. 4 ballot got another initiative Friday, newly minted Amendment 50 (http://www.elections.colorado.gov/DDefault.aspx?tid=729 vmid=1027), which would allow local changes in state gambling laws and funnel most of the added revenue to the state’s struggling community colleges. Backers of the proposal – a group of casino interests – turned in 133,401 petition signatures on July 25, well ahead of last Monday’s deadline. As is the practice, the secretary of state’s office checked 5 percent of the signatures (6,661) and found 4,449 of those valid. That was projected to represent 88,965 valid signatures, so the proposal was certified. (The threshold this year is 76,047 signatures.) The proposal joins Amendment 46 (ban on affirmative action), 47 (right to work), 48 (life begins at conception and 49 (ban on deducting union dues from government employee paychecks) on the general election ballot. There also are four legislatively referred measures on the ballot, including Referendum L, which would lower from 25 to 21 the age of eligibility to run for the legislature, and Referendum O, which would change signature requirements for initiatives. Referenda M and N would clean up obsolete parts of the state constitution. Ten more initiatives await signature review, including Gov. Bill Ritter’s Smarter Colorado college scholarship plan and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff’s Savings Account for Education initiative, which would substantially amend both the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and Amendment 23. Based on the length of time it took to verify the signatures for Amendment 50, it looks like it could be two weeks or more before the petitions are checked for the Ritter and... Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:14:22 +0100 http://ednewscolorado.org/state-boards-and-agencies/best-board-starts-its-big-job.html Legislative policy began turning into bureaucratic reality Thursday with the first meeting of the brand-new state board that will administer the groundbreaking Build Excellent Schools Today program. The new agency, the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Board (we promise never to use the acronym PSCCAB) likely will never become a household name for most Coloradans. But, it will be a high-profile group for school districts that need cash to build or renovate schools. The BEST program, created by House Bill 08-1335 (http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2008a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/87D2BCE0AA92D997872573AD0058591D?open file=1335_enr.pdf), consolidates some existing construction money and adds about $30 million a year from the state school lands trust fund, plus voter-approved local district matches, to create a new fund. That money will be used to pay off lease-purchase agreements that will provide the upfront construction money. The program won't divert existing tax revenues or require new state taxes. District schools, charter schools and boards of cooperative educational services can apply for the money. The program is intended especially for smaller districts that don’t have adequate local bonding capacity for construction or renovation. Advocates estimate the program could generate up to $1 billion in five years for construction and renovation. (However, the total need statewide has been estimated at up to $5 billion.) The program is the first time state government has played a significant role in school construction. Thursday’s inaugural meeting was primarily a get-to-know-you and orientation session for the nine members. Veteran school finance chief Vody Herrmann and Ted Hughes of the Colorado Department of Education laid out the task ahead – writing... Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:45:02 +0100