2019 School Board Candidate Briefing Materials
One of the Education Policy Center’s primary goals is to educate local education leaders about important education policy issues, thereby equipping them to make smart, well-informed decisions in their school districts. As part of that effort, the Education Policy Center staff provide biennial education policy briefings to all interested school board candidates, regardless of political […]
Seniority policies put excellent teachers’ jobs at risk
Effective teachers are the lifeblood of education. More than any other school-related factor, teachers have deep and lasting impacts on students’ futures. But despite the power of effective teaching, nearly half of Colorado’s unionized school districts are operating under negotiated policies or agreements that place students’ educations and excellent teachers’ jobs at risk by unlawfully prioritizing simple seniority, or length of service, over performance in layoff situations.
Eternal LIFO: Unlawful Layoff Procedures in Unionized Colorado School Districts
Passed in 2010, Senate Bill 191 was a landmark piece of education reform legislation that garnered significant bipartisan support, including unanimous support from Republican legislators. The bill amended Colorado’s Licensed Personnel Performance Evaluation Act and the Teacher Employment, Compensation, and Dismissal Act (TECDA) to align state statute more closely with the goal of ensuring that every student is taught by an effective teacher.
New Orleans Video Underscores the Power of Reform
What a week! My mom and dad moved me to a new house last weekend. This one is a long way from the Capitol, which they say is to keep me from sneaking in there and playing edu-politics when I should be doing my homework. On top of that, I attended an awesome student-based budgeting […]
Thompson Gears Up for the Final (?) Battle
We’ve talked an awful lot about Thompson School District recently. And why wouldn’t we? The district and its reform majority are, after all, at the very forefront of Colorado’s ongoing—and increasingly nasty—education reform wars. The board’s attempt to build a smarter, better union contract that does right by both its students has been met with […]
The State of K-12 Union Contract Transparency
More than a decade before Proposition 104 shone a light on the negotiation process, the General Assembly required that the negotiation product should be made available using online technology. Lacking any sort of enforcement mechanism, a significant minority of bargaining school districts have fallen short of the basic expectation, though persistent reminders helped in many cases. Given the experience with union contract transparency, citizens should not take for granted full compliance with the letter and spirit of the new open negotiations law.
Douglas County: Building a Better Education Model
Effecting successful suburban school reform poses an authentic challenge. Many students do well compared to their peers in neighboring districts, but overall test scores conceal shortcomings. The U.S. spends more per person on education than any other country, yet even middle-class students academically lag their peers in other countries. The fast-growing Douglas County School District (DCSD) south of Denver, Colorado, has attempted a different approach to aim higher.
