Caldara’s Newsletter 11-02-16 “Brace for Impact!”
If you remember, Amendment 71 is the establishment power grab that virtually ends our ability to limit government through the citizen’s initiative process.
Counting the Cash Again: An Update on Colorado School Finance
School finance is a constant topic of interest in Colorado education discussions. However, the complex nature of school finance means that many do not feel adequately prepared to meaningfully participate in these conversations. In his latest publication, Senior Education Policy Analyst Ross Izard provides the information needed to have honest, accurate discussions of Colorado’s school finance […]
Elections and Budget Gaps Make for a Really Interesting Education Week
Tonight is the night, my friends. Tonight is the night that future of local education reform is decided in our backyards. You can bet that Ed will be watching the events unfold, and that I’ll be giving you a full report tomorrow. You can also watch a few of the big districts, including Jeffco and […]
Look Under the District 38 School Board Campaign Mask
The week of Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I can practically taste the candy in my mouth right now. One of the perks of being a perpetual 5-year-old is the unending chance to go Trick-or-Treat year after year without any sense of self-consciousness or guilt. It also happens to be […]
Colorado Supreme Court Nixes Negative Factor Challenge
We’ve been talking a lot about the courts lately. Between the Dougco voucher decision, the ridiculous silliness going on in Thompson, and Washington’s bizarre decision that charter schools are unconstitutional, there hasn’t been much cause for celebration. I’ll admit to feeling pretty darn frustrated with the courts. Now, many of the folks on the other […]
Eddie’s Crazy Idea: More Colo. Districts Should Pursue Student-Based Budgeting
Hey, I’ve got a crazy idea! Why not have school districts base their budgeting on students like me (or any student, for that matter)? It just makes sense to do it that way, right? Especially since the whole K-12 education enterprise is supposed to be about the kids. It’s not that simple, however, and it’s […]
Close Look at Diverse Charter Options Helps to Tell Us What Parents Want
What do parents want? I’m not sure why people bring this question to me. Based on my somewhat limited experience, I tend to think the answer has something to do with keeping rooms clean, eating fruits and vegetables, minding manners, and not breaking things. When it comes to a child’s education, I think there’s more […]
ESEA Reauthorization Grinds Forward in Congress
Colorado’s education scene is so interesting—and the federal education scene so ugly—that I rarely feel the need to drag our conversations beyond our state’s borders. Yet sometimes we have to force ourselves to look at what’s going on inside the Beltway, especially when the federal sausage-making process has the potential to touch Colorado in a […]
Jeffco School Board Recall Underway: What’s Really Going On?
It’s Friday afternoon in the summertime. I should be kicking back and enjoying the great outdoors, maybe playing in the pool or racing my remote-controlled cars. But no. Teachers union leaders hide behind a group of parents to file a recall petition against the three conservative Jeffco school board members: One of the stated reasons […]
Big Bucks or Big Misconception? Report Sheds Light on Philanthropy in Charter Sector
Last Friday, we celebrated votes in two of my favorite districts, Jeffco and Thompson, to provide more equitable funding to charter school students. In that post, I briefly mentioned that there were some inaccurate anti-equitability arguments floating around before the board votes. We’re going to tackle one of those misconceptions today: The argument that charters […]
Thompson and Jeffco Stand up for Fair Charter Funding
Many school districts do not share the additional dollars they get from voter-approved property tax increases with charter schools. Traditional public schools often have access to a good deal more money than charters. But two Colorado districts recently passed budgets that reflect more equitable funding for charter school students. Jefferson County completed its journey toward equalization, and Thompson took the first step. Reform majorities on both school boards drove the move toward funding equalization. Other districts take note: This is how you do it.
New Funding Reports Try to Sound the Alarms, But Simply Don’t Add Up
Are you interested in new K-12 “research” that creates new ways to measure funding, obsesses over inputs, rests on logical leaps, AND challenges its own claims? Well, then I have a couple reports for you! The headlines create such drama: Washington Post, “Inequitable school funding called ‘one of the sleeper civil rights issues of our […]
