Teachers

Seniority policies put excellent teachers’ jobs at risk 0
- December 17, 2016
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.
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Masters v. School District Number 1 0
- June 9, 2016
The Independence Institute has long been a champion of tenure reform, local control, and flexibility in the realm of school and district personnel decisions. In 2010, the Institute was part of a broad, bipartisan coalition supporting Senate Bill 191, Colorado’s teacher evaluation and tenure reform bill. It continues to defend SB 191’s critical reforms from both
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A Billion Dollars Worth of Bad Ideas: Amendment 66 Tax Hike 0
- October 3, 2013
Amendment 66 would replace Colorado’s flat income tax of 4.63 percent of federal adjusted gross income with the two bracket system shown in Table 1: Colorado Income Tax Rates if Amendment 66 Passes. Passing Amendment 66 also passes SB13-213, the new 141-page state school finance law.
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Douglas County: Building a Better Education Model 0
- September 30, 2013
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.
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