Defenders of the status quo, as well as self-styled progressives, appear to be worried about education reform in Colorado that they can’t control.

Tony Salazar, executive director of the Colorado Education Association – the union that represents 38,000 teachers and others in the state – told WhoSaidYouSaid.com that charter schools in Colorado have been used as ”a segregation tool for affluent white children.” Salazar’s barbed comment reflects the left’s intent to discredit school choice as discriminatory, when the real [...]

“…When it comes to education, let the Democrats extol the virtues of our hopelessly antiquated one-size-fits-all factory schools where the child follows the dollars,” said Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La., at CPAC. “Meanwhile, let us feature the success of child-centered education solutions that meet the needs of the digital age, education where the dollars follow the child.”

“…One of the things conservatives really have to work better at is explaining to people that school choice and issues like that aren’t simply ways to break the backs of teacher unions,” said Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online. “They’re actually the best policies for improving the plight of young people.”

Official numbers have been hard to come by regarding a proposed rewrite of Colorado’s school financing, but the best estimates show property and income taxpayers from wealthier areas picking up a disproportionate burden for very little or no return to their local K-12 schools. Districts like Denver and Aurora figure to hit the jackpot.

The Douglas County Board of Education won a big victory last week, with the Colorado Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the Choice Scholarship Program that has been tied up in court for nearly two years. More legal wrangling is likely, with an appeal to the state Supreme Court expected. Whatever the outcome, the [...]

Prior to the Douglas County Board of Education meeting, a small protest of about one dozen people took place in front of the Board offices in Castle Rock. 

“In 2008, there were 71 central administrators in this school district. Today, there are 55. And I think that’s a tremendous reflection of the fact that the cuts are being made at the top so we can put more resources down into the classroom,” said John Carson, president of the Douglas County Board of Education at a Feb. 5 meeting.

Education reform is increasingly defying partisan boundaries. Here are some examples from the Democratic side of the aisle…

John Carson, president of the Douglas County Board of Education, recently discussed job growth and the potential effect on school enrollment, as well as observations from the recent AA+ Fitch rating of district bonds.