Today, the Year of the Student coaltion includes 170 organizations and 9,500+ individuals and the 2013 legislative session has drawn to a close.

So what happened?

Because of the Year of the Student coalition’s efforts, students will be much better off next year than they were this year, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

This year, legislators were deluged like ...]]> Almost one year ago, Great Education Colorado and a couple dozen organizations set a goal for the General Assembly: make 2013 the Year of the Student.

Today, the Year of the Student coaltion includes 170 organizations and 9,500+ individuals and the 2013 legislative session has drawn to a close.

So what happened?

Because of the Year of the Student coalition’s efforts, students will be much better off next year than they were this year, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

This year, legislators were deluged like never before with constituent contacts about education funding.  And, for the first time in years, education funding was a focal point of legislative debate and action.  And the outcomes?

• $30 million increase for higher ed
• 15% increase in Special Education
• Estimated $200 million additional deposit in the State Education Fund
• 3,200 new preschool slots
• Opportunity for a statewide ballot initiative to increase P-12 funding.

Still on the extensive to do list:

• K-12 funding is still $1 billion below inflation and enrollment growth since 2009 and even farther behind what’s necessary to ensure all students can meet standards and succeed.
• Thousands of eligible children still have no access to preschool.
• Only one state provides less support for higher ed per capita than Colorado.

Of course, 2013 isn’t over and there are still opportunities for progress.  It’s likely that voters will have the chance in November to make a substantial down-payment on the funding needed to provide all students with the educational opportunities they need to succeed.

And Great Ed will continue to build on this year’s success and support legislators in their long-term efforts to do right by students.

We’ve come so far this year; but we can’t let up in the long term fight to create a education funding system that enables all students to succeed.   So stay tuned.

Thanks for all you do to make progress possible and sustainable.

Here’s the decision in front of the House of Representatives today:  if our rebounding economy results in higher revenues than the legislature budgeted for this year, where should the extra dollars go?

Representative Millie Hamner has an answer we like: let’s put most of it in the State Education Fund, ...]]> Over the past few weeks, the legislature has set its annual budget, determining how much to spend on all state programs for the 2013-14 year.  (Click here to read our assessment of how students have fared so far.)

Here’s the decision in front of the House of Representatives today:  if our rebounding economy results in higher revenues than the legislature budgeted for this year, where should the extra dollars go?

Representative Millie Hamner has an answer we like: let’s put most of it in the State Education Fund, so we can make sure that our students recover from the deep cuts of the past four years as our economy recovers.

Great Ed and the Year of the Student coalition fought for passage of an amendment to Senate Bill 260, the School Finance Act, to continue the current law, which puts 100% of revenues that come in beyond what the legislature budgeted into the State Education Fund.   We got half the way there: the Senate Education Committee agreed to 50%.

Today, Representative Hamner will introduce an amendment on the floor of the House to increase that to 75%.  Be sure House members know that we expect them to do right by kids by voting YES.

During this session, public school supporters like you have made a real difference at the Capitol by signing and delivering the Year of the Student “Call to Action,” by meeting with legislators at the Capitol and at their town halls, by testifying on legislation,  and by sending tens of thousands of calls and letters to legislators and the Governor.

Please take this last chance to let your legislators know you expect them to do right by Colorado’s kids this year.

They haven’t yet, but the goal is still within reach during the last four weeks of the session.

Subject Areas:  Create a Long-Term Plan for ...]]> Accountability matters in education — for students, educators, parents . . .  and state leaders.  Three months ago, the 2013: Year of the Student Project (now 168 Boards and organizations and 9,500+ individuals) issued a challenge to the General Assembly: to use this session to match reforms with resources, reverse years of education cuts and create a long-term plan for student success.

They haven’t yet, but the goal is still within reach during the last four weeks of the session.

Subject Areas:  Create a Long-Term Plan for Student Success & Match Reform with Resources

Assessment: More progress on this goal than at any time in the past two decades.  

For the first time in years, school finance reform is a focus of the legislature, as the result of  Senator Mike Johnston’s legislation, Senate Bill 213.  (Senator Johnston obtained the bill number as a tribute to the 2013: Year of the Student Project).  The bill, which has passed the Senate and is expected to be heard in the House next week, is an effort to rewrite our school finance laws to improve equity, accountability and transparency, and to provide support to the students who need it most.

Due to the diversity of the Year of the Student coalition and the complexity of SB 213, the coalition is not taking a stand on SB 213. However, we applaud the legislature for taking up the bill and encourage all legislators to get involved in the negotiations.  The bill will only go into effect if the voters pass a ballot initiative to significantly increase funding of public schools.  And, in turn, it looks like such an initiative will be placed on the ballot this year only if Senate Bill 213 passes.

Subject Area: Reverse Cuts and Ensure that P-20 Education gets its Fair Share of New Revenues

Assessment:   Needs improvement.  

As of this writing, the Fiscal Year 2013-14 budget is a mixed bag — better than it has been, but not as strong as it could be. (Click here to see the Year of the Student letter to the Joint Budget Committee.)

The budget provides a moderate $30 million increase for higher education, as well as funding for numerous higher ed capital projects.   However, as it stands now, when it comes to K-12 this budget is best described as “do no more harm,” rather than a “fair share” or “reverse the cuts” budget.   The budget currently dedicates less than 10% of anticipated new General Fund to the K-12 budget.

We are hopeful that Year of the Student supporters Senator Evie Hudak and Representative Millie Hamner (Chairs of the Senate and House Education Committees) will have success in adding significant funds through the School Finance Act, which will be introduced this week.  We’ll be asking you to write your legislators in support of those efforts, so keep an eye out for an action alert. 

And how is the Year of the Student Project itself doing?  Here are the stats indicating what we’ve accomplished, thanks to you.

In the next four weeks, we’ll be asking you to help us inspire the General Assembly to live up to its potential.   Go to our “Time is Running Out” Action Center now, to find out what you can do.

The ...]]> The rights and interests of Colorado’s students are once again front and center, now that the historic Lobato v. State of Colorado lawsuit has reached the state’s highest court for the second time.  On Thursday, March 7, the Colorado Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the State’s appeal of a trial court’s December 2011 decision in the case, finding Colorado’s school finance system not just unconstitutional, but “unconscionable.” You can learn more about the proceedings in stories from Colorado Public Radio and 9News or watch the video above.

The first time the Supreme Court heard Lobato in 2009, the majority ruled that the plaintiff students, parents and school districts had the right to proceed to trial and have their day in court to see if the State is upholding or violating Colorado students’ rights to a “thorough and uniform” education.  So, what’s changed since the last time the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Lobato?

• After a five-week trial in August 2011, Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport found that our current school funding system fails to provide the “thorough and uniform” system of free public schools guaranteed by the constitution.  Calling the status quo “unconscionable,” Judge Rappaport found that there is no “rational relationship” between what is being required of schools and students on one hand, and the way we fund schools on the other.
• The trial court issued a decision with 180 pages of factual findings outlining Colorado’s unconstitutional school finance system, reflecting stories of students who cannot access AP classes, teachers working three jobs, districts that have reduced graduation requirements, teachers teaching two subjects for several grades of students during one class period, students without basic supplies, textbooks, and technology, and a school finance act that is completely divorced from the goals that legislators have set out for Colorado students and school districts to accomplish.
• The legislature has both increased expectations and mandates for students, schools and districts, at the same time it cut more than $1 Billion from K-12 education over the last four years.  In just the time since the trial court’s decision in December 2011, the gulf between mandates and funding has grown significantly, as Great Education Colorado argued in an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court.

Indeed, the biggest challenge the State has to overcome is the facts.  Whereas the Supreme Court in Lobato I was deciding the purely legal question of whether the plaintiffs even had the right to enforce the “thorough and uniform” clause, this Court has before it a factual record that paints a picture of inadequacy and inequities that are fundamentally at odds with the legislature’s own pronouncements of what our school system is required to accomplish.

You can see the Lobato Supreme Court proceedings for yourself above.

There is no timeline for the Supreme Court to issue their decision.

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We wanted to update you on the latest information in the landmark Lobato school funding case.   As you know, Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport issued a ruling on December 9, 2011, holding that Colorado’s school finance ...]]> UPDATE: The State Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the historic Lobato v. the State of Colorado school funding trial on Thursday, March 7.  You can learn more about the proceedings in stories from Colorado Public Radio and 9News or watch the video above. Stay tuned for more details.

—–

We wanted to update you on the latest information in the landmark Lobato school funding case.   As you know, Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport issued a ruling on December 9, 2011, holding that Colorado’s school finance system is not just unconstitutional but “unconscionable.”  In January 2012, the State decided to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.  All parties filed their appellate briefs, as did several amicus curiae — or “friends of the court” — including Great Education Colorado, in support of the plaintiffs.

Now, the Colorado State Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today (Thursday, March 7) at 9:30 a.m.  Because of broad interest in the case, the State Judicial Branch has decided to make a livestream of the argument available to the public.  You can watch the argument live here: http://www.courts.state.co.us/lobatovstate/

Following the proceedings, at 11:00 a.m., the plaintiffs will hold a press conference on the steps airs outside the Supreme Court building.

What’s next?   The timing of the Supreme Court’s decision in this historic case is unknown. However, as we noted last year, there is no reason that the legislature shouldn’t heed the urgency of the District Court’s original order and create a plan this legislative session to reverse recent cuts and invest wisely and adequately in Colorado’s students.  As the Lobato litigation unfolds, Great Education Colorado will continue to advocate for immediate action to do right by Colorado’s kids.

Thank you for your continuing interest in the Lobato case and improved investment in public education in Colorado.  We will continue to keep you posted on Lobato developments.

The Project also asked every legislator to respond to a few questions about whether they agree that Colorado must do a better job of investing in our students and what actions they are willing to take this year to accomplish that.

Did YOUR representative ...]]> Just a few weeks ago, almost two hundred supporters of the Year of the Student Project flooded the Capitol to hand-deliver a message to legislators on behalf of over 8,500 individuals and 150 organizations: “Don’t adjourn without a long-term plan for student success.”

The Project also asked every legislator to respond to a few questions about whether they agree that Colorado must do a better job of investing in our students and what actions they are willing to take this year to accomplish that.

Did YOUR representative and senator respond?  You can find out here.  

Then you can take the next simple — but critical — step: Use our simple online tool to let your legislators know you care about what they said — or didn’t say.

The key to a successful Year of the Student is legislators hearing repeatedly from their constituents.  Every letter — whether to thank or nudge — is a critical addition to the movement.  Your letter matters, whether it’s the first or the fifth you’ve sent this year!

Thank you for helping make sure that 2013 is the Year of the Student — not just another year of  ”business as usual.”

Here’s how EdNews Colorado saw it:

[A]ll 100 lawmakers were targets of a “meet-and-greet” blitz by volunteers from the Year of the Student Coalition, ...]]> If any legislators were unaware of the growing Year of the Student movement before, that all changed on Wednesday when well over one-hundred students, parents, grandparents and concerned citizens came to the Capitol to hand-deliver the Year of the Student Call to Action and this benchmark for the legislature: Don’t Adjourn without a Long-Term Plan to Support Student Success.  [View our photo gallery below].

Here’s how EdNews Colorado saw it:

[A]ll 100 lawmakers were targets of a “meet-and-greet” blitz by volunteers from the Year of the Student Coalition, a grass-roots effort that’s putting pressure on the legislature to deal this year with school funding shortfalls. . .

Green T-shirts flood the Capitol . . .

More than 100 volunteers clad in bright green T-shirts fanned out in the Capitol Wednesday morning to deliver information packets to all 100 lawmakers. . . .

“This is just the beginning, but it’s a very good beginning,” said Lisa Weil, Great Education policy director. The coalition plans to follow up with a mid-February briefing for lawmakers.

And Senator Andy Kerr tweeted it this way:

Wow! #coleg is packed w/ over 200 gparents & students in bright green shirts supporting 2013 Year of the Student #copolitics #2013yos

— Andy Kerr (@SenAndyKerr) January 30, 2013

Dozens of students experienced democracy first-hand, as they handed over the signature packets and explained why legislative action on school funding is urgent. KUSA’s Nelson Garcia followed a delegation of Greeley students in their quest to be heard:

The event was also covered extensively by Univision (awaiting a link).

But the lasting impact of the event will come from individual interactions with legislators, who walked away with thousands of signatures, a questionnaire, a lapel pin (look for them in the photo gallery), memories of a sea of green t-shirts and — most importantly — individual interactions with Coloradans who expect our legislature to do right by kids this year.

Following the January 30 Signature Delivery Day, the Year of the Student Project earned prime real estate in the Denver Post editorial page on Friday, February 1. In a Denver Post Guest Commentary, Liane Morrison of Great Education Colorado, Kevin Hougen of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Landri Taylor of the Urban League of Metro Denver, and Christine O’Connor of Generations United’s Seniors4Kid asked: “Will the future belong to Colorado’s kids?”

It’s not too late to make your voice heard by signing the Call to Action.  We’ll continue to submit names to legislators and we’ll keep signers informed about simple and effective ways to keep advocating for a long-term plan to support student success.

On January 30, we’re going to the Capitol to deliver thousands of 2013: Year of the Student Call to Action signatures with the message to state legislators and the governor that 2013 is the time to do right by our kids.

This matters.  If we don’t put pressure on our state leaders to fix Colorado’s broken education ...]]> If you want to add your voice to the 140+ organizations and over 7,600 individuals (so far) demanding that the legislature start reinvesting in the education of Colorado’s students, your time is running out.

On January 30, we’re going to the Capitol to deliver thousands of 2013: Year of the Student Call to Action signatures with the message to state legislators and the governor that 2013 is the time to do right by our kids.

This matters.  If we don’t put pressure on our state leaders to fix Colorado’s broken education funding system this year, it’s going to be yet another “business as usual” session.  That means no end in sight for overcrowded classrooms, narrowed educational opportunities, and escalating fees and college tuition.

Come show your support for Colorado’s students by joining us at the Capitol on the morning of the 30th.

But if you can’t make it, now’s the time to add your name to make sure your voice is heard.

Please help us convey the urgent need for action.  If we stand up together — and only if we stand up together — we can stop shortchanging our students and our future.

[To] make 2013 the Year of the Student, using the legislative session to create and find funding for a P-20 public education finance system that matches reforms, mandates and accountability measures with the resources necessary to ensure that every student is successful.

In anticipation of Wednesday’s opening day speeches that ...]]> It’s 2013. For the more than 130 organizations and 7,500 individuals who have endorsed the 2013: Year of the Student Project, that means it’s time to find out whether the Colorado legislature will rise to this challenge:

[To] make 2013 the Year of the Student, using the legislative session to create and find funding for a P-20 public education finance system that matches reforms, mandates and accountability measures with the resources necessary to ensure that every student is successful.

In anticipation of Wednesday’s opening day speeches that begin setting the tone and agenda for the session, hundreds of Year of the Student supporters wrote to the House and Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle, asking them to make student success, 5, 10 and 20 years from now, a focus of their remarks and of the session.

There is definitely cause for optimism. Reprinted below are the education-related highlights of the leaders’ speeches. As you can read below, both House Speaker Mark Ferrandino and House Minority Leader Mark Waller spoke eloquently about the fundamental importance of education and recognized the need to increase education spending. You can thank them for their comments — and encourage them to take bold action to create a long-term plan for additional resources — on Twitter (@MarkFerrandino and @Rep_Waller) or by email: mferrandino@yahoo.com and mark.waller.house@state.co.us

It was Senate President John Morse’s unconventional speech, however, that best underscored the ethos of the Year of the Student.

We can’t do the speech justice in a short description. Here’s how the Post’s Lynn Bartels described it (spoiler alert: she reveals the end of the story in the description, in case you
are planning on watching the speech):

Senate President John Morse focused on a 1979 fatal traffic accident he responded to as a paramedic when he addressed his colleagues today during the 2013 legislative kickoff.

Morse provided a lengthy description of the accident, involving a “muscle car,” a Camaro, that has been T-boned by a drunken driver. He talked about the shock of learning the “bystander” at the scene who held IV bags for him was the father of the victim.

The victim’s father, who had watched the first responders’ heroic efforts to save his son, shook Senator Morse’s hand, and thanked him for doing everything he possibly could to save his son.

The message we took from this remarkable story: the legislature should work like those first responders did — everyone coming together, doing their part, and doing it in a manner worthy of those who cared most about the outcome, in this case, the victim’s family.

Morse’s story cast the Year of the Student in a whole new light: the General Assembly can make 2013 the Year of the Student (1) if all our legislators work together toward the goal of student success and (2) if they proceed with a commitment and urgency of which they would be proud if they were being watched each moment by those with the greatest stake: the students of Colorado.

Morse summarized with another idea that animates the Year of the Student Project: “In the Senate, alone, there’s very little any one of us can do. But together, there’s almost nothing we can’t do.” That’s a philosophy that can transform the conventional wisdom of “there’s nothing we can do” to “we need to do this now.” You can thank or contact Senator Morse on Twitter (@SenJohnMorse) or at john.morse.senate@state.co.us

Education-related highlights of other speeches

Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino

I was a kid with special needs, so I understand the importance of a strong public education system. I wouldn’t be standing here today without a lot of extra help from teachers, speech therapists and occupational therapists.

I want to make sure that kids who are sitting in the position I was in, who are sitting in special education classes across Colorado, know that if they set their mind to it, if they work hard, they can achieve whatever they want. Don’t let the people who tell you are not going to amount to anything, you’re not going to be able to achieve what you want to achieve, don’t let them discourage you. If you put your mind to it, you really can achieve your goals. The opportunities I had should be available to anyone.

Economic prosperity requires bolstering our whole education system, so the door of opportunity opens for every child in every community, starting in preschool, and remains open throughout every Coloradan’s life. So he or she can always access the education and training necessary to succeed.

As a result of the Great Recession, we’ve been forced to cut funding for our schools by a billion dollars, and we could be on-course to defund our public colleges and universities. We will face tough choices. But when the time comes to make those choices, remember this: Our schools are the incubators of our future success, not just as an economy, but as a society.

I applaud Governor Hickenlooper for his proposal to expand our investment in our classrooms. And I am pleased that our revenues are continuing to recover after a difficult few years. As a result, we can start to claw our way back from the downturn and expand assistance for those who need it the most. . . .

But we still face a structural budget crisis. And we won’t be able to climb all the way back – ever – unless we address its causes. So we’ll continue to have unmet needs in our classrooms, our colleges, and in critical areas like developmental and mental health services. Ultimately, that should be unacceptable to all of us.

The investments of previous generations have allowed Colorado to grow and prosper, and we have a responsibility to build on what previous generations have handed to us. By working together, we will build an even greater state of Colorado that we will be proud to hand off to the next generation. . . .

Doctor Martin Luther King once said, and I quote: “Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless effort and the persistent work of dedicated individuals.”

Representative Mark Waller:

Too many students find themselves unable to afford higher education. Too many graduates find themselves without the proper skills they need to find gainful employment and many more can’t find work because the job creators who employ them can barely afford to keep their doors open. This legislature has done much to create opportunity for our constituents, but there still remains more work to be done.

And our work starts in education. A conversation about jobs and the economy cannot begin without first taking a hard look at the education of tomorrow’s workforce. We must build on the successes we started last year and once again prioritize funding for K-12 and higher education.

We need to ensure that Colorado’s most gifted and deserving students have the opportunity to rise to their full potential by creating a special fund offering merit-based scholarships. We need to ensure that all students in Colorado, whether they live in an urban or rural area, have the opportunity to challenge themselves by taking advanced placement courses. And we need to ensure that every Colorado student in an English language learning program is given the tools and skill set they’ll need to succeed in the future.

No Coloradan should ever fear a quality education for their child is out of reach, and House Republicans look forward to working with our Democratic colleagues to ensure it never is.

Strengthening our schools and empowering our students reminds me of a conversation I shared with another one of my constituents. Gary Derubis, my friend and neighbor, is a mechanic and a small business owner. He spoke to me about the lack of highly skilled technicians in the auto repair business. Without them, he said, it’s more difficult to grow his business and see it prosper. House Republicans recognize an educational opportunity doesn’t always mean a four-year degree. We plan to do more to help our citizens, whether they are job applicants or job creators, by strengthening opportunity through vocational training. By directing more resources toward these valuable programs, we can be sure more Coloradans have the tools they need to take advantage of opportunity as it arises.

Senator Bill Cadman:

[Senator Cadman's remarks focused on the heroic actions of Coloradans in the face of the many tragedies of 2012.]

We face significant challenges as policy makers and what we do here matters to the people in here and to millions across the state. The issues we debate and decide are complex and often times controversial. We need to keep focused on our shared values and find common goals. We have many to choose from.

Don’t we all want Colorado’s economy to grow stronger? don’t we all want families to be able to thrive and prosper? I think we do.

Don’t we all want safe schools for our children, with graduation rates that give our kids an opportunity to succeed in college or other vocational pursuits? Of course we do.