Legislature 2009: Tweaking existing programs on agenda

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 2, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated January 2, 2009 at 1:23 a.m.

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School reform measures in 2009 are more likely to tweak existing programs than introduce new reform.

"I don't think the legislature ought to second-guess the whole process that we have put in motion last year," said Sen. Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins, chairman of the Senate Education Committee. "I know there's always a real danger in that."

Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, House education committee chairman, wants to boost the number of high school students who take community college courses.

The idea has been on the books since the late 1980s, but has foundered amid squabbling about whether funding should come from the public school budget or higher education budget.

Only 5,070 students took advantage of the program during the 2006-07 school year, the latest year for which the Education Department has data.

Merrifield said college enrollment helps the smartest kids, who are bored with high school. It also reaches kids from poor families who might not see college as an option, Merrifield said.

Also coming is a bill to overhaul the school report cards parents receive each December, showing how their kid's school stacks up against other schools.

The reports, prepared by the Colorado Department of Education, rate schools based on statewide achievement tests students take each spring.

The new version, backed by the Education Department and many educators, will reflect growth students make from one year's test to the next. Parents will be able to see not only whether students are failing, but whether they are catching up with their peers or falling further behind.

The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Sen.-elect Evie Hudak, D-Arvada, and Sen.-elect Keith King, R-Colorado Springs.

"It's basically eliminating or getting rid of the (school accountability reports) as we know them," Hudak said.

An added benefit is that the new report cards will exist mostly in cyberspace, instead of being sent out by mail, Hudak said. Cost savings could be in the millions.

Schools will print out copies for parents who don't have computers.

Public schools are at less risk of budget cuts as a result of the economic downturn than any other state agency. That's because Amendment 23, added to the Colorado Constitution by voters in 2000, sets minimum funding levels for public schools.

But Amendment 23 does not cover preschool programs, making them vulnerable at a time when the budget shortfall is estimated by the legislature at more than $600 million.

Many educators, as well as Gov. Bill Ritter, emphasize preschool as a way to prepare children for academic work.

This year, more than 20,000 3- and 4-year- olds attend the Colorado Preschool Program, up from 16,300 last year and 14,300 the year before.

Bill proposals

EDUCATION

Several lawmakers are drafting education bills for the 2009 legislative session:

* Sen.-elect Keith King, R-Colorado Springs: Students who spend two years at community college don't always know what courses they'll need when they transfer to a four-year school. That's because the universities differ in their requirements for some popular majors, such as engineering. King's bill would require the schools to work on similar requirements.

* Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora: The former member of the state board of education wants to create an office in the education department to coordinate anti-drop-out efforts. The agency will advise school districts and help them trade strategies that work.

* Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood: Bill would require employers to release workers for parent-teacher conferences. Most employers cooperate with the schools, said Kerr, a Jefferson County social studies teacher and curriculum planner. But often people with the lowest-paying jobs have trouble getting time off, Kerr said.

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