Monday Churn: Dougco decision time

Douglas County school board members will decide Tuesday whether to seek tax increases for operating and building dollars on Nov. 1

This tidbit from Brill only hurts when I laugh

When Colorado failed in both rounds of the federal Race to the Top competition, there was much discussion and gnashing of teeth about why we didn’t win.  Ultimately, the raters scored us lower than several other states, and we didn’t make the cut.

As painful as that was, and damaging for funding the implementation of our Colorado reform efforts, the much-discussed new book by Steven Brill, Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools, apparently highlights some interesting insider discussions in DC.

This comes from the Politics K12 blog from Ed Week’s Michele McNeil and  Alyson Klein. (see their August 23 and August 18 posts).

They read the book and also interviewed Steven Brill.  McNeil writes:

Candidates lining up for Nov. 1 ballot

Twenty-one candidates are vying for eight school board seats coming open Nov. 1 in the state’s three largest school districts

Lobato 8/26: Moloney opines

Former education Commissioner William Moloney played true to type during testimony in the Lobato school funding trial.

CEA responds to PACE op-ed

The following was submitted by Mike Wetzel, public relations director for the Colorado Education Association.

The Colorado Education Association has no problems and much praise for the title of Tim Farmer’s editorial, “Professional associations are the future of teaching.”  Nearly 40,000 education professionals have voluntarily chosen to join CEA because they believe membership in this organization advances the teaching profession in Colorado.  That phrase would’ve made a great CEA bumper sticker, had we thought of it first.

After the title, though, Mr. Farmer launches into a false argument that an organization with a union component – one that advances the teaching profession by advocating for fair salaries, decent working conditions and legal protections – cannot also have a robust, even larger, professional component.

Our recent work on the state council to define educator effectiveness for a new statewide evaluation system, in accordance with Senate Bill 191, is a great example of CEA’s professional achievements.  CEA had three members on the State Council for Educator Effectiveness who pushed for statewide accountability measures.

Friday Churn: Deadline for candidates

It’s deadline time for potential school board candidates – petitions containing 50 valid signatures are due today

Lobato 8/25: Money and scores

The state’s top expert witness in the Lobato case Thursday stuck to his guns on the lack of a link between funding and achievement.

Theresa Peña to head Denver compact

Theresa Peña, soon to leave the Denver school board, will run the new Denver Education Compact beginning Dec. 1

The Churn: Last-minute DPS candidate

A late entry in the Denver Public Schools at-large race pulled petitions Thursday and has less than 24 hours to garner 50 signatures.

Voters will decide on school funding

Colorado voters will get to weigh in on the same issue now facing a Denver district judge – paying for schools.