What’s churning:
The Denver Public Schools board has a busy agenda for tonight’s meeting, but the time allotted for public comment could provide one of the more interesting parts of the session.
A+ Denver, the organization that monitors the district and promotes excellence in the city’s schools, has completed a lengthy review of the Denver Plan, the district’s strategic blueprint first adopted in 2005 and updated in 2010.
Van Schoales, director of the group, will provide a summary of the organization’s conclusions about the Denver Plan during the public comment session.
Other items on the board’s agenda include a vote on a the application for innovation status from the Creative Challenge Community elementary school; consideration of a resolution to support Senate Bill 12-015, which would create a special tuition rate for undocumented college students; and updates on DPS graduation and remediation rates.
The board meets at 5 p.m. in the first-floor boardroom of district headquarters, 900 Grant St. The public comment period is at 6:30 p.m. Agenda
Four finalists have been named for the position of dean of arts and sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. They are Paul Beale, physics department chair at CU-Boulder; Antonio Cepeda-Benito, faculty dean at Texas A&M University; Jeffrey Cox, a CU-Boulder associate vice chancellor; and Steven Leigh, an associate dean at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. More information
What’s tap:
Three interesting education bills get their first committee hearings this afternoon.
Senate Bill 12-068, the proposed ban on trans fats in food served at schools, will be heard by the Senate Agriculture Committee. On the agenda for the Senate Education Committee are Senate Bill 12-098, which would make CPR training a high school graduation requirement, and Senate Bill 12-046, a proposed revision of school discipline laws.
The original versions of all three bills have raised concerns for various education interest groups, and significant amendments are likely to be proposed.
Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia speaks at noon to the winter legislative meeting of the Colorado Association of School Boards at the Brown Palace Hotel.
A good read from elsewhere:
Testing the young: Assessment of preschool and kindergarten students is a hot topic these days. In Colorado, the Department of Education is reviewing the state’s existing tests and House Bill 12-1238 proposes a full rewrite of current state law on early literacy. And there’s lots of discussion around the country about the issue, according to a new report from the Educational Testing Service.
The EdNews’ Churn is a daily roundup of briefs, notes and meetings in the world of Colorado education. To submit an item for consideration in this listing, please email us at EdNews@EdNewsColorado.org.
