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Education Policy Center Newsletter

From The Independence Institute
November 18, 2009
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In this issue
-- Teachers Union Political Refund Deadline Approaching
-- School Board Election Recap: A Mixed Bag for Reform
-- Taking On Colorado Supreme Court School Finance Overreach
-- Education Center Visits Innovation School Cole, Virtual COVA

Dear Friends,

We hope you enjoy our latest update from the Education Policy Center.

Pamela Benigno, Director

Ben DeGrow, Policy Analyst
Marya DeGrow, Research Associate
Raaki Garcia-Ulam, School Choice Website Outreach Coordinator

Teachers Union Political Refund Deadline Approaching

It’s that time of year again. Colorado Education Association (CEA) members have
less than a month to request refunds of the automatic Every Member Option
political contribution. CEA’s $39 refund combined with local union refunds as
much as $24 mean a teacher may have $63 deducted this year for political
purposes. The deadline to request a refund from CEA and from most local
affiliates is December 15. For more information on political refunds and
membership options, visit our Independent Teachers website.

For more:
Independent Teachers, Forty Days and Counting ‘Till December 15 CEA Political
Refund Deadline

School Board Election Recap: A Mixed Bag for Reform

It’s been two weeks already since many school districts across Colorado held
school board elections. Campaigns in Denver and Douglas County received a lot
of attention. Along with Jefferson County, the state’s largest school district,
results in the three elections were a mixed bag for those favoring school choice
and other key reforms. Listen to Pam Benigno and Ben DeGrow discuss the
election aftermath on an iVoices podcast.
Ben also hosted an iVoices podcast discussion with budget transparency analyst
Amy Oliver on how one Greeley school board member’s opposition to financial
transparency legislation helped to ensure the defeat of a local tax increase at
the ballot box.

For more:
Ed Is Watching, Three Different Election Results in Colorado’s Largest School
Districts
Schools for Tomorrow, Lessons from 2009 school board races

Taking On Colorado Supreme Court School Finance Overreach

The Colorado Supreme Court’s October ruling in Lobato v State that the judiciary
can weigh in our state’s school funding system is fraught with possible dangers,
Ben wrote in a Colorado Daily op-ed. He also discussed the problems in a Face
The State weekend radio interview with Brad Jones.

For more:
Ed Is Watching, Ben DeGrow Weighs In on Colorado’s Lobato School Funding
Case

Education Center Visits Innovation School Cole, Virtual COVA

In the past week Education Policy Center staff got a closer look at two
groundbreaking Colorado public schools. A visit to Cole Arts and Science
Academy (CASA), Denver’s newest innovation school, demonstrated some of the
positive effects that greater freedom and autonomy can empower in an inner-
city neighborhood learning environment. If you are interested in a visit to CASA
to see the exciting possibilities of the innovation school model, please contact
Alyssa Gomez (alyssa@friendsofcole.org).

Click here to see a picture of our visit with a 1st grade class at CASA

A few days later the Colorado Virtual Academy (COVA) came to us, as Colorado
Coalition of Cyberschool Families president Lori Cooney and her three kids
demonstrated the day-to-day activities in the state’s largest cyberschool. Sean,
Shannon and Ashlyn then joined Pam to record an iVoices podcast – explaining
how their cyberschool experience includes regular contacts with a teacher, field
trips, and even a senior prom!

Click here to see a picture of Pam’s podcast with Sean, Shannon and
Ashlyn Cooney

The time is here for parents to start considering next year’s school choice
options before many open enrollment periods begin. As always, you can find
information on these schools and every Colorado K-12 school on our School
Choice for Kids website. We’d also like to highlight a new resource called
Colorado School Choice—a project of 9News and The Piton Foundation.

For more:
Ed Is Watching, Colorado Cyberschool Students Tell What It’s Like to Go to
School Online
Meanwhile, here are some of the past month’s highlights from our 5-year-old
blogging prodigy Eddie—as he covered everything from school choice
community outreach to a discussion of union bargaining sessions:
School Choice for Kids and Ideas to Enhance Community Outreach
Transparent Negotiations: Bringing the Public into Public School Districts
One-Two Research Combination Shows Positive Effect of NYC Charters
Laying the Foundation for an Honest Discussion about School Funding
An Educational “Clearing House” for Colorado’s Students and Teachers?

Contact Information
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email: pam@i2i.org
phone: 303-279-6536
web:http://www.independenceinstitute.org
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