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Education Policy Center Newsletter

From The Independence Institute
March 3, 2011
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In this issue
-- TV Alert Tomorrow: Colorado Considers Parent Trigger Bill
-- DeGrow Takes On Wisconsin, Public Employee Union Issue
-- School Choice Update: Cost-Saving Tax Credits Still in the Mix
-- Online Education Celebrates, Explores New Frontiers
-- Rural Kit Carson Adds to Innovative School District Momentum

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

TV Alert Tomorrow: Colorado Considers Parent Trigger Bill

We invite you to tune in to The Devil’s Advocate with Jon Caldara, tomorrow
evening, Friday, March 4, at 8:30 PM, or this coming Monday, March 7, at
1:30 PM, locally in the Denver area on KBDI Channel 12. State representative
Don Beezley joins our own Ben DeGrow and host Jon Caldara to discuss his new
“parent trigger” legislation, which would empower parents to transform a low-
performing school into a charter or innovation school. You can learn more about
the “parent trigger” reform idea, which originated in California of all places, from
our young blogger Eddie.

DeGrow Takes On Wisconsin, Public Employee Union Issue

With all eyes these days on the heated political battle in Wisconsin, Ben DeGrow
has offered his informed perspective on public employee unions in numerous
venues. At Ed News Colorado he took part in a point-counterpoint debate with
both a blog post and a podcast. He also recorded a 15-minute iVoices podcast
with our Mike Krause to lay out the issues, was interviewed by the Associated
Press and appeared as a guest on several local talk radio programs—including
the February 27 episode of Backbone America.
Closer to home, the Colorado Springs School District 11 board voted to open up
its collective bargaining negotiations for public observation. The teachers union
doesn’t want to go along, but one group has launched a public petition to call for
open negotiations. Ben shared his thoughts with a Colorado Springs Gazette
reporter, based on a brief 2010 issue backgrounder he authored on the topic.

School Choice Update: Cost-Saving Tax Credits Still in the Mix

House Bill 1048, a state legislative proposal to provide nonrefundable tax credits
for private school tuition or home education expenses, today narrowly passed
the House Finance Committee, 7-6, and will move forward for further debate.
Like a hypothetical tax credit program introduced in the K-12 section of the
Independence Institute’s Citizens’ Budget, nonpartisan staff analysts at the
legislature have found the school choice program also would provide savings to
the state of Colorado. On March 2, Ben DeGrow shared some education cost
saving recommendations as part of a Citizens’ Budget panel event.

More from Ed Is Watching:

Opponent Arguments Batted Down, HB 1048 Stuck in Legislative Sausage Maker
Momentum Growing to Expand Private School Choice in Many States in 2011
Let Title I Money Follow the Child and Other Creative School Choice Ideas

Online Education Celebrates, Explores New Frontiers

Colorado is among the national leaders in online public education, but still has a
long way to go. On February 24, Ben DeGrow presented to parents at the
Cyberschool Families Day at the Capitol event on Colorado’s background with
school choice, how parents can help make school choice “work” and some of the
parent-friendly resources from the Education Policy Center. On a podcast looking
to the cutting edge of online education, Pam Benigno interviewed the Donnell-
Kay Foundation’s Amy Anderson about her new report on blended learning.
Another iVoices podcast highlights a Utah online charter school that is
pioneering free open source curriculum.

Rural Kit Carson Adds to Innovative School District Momentum

With tighter budgets and an interest in delivering local education services with
more freedom from regulations, superintendent Gerald Keefe explains on an
iVoices podcast what his rural Kit Carson School District is doing in hopes of
becoming Colorado’s first district of innovation. Meanwhile, Douglas County and
Falcon 49 continue to make progress on their respective innovative programs,
and Roaring Fork R-1 is drawing some attention for its proposal to create a
“Moving Up” standards-based education system.

More from Ed Is Watching:

Colorado State Board Begins to Wrestle with Kit Carson Innovation Plan
Waiting Has Been Hard, So I’m Glad to See Douglas County School Choice
Details
Ben DeGrow (and Cookie Monster?) Talk Falcon Innovation on Jeff Crank Show

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