Amy Oliver Show: New Statewide Online School Breaks Innovative Ground
Falcon School District 49 innovation zone leader Kim McClelland discusses the newly-approved statewide Colorado Prep Online Academy, a K-12 school. Authorized by the Colorado Digital BOCES, the first to focus solely on high-quality digital learning, CPOA will provide both online and face-to-face instruction, including opportunities for concurrent enrollment.
Devil’s Advocate: Colorado Charter Schools Turn 20
Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno and longtime Colorado League of Charter Schools president Jim Griffin reflect on the 20th anniversary of Colorado’s Charter Schools Act, the third of its kind in the nation. The guests share colorful stories from the past and discuss some of the state’s charter successes.
Amy Oliver Show: Colorado’s Charter School Law Turns 20
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Colorado’s groundbreaking Charter Schools Act, Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno reflects on the parental demand, political drama, and personal tragedy that make a colorful tale of how the law came to be.
Amy Oliver Show: High Court Overturns Lobato School Funding Decision
Senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs professor Joshua Dunn break down the Colorado Supreme Court’s landmark Lobato ruling. By a 4-2 margin, the Court overturned a 2011 decision that would have cost an additional $1.35 to $4.15 billion a year to fund K-12 education.
Amy Oliver Show: Senator Says SB 213’s Extra Tax Dollars Not Needed
Senator Scott Renfroe, Republican from Weld County, explains why he could not support Senate Bill 213 or its accompanying tax increase proposal, given the weakness of reforms and the availability of other existing budget funds.
Amy Oliver Show: Too Much Tax, Too Little Reform in SB 213
State Rep. Justin Everett, a conservative freshman legislator from Jefferson County, talks about serving in the minority party on the House Education Committee, his vision for education reform, and why he opposed SB 213, the school finance bill tied to a billion dollar tax increase proposal.
Amy Oliver Show: State Board Member Appreciates Teachers
Pam Mazanec talks about her role serving eastern Colorado on the State Board of Education, and celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week with some positive news statewide and in Douglas County from Colorado’s latest official TELL teacher survey.
Survey Says Dougco Residents Love Choice, Reform
An April 2013 survey commissioned by the Independence Institute found that healthy majorities of Douglas County residents support their school board’s innovative agenda.
Amy Oliver Show: Colorado Charters on the Rise
Jim Griffin, president of the Colorado League of Charter Schools, talks about a new report that documents the growth of the state’s public charter school movement, and the better academic outcomes their schools are getting with less funds.
Devil’s Advocate: SB 213, Billion-Dollar Colo. Education Tax
Senior education policy analyst Ben DeGrow discusses Senate Bill 213, the massive piece of legislation attempting to change how schools are funded if Colorado voters approve a billion-dollar tax increase initiative.
