This story was first published at Colorado Chalkbeat.
DENVER | Last year, Colorado Senate President James Coleman nearly filed an “education deserts” bill that would have allowed the state to authorize charter schools in communities with low-performing schools and without local school board agreement.
He decided against it after hearing from traditional public school advocates, school boards, and superintendents that the idea was unfair.
“I could have passed that bill,” said Coleman, a Denver Democrat. “But I understood that folks felt that it was one-sided.”
This year, he’s taken a new approach to find a solution for students he said are falling through the cracks at low-performing schools. He said he’s worked with Colorado reform and traditional school advocates to take a step back from prescribing one model.
Instead, Coleman hopes Senate Bill 170 will bridge a divide between reform and traditional school advocates by creating a task force to study effective schools and answer the question “how can we make sure that every single one of our children are thriving?”
“Let’s maximize the transformative power of a good public education,” Coleman said during a Senate Education Committee hearing on Wednesday. “Colorado educators, school districts, students, and families are proving that changing outcomes for all kids, no matter the circumstances they come from, is possible.”
The legislation, backed by a bipartisan group of sponsors, received unanimous lawmaker approval at Wednesday’s hearing.
The bill would create an 18-member task force in the Colorado Department of Education of appointees from various regions and public school models to study how successful schools effectively close educational gaps.
The members would explore six main points, including where educational gaps are the most persistent, identifying schools that have closed gaps, understanding the strategies that work, and recommending policy to support innovation and improvement.
A final report would be due Jan. 1, 2027, and the task force would cost about $135,000 funded by grants and donations. Coleman said he hopes lawmakers would use those recommendations to share effective policies.
Traditional and reform school advocates spoke favorably about the bill during the committee hearing.
Colorado Education Association’s Liz Waddick, who is the union’s vice president, said her union and the American Federation of Teachers Colorado support honest efforts to examine the barriers that many Colorado students face.
“We firmly believe that there is progress to be made in Colorado,” she said. “And we should give this task force the space to explore every opportunity to do so.”
Fernanda Cerros with Transform Education Now, a reform-aligned advocacy organization, said the bill takes an important step toward helping students in every corner of the state.
“Understanding where gaps exist and what defines an effective school and how to expand access to those opportunities is critical to ensuring we are doing right by all students,” said Cerros, the organization’s operations manager.
Some lawmakers raised questions, including whether funders would seek a specific outcome and if the task force would focus on what hasn’t worked. Lawmakers also asked about the breadth of the focus, including examining practices at schools that educate students with significant mental health, behavioral, or medical needs.
State Sen. Cathy Kipp, a Fort Collins Democrat, said she voted in favor of the bill because she wanted to give the process a chance and knows Coleman’s agenda focuses on helping kids.
Kipp, a traditional school advocate and former school board member, said policymakers too often fight over whether charter, innovation, or traditional schools are better. But they focus less on propping up effective practices in all schools.
“I believe we are all committed to moving forward in a way that is going to hopefully support every child,” she said. “And if there is a bias, we should be able to figure that out.”
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org. This story was made available via the Colorado News Collaborative. Learn more at https://www.google.com/url?q=https://colabnews.co&source=gmail-imap&ust=1777663810000000&usg=AOvVaw1YWwwHYM77wEQOIM2c5Y36