Monday, October 29, 2007

GOV. RITTER NAMES MEMBERS TO THREE EDUCATION PANELS

Gov. Bill Ritter today announced the appointments of dozens of Coloradans to three education panels established by legislation during the 2007 session of the General Assembly: the State Graduation Guidelines Development Council, the Quality Teachers Commission and the On-Line Learning Advisory Board. 

The 12-member State Graduation Guidelines Development Council was established by House Bill 07-1118 (Rep. Todd/Sen. Tupa) to ensure high academic standards at all Colorado schools. Appointments are for two years, and the appointees are:

Arthur G. Bogardus of Erie

Mark E. Hudson of Pueblo

Helayne B. Jones of Boulder

John A. Lanning of Denver

Nina Lopez of Boulder

Kerry H. Lord of Denver

Shatta G. Mejia of Denver

Dan R. Morris of Aurora

Karin A. Reynolds of Colorado Springs

George W. Sparks of Denver

Paula R. Stephenson of Steamboat Springs

Randy Zila of Loveland

The 13-member Quality Teachers Commission was established by Senate Bill 07-140 (Rep. Benefield/Sen. Spence) to assess the development and implementation of a unique teacher identifier system that will complement existing and emerging educational databases, particularly the longitudinal growth model being developed according to HB 07-1048. Appointments are for two years, and the appointees are:

Nella B. Anderson of Gunnison

Julie Carnahan of Boulder

Matt Gianneschi of Aurora

Scott Groginsky of Golden

Bill Hodges of Castle Rock

Nate Howard of Denver

Evie Hudak of Westminster

Lisa Marie Kramer of Littleton

Jacqueline J. Paone of Golden

Deidra J. Roque of Pueblo

Maria Salazar of Littleton

Karen Stroup of Littleton

Kim Ursetta of Denver

The 11-member On-Line Learning Advisory Board was established by SB 07-215 (Rep. T. Carroll/Sen. Windels) to support on-line education programs, students, parents, authorizers and other entities by providing information and access to data. The board also will facilitate the certification of multi-district programs in accordance with rules that will be established by the board. Appointments are for two years. One appointment is still pending. The 10 appointees named today are:

Lori J. Cooney of Aurora

John W. Covington of Pueblo

Christopher E. Gdowski of Arvada

J. Renee Howell of Centennial

Gary W. Johnson of Grand Junction

John A. Knapp of Rocky Ford

Michael A. Poore of Aurora

Kent D. Tamsen of Colorado Springs

Scott L. Thompson of Lakewood

Kindra T. Whitmyre of Parker

The three panels will complement the efforts of Gov. Ritter's P-20 Education Council, which is examining comprehensive education reform to ensure that the state's education systems from pre-school through grad-school are aligned along a seamless education pathway. The Council's goal is to produce the most-educated and highly-skilled workforce in the country.