GOV. RITTER ENACTS SWEEPING EDUCATION REFORMS

 

Gov. Bill Ritter today signed into law a comprehensive package of education-reform measures, including bills to help reduce the dropout rate, allow students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and a college associate's degree, and give Colorado a better chance of landing federal "Race to the Top" funds.

 

"In my first State of the State Address, I set out aggressive and bold objectives for education, including cutting Colorado's dropout rate and achievement gap in half over the next 10 years and doubling the number of college degrees earned by Colorado residents," Gov. Ritter said.

 

"Today, we take not just a step but a giant leap toward meeting those goals and objectives," Gov. Ritter said during a signing ceremony at Denver Public Schools' Career Education Center in north Denver. He was joined by lawmakers, Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien, State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, Colorado Education Commissioner Dwight Jones and Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg.

 

"Education reform is never easy or fast, but we are making great progress and are leading the nation with our reform agenda," Gov. Ritter said. "Today we recommit to the notion that the best way to lead Colorado forward through this difficult economy is through wise, meaningful and student-centered education reforms."

 

"I'm very proud of these measures and the many other improvements we have made to Colorado's education system in the last two years," Lt. Gov. O'Brien said. "With leadership from the P-20 Education Council, Commissioner Jones, the legislature and Gov. Ritter, we have passed some of the most progressive reforms in the nation. Our efforts demonstrate our commitment to quality education."

 

"Individually, these are important pieces of legislation for public schools in Colorado," Commissioner Jones said. "Taken together they will impact students in different but extremely positive ways, and all will help prepare our students for postsecondary and workforce readiness."

 

Gov. Ritter signed nine education bills today, including his signature proposal for the 2009 legislative session, House Bill 1319, the Colorado ASCENT Program (Accelerating Students through Concurrent EnrollmeNT).  

 

HB 1319, sponsored by Reps. Michael Merrifield and Tom Massey and Sens. Suzanne Williams and Rollie Heath, will be the nation's first statewide concurrent-enrollment plan. It will give students a chance to earn a college degree while finishing high school.

 

"This gives kids a reason to stay in school and accelerates their progress toward degrees and the working world," Rep. Merrifield said. "It opens doors that, to many students, especially low income students, have appeared to be locked and barred."

 

Senate Bill 282, sponsored by Sens. Paula Sandoval and Nancy Spence and Rep. Andy Kerr, merges the Denver Public Schools retirement system into the state Public Employees' Retirement Association. 

 

"The fourth time's the charm for this PERA merger bill, as both bride and groom have been jilted at the altar over the past few years," Rep. Kerr said. "This bill does not allow either PERA or DPS to back out of the merger this time, and will allow teachers the flexibility to find the district, school and community that can best use their particular talents." 

 

"This legislation will tear down the wall between DPS and the rest of the school districts in Colorado without cost to the state or PERA," Sen. Sandoval said. "Colorado educators will be able to make career decisions to move between any other school district in Colorado and Denver without losing pension years of service. This merger has been long-anticipated by our state's educators."

 

"After years of trying, this merger is a great accomplishment for PERA, DPS and the State of Colorado," State Treasurer Kennedy said. "It will create efficiencies in administration, close costly loopholes, and open doors for teachers to move where their skills and talents are needed the most."

 

"For nearly a decade, DPSRS, PERA and DPS have sought to come together to provide a stronger retirement system for all educators and allow teachers, principals and hourly workers to further their careers in any district in the State of Colorado," DPS Superintendent Boasberg. "Today, with the Governor's signature, we have realized this vision and made Colorado an even better place to work for our country's best teachers."

 

SB 160, sponsored by Sen. Evie Hudak and Rep. Nancy Todd, creates common requirements for the state's two alternative teacher preparation programs.

 

"I am proud to help open up opportunities for teachers to enter the profession from an unconventional path," Rep. Todd said. "The skills and real-life experiences that can be brought into our classrooms will make learning more relevant as we ready students for life in the 21st century."

 

SB 90, sponsored by Sen. Hudak and Reps. Debbie Benefield and Merrifield, will help parents get involved in their kids' education.

 

SB 123, sponsored by Sen. Williams and Rep. Todd, creates the Healthy Choices Dropout Prevention Pilot Program, which will increase the number of children who graduate.

 

"This program will provide students an out-of-school experience and teach them to develop a balance in their lives," Rep. Todd said. "The focus on academic commitment and physical and emotional health will provide one more support to at-risk adolescents during this challenging time in their lives."

 

Several bills will help Colorado secure a portion of the $5 billion in competitive "Race to the Top" grants being made available to states through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

 

SB 163, sponsored by Sen. Hudak and Rep. Karen Middleton, modernizes and aligns reporting on school accountability systems to help students throughout Colorado. Schools will now have better support and oversight for their improvement efforts.

 

"Because of my background as an educator for over 20 years, much of my time is spent fighting for good public education in Colorado," Sen. Hudak said. "Whether it's making sure parents can be involved in their children's education or supporting appropriate accountability for public schools and public school teachers, we must keep education our No. 1 priority in this state, even in difficult economic times."

 

"We know that taking a snapshot of a child's progress just doesn't tell us that much about how a kid is doing," Rep. Middleton said. "This new accreditation process aligns all of Colorado's schools with the state's growth, and the state's new, more descriptive longitudinal data collection efforts. So we'll know more about how our schools are actually doing." 

 

HB 1065, sponsored by Rep. Benefield and Sen. Spence, uses information about educators' training and experience to evaluate teacher performance, the effectiveness of teacher training programs and the distribution of high-performing teachers in different kinds of schools.

 

"This legislation will help ensure that every child, regardless of their race, where they live, or what their socioeconomic background is, has access to a high-quality teacher," Rep. Benefield said.

 

HB 1243, sponsored by Reps. Middleton and Massey and Sen. Bob Bacon, creates an Office of Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement to ensure students graduate high school.

 

"This bill will help give high school students an extra push to finish their secondary schooling, and make sure they get the right skills, so that when they do take the next step, whatever that step may be, they're ready," Rep. Middleton said.   

 

SB 256, the School Finance Act, was sponsored by Sens. Chris Romer and Bacon and Reps. Jack Pommer and Christine Scanlan.

 

"The legislation rethinks how we fund our schools," Rep. Scanlan said. "It incentivizes performance, rewarding low-income schools that boost student performance while investing in schools that are struggling with an achievement gap. It allows districts to spend more on the programs that work best in their areas. And it provides a framework for all Colorado students to go to college or get the necessary vocational training so that they can compete and succeed for high-paying, 21^st century jobs."

 

"We've all seen it. Kids I went to high school with were dropping out, too, and it seems that trend hasn't changed," Sen. Romer said. "We hope the School Finance Act this year will start to change that. This bill will make sure our school funding is equal, fair and transparent so that our schools – and students – can be successful. We simply cannot allow any more students to be left behind."

 

Visit www.colorado.gov/governor or click here for a list of 2009 legislative action by Gov. Ritter.

 

Photo Captions:

 

Education Signing 1: Gov. Ritter signed a package of nine education bills into law at Denver Public Schools Career Education Center. Among those behind him in this photo are state Rep. Nancy Todd, Sen. Evie Hudak and Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien.

 

Education Signing 2: Gov. Ritter visits with a student who is manufacturing a solar panel in the school's technical education center.

 

Education Signing 3: Gov. Ritter visit with students in the school's culinary arts program.