Colorado lawmakers should focus on education funding that puts students back in classrooms, expert says
(The Center Square) — When Colorado lawmakers return from a temporary hiatus in mid-February, they should focus on providing schools with resources to both safely reopen and help students who fell behind in learning catch up, according to one education expert and school choice advocate.
Luke Ragland, president of ReadyCO, a nonprofit that advocates for school choice, told The Center Square in an interview that funding priorities should include programs that highlight student achievement, increased funding for startup charter schools, and empowering educators to open their schools.
“We have seen significant learning loss in students who don’t have access to in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ragland said.
“Lawmakers need to look ahead to the future when they return,” he added. “Simply throwing money at this issue isn’t going to solve it.”
During the 2020 regular session, Colorado lawmakers slashed over $1.3 billion in education funding to help balance the state budget. However, lawmakers avoided cutting funds from the Charter School Capital Construction Fund, which provides resources for capital construction funding and technical assistance for charter schools.
These cuts caused districts across the state to take funding measures into their own hands. For example, voters approved a $90 million facility investment bond for the Durango School District that will distribute $2.5 million to each of the city’s three charter schools.
In November, Colorado’s Department of Education (CDE) released $15 million in grant funding to help schools reopen safely. At the time, only 44% of elementary students are learning in-person five full days a week, and 22% of middle and high school students are learning in-person, according to CDE estimates.
The next month, Gov. Jared Polis released a roadmap to reopening schools. Some of the recommendations include increased transparency between the state and local schools, on-site testing for those who are symptomatic, and adding additional staff to help when school staff must quarantine.
Ragland pointed to schools like Liberty Common in Fort Collins as providing a model for safely reopening schools across the state.
A report by the Independence Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank in Denver, found the K-12 charter school was able to continue its in-person learning programs by providing students with clear plastic “desk masks” that wrap around the front and sides of their workspaces. Each room also includes a web camera for students who are sick or prefer to continue learning remotely for safety precautions.
At the national level, education groups are calling on the new Biden Administration to support the nation’s education system, which they say continues to struggle with issues such as safe reopening, looming budget shortfalls, learning loss, crippling student debt, and boiling racial tensions.
“This administration has already voiced a strong commitment to unifying the nation and serving the needs of working families,” Nina Rees, CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said in a statement.
“Support for public education is surely a critical component of executing on their objectives, and we look forward to working with the administration to ensure every child in America has access to a high-quality public education,” she added.
Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square
