Archives for January 2014

1/28/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Democrats Ditch Education Tax Credit Bill

Colorado Democrats couldn’t wait until National School Choice Week to kill the latest education tax credit proposal. On Wednesday, January 22, a 3-2 party-line committee vote marked the end for Senate Bill 33 — a proposal to create a limited tax credit for private school tuition or home school expenses. Tax credits provide a stronger financial incentive by removing the specified amount paid on qualifying expenses from a person’s tax liability. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

1/25/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

January 25: Week in Review

Go Broncos, 2014 AFC Champs, Super Bowl Bound!!! From the Independence Institute Colorado and Washington, DC: A Tale of Two School Principal Evaluation Systems (Ed Is Watching) Dougco Collision on Testing and Accountability Could Rattle Reform Debate (Ed Is Watching) “All Aboard” with Blended Learning and My Future “Learning Engineer” Career (Ed Is Watching) Finished One Good(reads) Book This Week The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Victor Davis Hanson: a compelling argument constructed around in-depth portraits of three generals -- the ancient Theban Epaminondas, William Tecumseh Sherman, and George Patton -- three democratic liberators who studied, inspired, and led to underappreciated military … [Read more...]

1/22/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Lewis-Palmer School Board’s Debt Financing Draws Scrutiny

Local watchdogs say revelations made at the Lewis-Palmer District 38 school board’s January 16 meeting not only confirm some of the past warnings they shared but also should heighten concerns about fiscal mismanagement. Board members seem unable to come to terms with their 2010 decision to borrow money that’s costing taxpayers extra dollars for financing with no return for classrooms or students. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

1/18/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

January 18: Week in Review

I wrote an op-ed for the Greeley Tribune titled "Education Spending Transparency Doesn't Require Massive Tax Hike":Giving Coloradans open government should be more than an applause line. Whatever reassurance skeptical voters may need, it’s not because officials have withheld financial information from online disclosure. The question is whether they have done enough. More from the Independence Institute I’ll Stick My Toe into the Fordham-Cato School Choice Argument… for Five Minutes (Ed Is Watching) Denver State’s New Largest School District; Falcon 49 Open Enrollment Soars (Ed Is Watching) School Funding at Forefront of K-12 Legislative Business (Podcast) Twitter Verse of the Week Joel 2:13 Return to the Lord your God, for he … [Read more...]

1/16/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado Lags Neighbors in Ability to Meet Financial Obligations

Colorado trails most of its neighbors in the state’s ability to pay current and future bills. So says a new analysis from George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. “State Fiscal Condition: Ranking the 50 States” by economist Sarah Arnett compares the states’ respective abilities to cover short-term and long-term financial obligations. ...Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado.... … [Read more...]

1/11/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

January 11: Week in Review

I was cited by Watchdog education reporter Mary Tillotson in her latest piece titled "New Orleans Tops School Choice Index":Closing unpopular schools contributed to the increase. A reform-minded majority on the school board probably helped the district implement choice-friendly policies such as the common application, said Ben DeGrow, senior education policy analyst at Colorado’s Independence Institute. More from the Independence Institute "If I've Told You Once": K-12 Financial Transparency Isn't New to Colorado (Ed Is Watching) Evidence Doesn't Back Keeping Kids "English Language Learners" Longer (Ed Is Watching) Amy Oliver Show: The Latest Colorado School Grades Are Out (Podcast) Finished Two Good(reads) Books This … [Read more...]

1/4/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

God’s Goodness and (Coconut) Icing on the Birthday Cake

Have you ever been personally overwhelmed by the goodness of God -- where it just rolls down at you quickly like a giant snowball down a steep mountain until your whole heart and soul is caught up in praising Him? Before that moment this morning, I was ready to peg 2014 as being off to a bad start. The past week has been a struggle. Not a monumental burden or major calamity. I don't seek to overdramatize or pine for sympathy. Something as yet unidentified slowed me down physically, first with extra fatigue and then a mounting series of unpleasant digestive symptoms that sapped my comfort, appetite, concentration, and sleep -- not to mention much of my good humor. The good news is, with the help of the wonderfully gifted and caring … [Read more...]