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April 26: Week in Review

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April 26: Week in Review

Last weekend the Denver Post published my letter responding to the editorial asserting the version of the Student Success Act (HB 1292) that passed the House would make Colorado "a national leader in transparency." From the Ed is Watching blog: Hooray! Kansas Becomes 14th State to Adopt K-12 Scholarship Tax Credits Is It Time to Rethink the Colorado Department of Education’s Role? Could Stopping a Teachers Union Vote Make a New “Hammer” Celebrity? Finished One Good(read) Book This Week George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring that Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger: The subtitle may oversell the story, but it is a quick read that offers some interesting insights into the mechanics of 18th … [Read more...]

May 3: Week in Review

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May 3: Week in Review

In most respects, it wasn't a slow week. But as far as new published writings, it was downright quiet. Nonetheless, there are a few items to point out. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Moms Lead Effort to Protect Student Privacy (Podcast) Denver Post: “Fundamental Fairness” in Jeffco Charter Student Funding Plan (Ed Is Watching) Outperforming International Peers: A Delicious Piece of Dougco PISA News Forget HB 1292 Transparency Soap Opera: Make it an Old Gangster Film Teachers vs. the Public on K-12 Education: Scratching the Surface Top Facebook Links of the Week Why Education Reform? Here's Why: Is Free Speech Endangered in America? (Powerline Blog) No Prerequisite for Basic Historical Literacy: … [Read more...]

Survey Says Colorado Losing Luster with Business Executives

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Survey Says Colorado Losing Luster with Business Executives

Business executives’ opinion of Colorado as a place to engage in commerce has continued its downward slide during the administration of a governor ironically noted for his business background. In the 2014 edition of Chief Executive‘s Best and Worst States for Business, released on May 8, Colorado checks in at 16th. The rankings are based on surveys of more than 500 CEOs, grading states based on a series of measures that include “tax and regulatory regime, the quality of the workforce, and the quality of the living environment.” …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

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2010 Colo. GOP Rising Stars Return? Lang Sias Weighs SD 19 Challenge, Owen Hill Dives into SD 10 Fray

Shortly after the 2010 elections I came up with a short list of Colorado GOP candidates who fell short but still faced bright political futures. At the top of the list was Ryan Frazier, who this year ended up coming in second in a six-way race to be the new mayor of Aurora (one of the nominees for Colorado political stories of the year that YOU can vote on). While CD 1's hard-working Dr. Mike Fallon (#2 on the list) looks to be keeping true to his word to be a one-time candidate, the conservatives occupying the next two spots both could be back in the fray for 2012. It was more than 13 months ago I observed about CD 7 primary runner-up Lang Sias (#4): … [Read more...]

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Road to the Colorado Statehouse: Dem Allport Will Have to Pick Up Pace to Challenge Libby Szabo in HD 27

I'm back. This time I mean it. With Colorado's legislative session in gear and both chambers of the General Assembly up for grabs in this fall's election, there is no time to dive into the fray like the present. While Mount Virtus may never be as prolific a place as it's ever been. You can follow some of my other writings as follows: Education Policy Center (including the blog Ed Is Watching) for coverage of the world of education policy, school choice and reform issues Also occasionally on the Ed News Colorado blog Writings on teachers unions and related government labor issues at Public Sector Inc A new less-than-regular column on education labor and related issues at Colorado Peak Politics Nevertheless, this year you can count … [Read more...]

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Jeffco GOP Assembly Recap: Conservative Justin Everett Takes Top Line in House District 22

This past Saturday many Colorado county political parties held their biennial assemblies for the purpose of approving resolutions and nominating candidates for the primary ballot. For the fifth consecutive time, I attended the Jefferson County Republican Assembly as a voting delegate. The new and spacious Lakewood church venue was needed, with more than 1,200 certified delegates in attendance. The strong turnout was most impressive in terms of first-time delegates, which an impromptu show of hands revealed made up somewhere around two-thirds of those attending north Jeffco's Senate District 19 assembly. Similar anecdotes and reports from other districts suggest the large-scale infusion of fresh grassroots political blood was a … [Read more...]

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HD 22 Candidate Loren Bauman: TABOR Has Done “Some Things That Have Hurt the Republican Party”

Yes, it's been several months since I've posted here. Life is busy, and the political season has been slow in these parts. Last time I checked in it was to report that conservative state house candidate Justin Everett had taken top line on the ballot at the Jefferson County GOP Assembly. His race against Loren Bauman turns out to be the county's only primary race on the June 26 mail-in ballot. If you needed more reason to see the clear difference between the two Republican candidates in HD 22, this 13-second clip (MP3) from a May 29 debate of Bauman summarizing his assessment of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) should raise some eyebrows: … [Read more...]

March 8: Week in Review

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March 8: Week in Review

From the Independence Institute Ed Is Watching Blog More Time to Study the K-12 Testing Issue Would Be Greatly Beneficial School Choice Legislative Debates Spread Across Map; Time for Colorado Kids to Win Two Michigan Teachers Set Free of Union; Thousands More in Limbo Top Facebook Links of the Week That's Just WRONG: This Doughnut Shop Won't Sell Dougnuts Because They Are Too Unhealthy (Delish.com) Further Proving Colorado Senators Are Rubber Stamps: John Fund - A Radical Rejected (National Review) Playing Favorites with Tax Credits Equals Bad Policy: Gorman: One Man's Tax Preference is Another Man's Tax Burden (Greeley Tribune) Next Up... Math Optional?: SAT College-Entrance Exam's Essay Portion to Become Optional in 2016 … [Read more...]

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Sen. Michael Bennet Dissing Sesame Street? Grover Fuzzy & PURPLE?

We've all seen how the waning days of the 2012 national campaign have fixed President Obama and the Democrats on the alliterative petty themes of Big Bird, Bayonets and Binders. It didn't take long after the first debate for the incumbent's campaign to pile on the Republican challenger's mention of the large, lovable Sesame Street character. Team Obama unleashed a laughable commercial and a "four-Pinocchio" fundraising appeal. Say what you will, but at least the Obama team didn't tell America that Big Bird was, say, green. For that they might have had to hire the staff of Colorado junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. This morning Bennet's office sent out a fundraising appeal for Congressional candidate Sal Pace. The email message (with … [Read more...]

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The Ultimate Improvement to Teachers Union’s “Every Member Option” Annual Political Refund: Ask Members First

It's funny how so many of those Colorado teachers union deadlines fall at inconvenient times. Want to sign up for one of the Colorado education Association's local affiliates? You can do it any time. Want to opt out of union membership, perhaps to choose a different membership option? Well, finding the exact dates you can opt out depends on which school district you work in. For so many, though, it comes at the beginning of the school year as classrooms are being decorated, lesson plans developed, routines established, and so much more. But September 15 passes before you can get down to the local union office -- say, in Jeffco, Commerce City, Englewood, Longmont, or Canon City -- and you have to wait another 350 days to stop the … [Read more...]