What’s churning:
The annual Colorado Association of School Boards convention opens today at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, running through Sunday. Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper was invited to speak at a luncheon today but had a schedule conflict. Democratic Rep. Christine Scanlan of Dillon, who will be leaving the legislature to become Hickenlooper’s lobbyist, will fill in.
The 4-day gathering includes a plethora of sessions to help school board members deal with the wave of reform-minded laws coming their way, from the educator effectiveness bill to the state’s new school and district ratings. There’s also a roundtable on balancing budget cuts and school reform. Get more information here.
CASB staffers expect lower attendance this year, due to the economy and cuts in state school funding. Association spokesman Brad Stauffer estimates about 800 participants, down from last year’s 1,000. It’s a lovely setting but other education groups like pretty places too – the Colorado Association of School Executives favors Breckenridge and the Colorado Education Association scheduled its fall bargaining retreat at Copper Mountain.
A year ago, the big news at CASB – by media standards, anyway – was the marital therapy session for Denver Public Schools board members and Superintendent Tom Boasberg. The retreat appeared to forge progress, as EdNews noted in this story, but those warm fuzzies have dissipated. Check out the latest skirmish here.
What’s on tap:
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education meets at 1 p.m. with a heavy agenda, including approval of the higher education master plan and votes on tuition flexibility proposals from the CU System, the Community College System, the University of Northern Colorado and Adams, Mesa and Western State colleges. The panel previously approved plans from the CSU System, Metro State and Fort Lewis college (see story).
The meeting will be held on CU-Boulder’s East Campus at 4001 Discovery Drive (see agenda).
In case you missed it, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children or EPIC released its new online toolkit encouraging businesses to invest in early childhood development. The website details why employers should care, tax benefits and how businesses can advocate to improve early childhood programs.
Good reads from elsewhere:
- Baltimore better: A Cuban immigrant with a Harvard degree has improved one of the nation’s worst districts. The New York Times
- Lines drawn: New D.C. union prez promises to be tougher. Washington Post
- Pushing forward: Despite defections, R2T winners forging ahead with reforms. Education Week