a strong voice for kids 2nd Congressional District
a strong voice for kids 2nd Congressional District
DEHOFF: Regarding the fact that Jared Polis is 30 today, does that mean we no longer can trust him?! Last week he and Polis met with the Douglas County School Board, regarding their exploration of becoming an independent school district, to get out from under all the rules and regulations; they think this would give them more money to put into classrooms. For the first time, a school district is saying that they should have the same flexibility as charter schools, with the same accountability. There was a discussion about their bringing a proposal to the SBE with requests for waivers. As a district with exclusive chartering authority, their board can request waivers without having to get the approval of the District Accountability Committee, etc., and he suggested that they take the approach of starting by removing all of Title 22, except those parts that are not waivable, and then putting back in only those parts that are not already covered in the Accreditation Indicators and other accountability provisions. Will be meeting with Jim Christenson, the superintendent, on what their waiver requests might be. Is very excited about the opportunity. If this effort is successful, it will serve as a good model. It’s a good district to begin in, since they have a very low Title I, poor population.
HUDAK: Tonight I will be on a panel in Colorado Springs with Steve Schuck discussing vouchers. On Saturday I will be in Pueblo for their Children’s Summit as part of my job presenting a workshop on my program, the School Readiness Program, but I will also be doing a workshop called "Early Childhood From the Top Down," which will cover how the State Board of Education and the Legislature affect early childhood. Next Monday I will be in Summit County for PTA presenting the Building Successful Partnerships program, and I expect that parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, and community members will attend. [Later in the meeting I made a personal tribute to Lorrie Harkness, , Director of the Exceptional Student Services Unit, in honor of her retirement, which will be happening at the end of June; this was her last SBE meeting. I spoke of how effective she has been in leading the Colorado Special Education Advisory Committee, receiving input on Special Education issues, working with the Gifted and Talented Education people, and making people feel comfortable giving their opinions. I said that it was no surprise to me that none of the applicants for her position were selected, since she has left "big shoes to fill."]
LITTLETON: Thanked Lorrie Harkness for what she has done. By next month, her daughter will have graduated and she will have celebrated her 24th wedding anniversary. She will be attending the panel discussion on vouchers in Colorado Springs tonight, and she couldn’t debate Steve Schuck, because there would be nothing she could disagree with him on. She me with Gully Stanford to talk about the GEAR-UP program, having been the director of it herself.
MIDDLETON: Participated on a panel in the Gender Equity Conference; pointed out that we have achieved gender equity on this Board [we have 4 women and 4 men]. Our State Legislature is closer to having gender equity than in most states.
MUNN: There still are many conversations going on about HB 1216. The working group is making good progress on defining the "achievement gap" for the implementation of SB 154; hope to have some decision points for Board soon. Hope to be able to talk more in the future about our potential MOU with CCHE.
ORR: Is working with the Campo district, as mentioned yesterday in his Board report.
POLIS: Thanked us for the birthday wishes the Board gave him for his 30th birthday today. Thanked Lorrie Harkness for her contribution to education in Colorado. Said that we will be missing her. Agrees with DeHoff about what is going on in Douglas County. It will be exciting to see what they come up with. Reviewing our Legislative Agenda for this past year, we did well. The bills on Longitudinal Growth, changing the SARs, and dealing with Unsatisfactory schools are progressing well. We succeeded in getting at-risk funding for ELL and restoring the CPP slots; regarding funding online education, we didn’t get unfettered access, but made some progress and fought off efforts to move backwards. We made significant progress on the issue of school trust lands, the most substantial progress so far. Library funding was restored. On the issue of school choice, we held the line; the Democratic majority didn’t do anything contrary to our principles of school choice. Regarding the maintenance of the SBE’s authority, we are at a high point of influence with the Legislature.
SUCKLA: Thanked Lorrie Harkness. Thinks that we should start our legislative agenda for next year with a request for no new laws on education. We have nominated DeHoff for NASBE Western Regional Director; he has no opponent. That will help us greatly in our input with NASBE. As most know, she was a school board member previously and dealt with many hard issues. The decisions made there are very difficult; this is the time of year that you get gratification when you see students graduate. Encourages us to attend graduations as much as possible. Congratulates all graduates.
COMMISSIONER MOLONEY: The Board can feel very pleased with the success of our legislative agenda. The Board is to be commended for its legislative agenda, being a good role model for the larger and better-known group across the street. Commended the staff of CDE for upholding the policies of the Board. There are so many people doing so many complex tasks. All the bills that we follow have at least one staff member watching it and working on it. Acknowledged Nancy Bolt’s successor as Deputy State Librarian at the meeting today, Gene Hainer, who has served the state and the department for many years so well. The traditions of professionalism and service will surely be continued. A number of Board members have already acknowledged someone who is attending her last formal Board meeting in her official role today, Lorrie Harkness. We often take for granted IDEA, Public Law 94-142, and its profound importance in the lives of children. Some of us can remember what disabled children’s lives were like prior to IDEA. There were concerns and objections expressed when the law first passed. Harkness has been a true standard-bearer for IDEA. She is held is extraordinarily high regard by the CSEAC and other groups relating to special education. Initially, many thought it was wrong to include special education students in CSAP; one of the most emotional days in CDE was the day we unveiled the CSAP-A. Colorado has been a national leader in that regard, due in a large part to Lorrie Harkness. Mayor Hickenlooper declared June 30 Lorrie Harkness Day, the day she is retiring.
LORRIE HARKNESS: Special education staff people are out of their comfort zone when people are not complaining or criticizing; it is hard to hear all these compliments. Thanked us for the opportunity to work in special education at a most critical time. Thanked us for our support and for those with disabilities and those who are gifted. "Children are the messages we send to a future we cannot see."
Approved contracts or interagency agreements between the State of Colorado – for the use and benefit of the Colorado Department of Education, Special Education Services Unit, for the period of September 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, in the following amounts and for the following contractors:
Peak Parent Center, Inc., for $300,637.37 to provide parent training and information centers as required by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal law) and ECEA (Exceptional Children’s Education Act, state law).
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, JFK Partners, Department of Pediatrics, for $360,000, with option for annual renewal up to 4 years, to provide early intervention training and services required by Part C of IDEA.
(1) COLORADO SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CSEAC)
Appointed Mary Griffin, representing a State Child Welfare Agency, from CD 7, to fill the vacancy on CSEAC, effective July 1, 2005. [CSEAC is required by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal law) and ECEA (Exceptional Children’s Education Act, state law) as an advisory panel on the education of children with disabilities. CSEAC provides for representation and statewide participation in decision-making by receiving input and making recommendations. Changes in IDEA required the membership to include a representative from a state child welfare agency responsible for foster care. It also requires inclusion of a state and local education official who carries out activities under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; this appointment has been postponed until 2006.]
(2) COLORADO LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD (CoLAB)
Appointed Howard Major, as a citizen representative (currently not working in a library), from CD 4, to serve on CoLAB. [CoLAB advises the SBE, the Commissioner of Education, the State Library, and the library community on matters pertaining to the development of all libraries, sharing of resources among libraries, and the use of state and federal funds to advance library service in Colorado. Candidates for appointment must reside in Colorado, possess interest in and/or knowledge of libraries, and be willing to serve for at least one 3-year term, which requires attending 6 all-day meetings each year.]
(1) EMERGENCY EDUCATOR AUTHORIZATIONS
Approved emergency Type III educator authorizations for 19 initially and 2 renewals.
[Local districts may request Type III Emergency Authorization to employ non-licensed teachers, principals, administrators, or special services providers if they agree to provide an induction program. The SBE’s approval is based on consideration of whether the district has demonstrated a shortage of licensed personnel and the employment of non-licensed personnel is essential to preserving the instructional program and to the well-being of the children enrolled.]
(2) DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS
(These remain confidential until action is taken by the Board.)
Accepted and approved the terms and conditions of the settlement agreements for one applicant for substitute authorization and one licensed teacher.
Instructed the department staff to issue a notice of denial and appeal rights and instructed department staff and the attorney general’s office to prepare the documents requesting a formal hearing to revoke the license of one substitute teacher.
(3) EDUCATOR RECORDS
Instructed department staff to remove specified records from a licensed teacher’s file.
(4) ESTABLISHMENT OF FEES FOR LICENSING PROGRAM
Established the year’s evaluation fees for licenses, authorizations, certificates, and endorsements, and the fees for CBI and FBI background checks. The evaluation fees are reduced from $60 to $50 for evaluations and from $30 to $25 for one-year substitutes. The fees for CBI/FBI will remain at $39. [The Educator Licensing Act authorizes the SBE to annually establish the evaluation fees for licenses, authorizations, certificates, and endorsements. In addition, the department is required to conduct CBI and FBI background checks and to collect the actual costs of these background checks from applicants. These changes in the fees will result in a net increase in the ending reserves because of the anticipated 37,000 applications for evaluations during the year and the anticipated 19,000 background checks for initial and renewal applications.]
(5) TEACHER INDUCTION PROGRAMS
Approved the proposed teacher induction programs for:
[The Educator Licensing Act requires school districts wishing to hire provisionally licensed educators to have induction programs approved by the SBE.]
Approved charter school waiver requests from May 12, 2005, to June 30, 2010, for 21st Century Charter School in Colorado Springs School District 11.
Approved charter school waiver requests from May 12, 2005, to June 30. 2010, for Community Prep Charter School in Colorado Springs School District 11.
Approved charter school waiver requests from May 12, 2005, to June 30, 2010, for Peak to Peak Charter School in Boulder Valley School District.
(1) EXCESS COST RATES FOR ELIGIBLE FACILITIES
Approved the excess cost rates for children with disabilities at eligible facilities in the amounts listed for the following facilities: Colorado Christian Home, Denver Children’s Home, Flatiron Academy, Mount Saint Vincent Home, and Savio House. [These are the daily rates for disabled students placed in residential child care facilities and day treatment centers. The SBE is required to set the rates annually.]
(2) TUITION RATE FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN DEAF SCHOOL
Approved the request to establish a daily tuition rate of $90.37 for the Rocky Mountain Deaf School for the 20004-2005 school year. [The SBE is required by ECEA to set the daily tuition rate for this school, a charter school located in Jefferson County, because the program meets the requirements of having more than 60 percent of the educational time for the students in this program in special education.]
(3) PAYMENTS UNDER EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN’S EDUCATIONAL ACT
Approved payments to school districts and administrative units for Special Education Programs under the Exceptional Children’s Educational Act, for 2004-2005. [These payments are reimbursements to administrative units for excess costs for eligible facilities within the boundaries of the administrative units for children with disabilities for whom (a) parental rights had been relinquished by the parents, (b) parental rights had been terminated by the court, (c) parents were incarcerated, (d) parents could not be located, (e) parents resided out of the state but the Department of Human Services placed the child within the administrative unit, or (f) the children were legally emancipated. A total of half a million dollars was appropriated for this reimbursement. The total cost of these placements was $1,069,370. No administrative unit will be reimbursed more than they actually paid for a child.]
(4) PAYMENTS UNDER PUBLIC SCHOOL FINANCE ACT
Approved payments of $230,518,968.64 under the Public School Finance Act for state share of total program for June 2005. [Local districts are entitled to receive monthly payments from the state by the 25th of each month, under provisions of the Public School Finance Act of 1994, as amended.]
Adopted a resolution stating that the SBE "reaffirms the importance of the arts as an essential part of a classic, well-rounded, strong academic education; and encourages local school districts to ensure equal opportunity and access to the study of and participation in the arts as part of a core curriculum within the school day for all Colorado students."
DeHoff moved the resolution. It derived in part from concern in the community that CSAP subjects were marginalizing arts instruction in the schools. He strongly believes that this Board needs to reaffirm our commitment to the importance of arts education. Middleton, who seconded the motion, said that many districts use their foundations to support arts education. Littleton said that it is through implementing art throughout all of the curriculum that students learn best. Polis said that it is a timely resolution, because arts are facing difficult times from accountability demands; also, there are demands for the core curriculum to get into college, and the arts are not included in those. They are an important part of a well-rounded education. I said that people need to realize that arts education actually increases student achievement in reading, writing, and math.
The resolution passed unanimously.
Adopted the rules for the Administration of the Educators Licensing Act, Principal Authorization, to add a route for alternative principal authorization. [HB 04-1104 added a provision to allow non-traditional candidates to enter a preparation program from a variety of backgrounds. The intent of the rules is to maintain the rigor and quality of "regular" principal preparation, while allowing for a wide and diverse candidate pool. At the time of licensing, with the proposed rules, all candidates will have fulfilled all requirements for a provisional (initial) principal’s license.]
DOROTHY GOTLIEB: HB 04-1104 realized the dearth of leadership that exists in some parts of the state. Our state’s rules for principal licensure are unique in the nation, because they require that before becoming principals, people learn about all the different types of activities they will be engaged in when they are principal of a school. These rules will allow people committed to education with strong leadership skills to serve in our schools.
The rules passed unanimously.
Considered revisions to the Procedures for Review of a State Board Grant of Exclusive Chartering Authority. Polis moved to suspend the rules in order to add it to the agenda; that was approved unanimously. DeHoff recused himself from the discussion [since he is the Director of the Charter School Institute].
TONY DYL: We have received comments from CASB and the League of Charter Schools about the proposed rules changes. CASB asked for more time to consider them. The amendments proposed today are not particularly time-sensitive. Delaying consideration of changes would prevent some confusion. The current rules say that hearings per district could last up to 30 minutes.
Our discussion revolved around whether the current rules would function sufficiently for the hearings on June 6 and what their effect on potential applications to the Charter School Institute would be. Munn moved to postpone the discussion of changes to the procedures until the July meeting; this was approved by unanimous consent.
As of this morning, the sponsors of HB 1216 have asked the SBE and the Governor to support the bill, with the stipulation that next year there will be revisions to the bill giving the SBE the ability to have final say in approving the restructuring plan that is revised in the event that the SBE denies the original plan; the current bill says only that the SBE and the district will "discuss" a revised plan if the SBE denies the original plan. DeHoff questioned the likelihood of the Legislature changing it next year, when this was in the bill all along this year. Polis said that the current bill is closer to what we want than not having the bill at all. Suckla reminded us that yesterday we decided to take no action, since we were divided on this issue. Middleton pointed out that this was one of our top legislative priorities. She said that they spent considerable time trying to get the bill passed, and we would be better to push for the Governor to sign it.
Munn pointed out that a problem is whether Bruce Randolph Middle School, the next school likely to be subject to conversion to an independent charter school, is subject to the law, since it is being restructured by DPS with a different grade configuration. If BRMS is rated Unsatisfactory on this year’s SAR, then it seems that it would be subject to the conversion. Neither the Governor nor the legislators are sure. I pointed out that adding grades to the school doesn’t change the fact that the SAR applies to the middle school level only, which would thus be the part to be converted. We could have this problem in any K-8 or 6-12 school, as well, according to the requirements of the law.
Orr moved that we support the current bill and urge the Governor to sign it. The motion passed unanimously.
The Board will be asked to approve a contract between CDE, Exceptional Student Services Unit, and the University of Colorado at Denver, for $210,000 from August 15, 2005, through August 14, 2006, to provide a personnel preparation program to improve the quality of early learning experiences for children with and without disabilities in preschool programs across the state. [This program is designed to be consistent with the Building Blocks to Colorado Content Standards and the Colorado Quality Standards for Early Care and Education Services. The project will implement and evaluate a train-the-trainer model of personnel preparation.]
The Board will be asked to approve the following proposed endorsement preparation programs:
Regis University - Special Education Generalist, Early Childhood Education Special Education, Reading Teacher, and School Principal.
The School Finance Unit of CDE reported on the audits of school districts and Automated Data Exchange (ADE) submissions to CDE and the Office of the State Auditor that were significantly late. The following districts’ reports were significantly late:
[Audits are to be completed within six months of the close of the fiscal year; extensions may be authorized for no more than 60 days. ADE submissions are due by December 31; extensions may be granted and are due by February 28.]
L.W. MORROW: His goal is to aid students in science and math, for fuel cell education, by getting a grant of $1 million. This is his last push to get these funds. He has been shuffled around in his efforts.
BENJAMIN CHAIT & KILEY GRENIS: They are here representing the Boulder Valley School District Student Accountability Committee, which helps the district revise policies and curricula that students think are important. They would like to ask the SBE to work more with students. They attended the CASB conference in December and found that many students are interested in participating in district decision-making. Thanked Polis and me for our support, as well as Jean Paxton, from their School Board. There used to be a statewide conference of Student Accountability committee members when there was a State Accountability Conference; it would be nice to have those conferences again.
JILL CONRAD: Is here representing the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, a national effort to improve the civic learning of students. Thanked SBE members who have participated, Orr and Middleton, who are serving on the Steering Committee, and Munn, Polis, and I, who have been supporters. Also thanked CDE staff Davidson and Sibigtroth. Vicki Van Engelenberg from Garfield School District, is attending this meeting; her district might be one of the local engagement pilot sites. In the next year, there will be an effort to work with students and school boards to determine how to improve civic learning. Efforts are being made to determine how to give students a quality civic education. They would welcome our ideas. Having CDE support districts in best practices is very valuable. The Civic Mission campaign is willing to help us in developing rules or policies. The Civic Canopy was a precurser to the Campaign, and it still exists to lend support. There is a $200,000 appropriation to CDE to support civics education.
JANE MONTGOMERY: Thanked us for passing the resolution on arts education. Represents Leadership Conversations, which derived from the Music Educators organization. Those people had initiated the discussion about the topic of the resolution we passed today.
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