Lawmakers at odds over plans for education

DENVER - Democrats and Republicans agree educational improvements should be among the Legislature’s top priorities in 2008.

But the two sides have vastly different ideas on how to accomplish that.

Majority Democrats are concerned with the physical shape of most rural and urban schools and have proposed using some of the proceeds Colorado receives from leasing state land to

undertake the biggest wave of renovation and construction in the state’s history. Some are also keen on replacing Colorado Student Assessment Program tests with others that better identify individual student needs — or with fewer tests altogether.

Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing for more accountability from schools and students, wanting statewide curricula with specific math and science requirements and English proficiency tests that students must pass before graduating. They also want ways to identify and reward the best teachers through such methods as pay plans based on their students’ performance.

The teacher-reward proposal is finding some level of bipartisan support so far, as is a plan from Senate Presidentelect Peter Groff, D-Denver, that would allow schools more autonomy and flexibility in developing learning plans. Other areas of common ground are so far unclear.

House Education Committee Chairman Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, said major educational reform could be difficult to accomplish with the debate over health care expected to take up so much of the General Assembly’s time and financing. Democratic leaders hope, however, to foster debate on the direction of schooling in Colorado.

“We’ve been trying hard to reach consensus on things that everyone agrees matter the most,” House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, said.

Those are often broad issues, such as the need for early childhood education.

A panel put together by Gov. Bill Ritter has urged the state to get all of its at-risk children into preschool programs and to expand full-day kindergarten options. Few have criticized the idea, but no one has a plan on how to fund it.

More controversial is the idea of testing requirements, as teachers unions have criticized the CSAPs for taking too much time from classroom learning and forcing them to teach for a test. Merrifield has been one of the biggest critics, but now that he is advocating for a different set of tests, called EPAS, he finds himself standing apart from a number of his party members who want to reduce the number of exams.

A pair of Democrats from Boulder and Fort Collins has said the state needs to bring down the cost of college textbooks. Groff, who lectures at the University of Denver, said the Legislature must go after bookstores that overcharge for books.

Rep. Amy Stephens, R-Monument, will present a plan to create a sales tax-free week for school supplies to help out parents.

Whether bipartisan solutions can be found remains to be seen.

“We need higher standards, more options, quality teachers and safer schools,” said Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial. “There’s been no shortage of studies, just a shortage of action.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com