K-12 Funding and Administration

School community battles imaginary-grenade backlash as Peter Boyles alleges a coverup

Update: Yesterday, we interviewed school board member Denise Montagu, who criticized the press for hyping the tale of Alex Evans, seven, who was allegedly suspended from Loveland's Mary Blair Elementary for pretending to throw a grenade; read it below. But even as the school's PTO plans twin rallies ... More >>

Guns in Colorado public schools? GOP politicians want concealed handguns in class

Since the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, lawmakers across the country have been debating what policy solutions could help reduce the risk of a devastating massacre in the future. In Colorado, some Democratic legislators have proposed tighter restrictions on access to guns. But a few h ... More >>

John Hickenlooper wanted to shoot melons with assault rifle, says GOP senator

Denver blog posts are perfect for holiday giving. Colorado Pols shares a tweet from Senator Greg Brophy, who says Governor John Hickenlooper wanted to shoot melons with Brophy's AR-15 in September -- but now, he wants to take the weapon away. View From a Height's J. Sharf on Newtown, A Conflict of ... More >>

Marijuana: Amendment 64 opponents turn to op-eds to make up for shortfall in ad money

The fight for and against Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol act, is entering its final stages -- and Roger Sherman, campaign director for Smart Colorado, the No on 64 movement, admits that he can't compete with proponents when it comes to resources. So he's countering with events and ... More >>

Bullying: Analysis shows only 37 percent of school policies protect LGBT kids

When it comes to state anti-bullying laws, Colorado's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids are among the most protected in the country. But individual school district policies are a different story. A policy scan by LGBT advocacy organization One Colorado found that, more than a year after Go ... More >>

Life Skills Center: Last-chance high school holding final graduation ceremony

Tonight, Life Skills Center will graduate its last-ever class. Back in November, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted to shutter the last-chance high school, a decision that the State Board of Education upheld on appeal in March. That left about 180 kids without a school for next year. ... More >>

When it comes to anti-bullying legislation, Colorado schools are ahead of the pack

Denver Public Schools vs. the State Board of Education over a Montessori school

Abstinence pays off for Joneen Mackenzie and the Center for Relationship Education

​The February 26 Denver Post featured a lengthy article on Joneen Mackenzie and how she became a crusader for abstinence education -- a crusade she leads through her Center for Relationship Education, which is funded by a pair of grants, including one approved by the Colorado Board of Educatio ... More >>

Charter schools: State Board of Ed approves non-mandatory standards for authorizers

Update: The State Board of Education has approved new standards for charter school authorizers -- the school districts and one quasi-state agency that approve new charter schools. But the standards aren't mandatory. As the Colorado Department of Education's Amy Anderson tell us, state board members ... More >>

Behold Adams County, the "unquestioned epicenter of ethics problems"

Charter school chief rules with iron fist, say teachers

Reader: Newlon Elementary is green, and growing

Jef Otte wrote "O, Barnum! An ode to Denver's least desirable neighborhood" as a celebration of his own neighborhood -- one that counts several other Westword writers as residents. Some of their neighbors appreciated Otte's ode; others did not. Denver School Board member Andrea Merida is just the l ... More >>

Santiago Grado, former West High principal, says leadership differences caused resignation

Santiago Grado resigned last month as principal of Denver's West High School after only a month and a half on the job. School officials say he chose to do so after issues with his academic leadership were raised. But Grado tells Westword that it was a difference in leadership philosophies, not a l ... More >>

School voucher program stopped: Dougco appeal would waste taxpayer money, ACLU says

Michael Martinez.​"School Vouchers on Hold" read a weekend headline in the print Denver Post. But while plaintiffs, including the Colorado branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, technically requested a preliminary injunction to stop the Douglas County Choice Scholarship Program, Judge ... More >>

Abstinence-only funding was refused, but that didn't stop a state school-board member

Social studies: U.S. students fail at it, but Colorado has a plan to improve scores

​American schoolchildren don't know Alaska from their elbow. That's the news today from the NAEP, dubbed "The Nation's Report Card:" Fewer than one-third of students tested proficient in geography in 2010. Education gurus blame a shrinking curriculum -- but that could change in Colorado.

Teachers arrested for sex crimes: Should schools have to notify parents? Teachers union says no

Courtney Bowles.​ Should a school notify parents when a teacher is arrested -- a teacher such as Courtney Bowles, who was busted for getting naked with a student; Alex Tinsley, who police say asked a student if she wanted to join the Mile High Club; or Travis Masse, who police say had a sextin ... More >>

Douglas County voucher plan gives public funds to discriminatory religious schools, suit claims

Videos below.​Update below: A lawsuit filed this morning in Denver District Court challenges the legality of a Douglas County voucher program set to go into effect this fall partly on the grounds that it diverts public money to religious institutions. Yet plaintiffs include the Interfaith Alli ... More >>

Brett Reese, Greeley school board member, censured for teacher touching, not MLK hating

Brett Reese.​Earlier this year, Greeley-Evans school board member Brett Reese received Shmuck of the Week honors for being a gun-totin' hater of Martin Luther King, Jr. But that's only the tip of his shmuckiness according to his fellow board members, who've censured him after accusations aros ... More >>

Nate Easley: Petition filed to recall Denver Public Schools board president

Easley.​Update five: Recall proponents are hard at work gathering signatures. But it hasn't always been easy. See more below our fourth update. Update four: The petition to initiate the recall process has been approved. See more below our third update.

Cold weather got you down?: Reader says, "Welcome to Colorado, you big pussies"

Flickr​The decision by school districts throughout the area to close today due to cold temperatures, not snow, has led to a lot of eye-rolling among old-timers, who remember the days when only Acts of God could justify class cancellations. Representing this viewpoint is one reader from Wheat R ... More >>

Laura Boggs of the Jeffco school board is censured for shmuckery

Laura Boggs.​Jefferson County school board member Laura Boggs has been so disruptive this year that she inspired a teachers' union-produced newsletter called Boggs Watch that is dedicated to keeping an eye on her antics. But Boggs isn't just on the union's naughty list. She's also drawn criti ... More >>

What's the deal with Mexicans and pinatas?

Sex ed: Will talk of condoms be banned if state wins $3.2 million abstinence education grant?

To teach it or not to teach it?​ The Republican-heavy state Board of Education is going after a $3.2 million abstinence-only education grant that Governor Bill Ritter's administration passed up in favor of a $3.9 million grant that pays for sex ed that teaches kids about birth control, too. So ... More >>

Andrea Merida's classroom behavior has earned her a seat apart on the Denver school board

Race to the Top: Colorado one of 19 finalists in federal education grant contest

A Flickr photo.​Colorado was chosen today as one of nineteen finalists in round two of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top grant contest. If successful, the state stands to win $175 million. If not, Colorado gets zilch -- which is what happened when it applied for $377 million i ... More >>

How Mario Batali was won: the rhetoric behind Meatless Monday

​About a month ago, if you'll recall, I raked my former idol, Mario Batali, over the coals for jumping on the bandwagon of the cute veggie campaign, Meatless Monday. And in the aftermath, as was only fair, I was chastised for my pigheadedness (no pun intended). But as my comments about anima ... More >>

Denver Public Schools debate how to teach kids to avoid the clap

From zazzle.com​ On Thursday night, the Denver Public Schools Board of Education will talk about sex, baby. More specifically, they'll talk about sex ed -- and how it's important that teenagers with raging libidos "have access to science-based, comprehensive, medically-accurate, culturally r ... More >>

Laura Boggs, "rogue" Jeffco school board member, mum amid teachers-union complaints: "Boggs Watch" newsletter to continue

Embattled Jeffco Board of Education member Laura Boggs is the star of "Boggs Watch."​The tales of Jefferson County School Board Member Laura Boggs' "disruptive behavior" around town, including an instance where she reportedly called school "stupid," rallied a good crowd for Thursday night's sc ... More >>

Laura Boggs, Jeffco school board member and star of "Boggs Watch" newsletter, allegedly goes rogue, declares school "stupid"

This week's "Boggs Watch" is brought to you by the letter "S."​In response to numerous reports of "disruptive behavior" by Jefferson County Board of Education member Laura Boggs, a teacher's union has commissioned a special edition e-mail newsletter, "Boggs Watch," to document her "rogue" tact ... More >>

"Bloody" Kermit the Frog causes school closure: Did Lady GaGa do it?

"It's not easy being green -- but being green and red is worse."​Schools are closed for lots of reasons: snowstorms, tornado warnings, cherry-bombed toilets. But yesterday was likely the first-ever school closure caused by Kermit the Frog. Not that Kermit deserves the blame. Sounds like he wa ... More >>

School board races (and school reform, in general) sure are expensive

$240,605 $41,470 $30,116 = an expensive school board race​The final tally of money raised in last November's contentious Denver Public Schools school board election is in. And according to Education News Colorado reporter Nancy Mitchell, that tally is "jaw-dropping." The three non-incumbe ... More >>

Denver Public Schools reform vote needs reform

"This is harder to understand than geometry..."​Tonight, the Denver Public Schools board will consider a range of reform issues involving low-performing schools and much more. But the agenda calls for the outgoing board, including three members who'll be attending their last meeting, to vote o ... More >>

Do Denver Public Schools' turnaround plans deserve an A?

Students at Denver Big Picture High School are part of DPS' big picture.​Denver Public Schools officials have suggested a series of plans to "turn around" the city's six lowest-performing schools. But before they approve the changes, they want to hear from the public. The Board of Education ... More >>

This Just In: Combichrist show tonight canceled

​Didn't see this coming, particularly with all of the school closures and snarled roadways: We've just learned that tonight's scheduled Combichrist show at Cervantes' has been canceled. Snow, evidently, isn't a friend to the band, which was presumably trying to make its way to the Mile High City f ... More >>

Douglas County Republicans ramp up the rhetoric in school board fight

John Ransom.​School board races are typically nonpartisan, but not this year in Douglas County. The Republican party there has endorsed a slate of four candidates -- an unusual move the Denver Post took note of in an October 20 article that focused more on conflicts and complaints from the lik ... More >>