Way Ahead of the Game

One of the scare tactics that opponents of those of us who were elected to the D11 Board in 2003 use is that we wanted to "privatize" our public schools. The fact of the matter is that we simply wanted good quality schools no matter how we got there. The labor union goal is to have massive numbers of union paying members to keep the massive political machine greased. Student achievement is not a priority for labor union leadership. The union proudly possesses a political game plan but does not possess an academic game plan. That is very telling.

Another dirty word used by status quo advocates in D11 is "reform." The D11 administration and labor union leaders are wed to the current situation in D11. Nobody makes anybody work too hard and nobody has to worry about being held accountable. The word "reform" sends shock waves through the hearts of the most incompetent D11 employees.

Andrew Romanoff is the leader of the Colorado State House. He is a Democrat. The following article was published in the Denver Post on December 14, 2006:

Romanoff favors adopting landmark education overhaul
By Jennifer Brown Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:12/14/2006 08:37:32 PM MST

Colorado should take the lead in major education reform, borrowing from a landmark national report that calls for high school exit exams and dramatic increases in teacher pay, state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff said Thursday.
The report, heard by a bipartisan panel of lawmakers and educators in Washington, D.C., says America is failing to prepare its students to compete in a global economy.
It calls for ending high school for most students after 10th grade, when they would take "rigorous state board exams." Those who pass could choose to go directly to technical colleges, and the best students could stay in high school to prepare for entrance into elite universities.
The change would save nearly $60 billion nationwide, a third of which would pay for preschool for all 4-year-olds and low-income 3-year-olds, the report says.
The savings also would go toward training and deploying teachers recruited from the top third of high school students going to college.
The report, from The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, also calls for a complete revamping of education funding.
Independent contractors, operating under contracts managed by local school districts, would run public schools.
Romanoff, D-Denver, a panel member, said he plans to set up a task force of educators and parents to develop a Colorado version of the plan, which would require constitutional and legislative changes.
Sen. Peter Groff, D-Denver, said he would push for an audit of the state's public-school system and propose plans to address the national report.
Staff writer Jennifer Brown can be reached at 303-954-1593 or jenbrown@denverpost.com.

Peter Groff is a Colorado State Senator - President Pro-Tem of the Senate. He is a Democrat. The following comes from a news release posted from Groff's office on December 20, 2006:


State of Colorado
Denver
ZACH KNAUS Senate Democrat Media Office
Communications Specialist Capitol Building Room 249
303-866-3181 Denver, Colorado 80203
Fax: 303-866-4543

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Zach Knaus
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 303-866-3181
303-956-8300 cell

GROFF TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION
DIRECTING AN AUDIT OF COLORADO’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS

DENVER—Today Senator Peter Groff (D-Denver) announced his intention to introduce legislation directing Colorado to conduct an audit of the state’s public schools and urged state leaders to commit themselves to acting on its findings.

“It is time for us to ask ourselves how we are doing as a state in meeting the needs of our children and what we can do to make sure all our young people succeed in the future,” said Senator Groff. “I believe that leaders in government, business, and most important, parents and people in our communities, will acknowledge that the time has come for dramatic change.”

The proposed audit of Colorado’s education system would include all levels of P-16 education system (preschool through post secondary education and training), with an emphasis on the public K-12 system...

The audit would be conducted by an independent, third-party entity or consortium with expertise in evaluating academic outcomes, educational finance, program offerings, policy, and governance structures. Through this audit, Groff said, Colorado can learn about our schools, their performance, spending on education, the educational options and programs available, and the opportunities for change.

Here you have 2 leading Colorado Democrats calling for privatization, change, and an audit of the public schools. Is there another recall election waiting in the wings?

Eric Christen, Willie Breazell, and I have been calling for an audit of D11 for 3 years. The best that we could achieve due to the stonewalling of status quo board members is the hiring of an internal auditor who happens to be a D11 employee. A lot of independence there. She is controlled by full time staff and is not allowed to perform any thorough audit of the district.

Although these 2 leading Democrats are a couple of years behind Christen, Breazell and myself in their recommendations, I welcome their constructive input into the education debate. The labor union leaders and administration big-wigs must have been appalled when these positions became public. It takes a lot of courage for Democrats to acknowledge that our public education system can improve. They will likely be attacked as traitors and blasphemers.

Now that the D11 board consists of 5 empty vessels who insist that nothing needs to change in D11, this could add an interesting twist to their situation. These liberals have spent 3 years fighting against improvement because it was pushed by conservatives. How will they respond now that their own party has awakened to the reality that we just are not keeping up with the Jones's, or Kishnu's, or Yi's, or Yamamoto's?