The Jared Polis Education Report Spring 2003 discusses the severe budget crisis faced by the St. Vrain School District, resulting in significant cuts including administrative positions and teacher pay. It highlights the impact of Colorado's economic downturn on education funding and mentions various initiatives aimed at providing educational support, including an interest-free loan to the district and online learning opportunities for students. The report also addresses upcoming ballot measures to amend state tax laws which affect school funding, as well as the rise of 'cyberstudents' benefiting from online courses.

1. The Jared Polis
Education Report
Spring 2003
Dear coloradoans,
It is with great pleasure that I bring you this Education Report
lled with useful information on cyberschools, St. Vrain, and
school nance. While the state is mired in a recession, it is par-
ticularly important to stay informed on education issues so that
our children are not the victims of our budget crisis. Thanks for
staying informed and involved!
Vice Chair - Colorado State Board of Education
For specic information about
your local school district,
please visit www.cde.state.co.us
Not Paid for by Tax Dollars

2. W hat Happened in St. Vrain?
The St. Vrain School District- located The District is also planning to elim-
in Boulder, Broomeld, Larimer, and inate 21 administrative positions.
Weld counties- is facing what is With these measures, the District
perhaps the worst school budget expects to have a $3-5 million short-
crisis in State history. This article will fall at year’s end but a balanced
explain what happened and what is budget by June 2004.
being done to prevent this disaster
from occurring anywhere else. Last November voters approved a
$212.9 million bond to build 10 new
The District’s decit resulted from schools - six of them immediately.
using inated numbers to cover The District is proceeding with only
expense overruns for three years. St. four of the six new schools at
Vrain also overestimated reserves this time with the other two likely
and underestimated salary costs; delayed by one year. The new facili-
including failing to consider the ties are to relieve overcrowding, as
previous year’s summer salaries, district schools are at 97% of capac-
undercounting 150 full-time employ- ity, which includes a record-break-
ees, and neglecting to add salary ing increase of 2,466 students for
increases to the budget. Disturb- the last three years. In the fastest
ingly, the District’s accounting rm growing areas of the district, 14
actually signed off on its audited schools are 100% over capacity.
nancials. Accordingly, State policy
makers are exploring ways to tighten The State Board of Education is
auditing procedures for school dis- looking at the nancial status of
tricts in Colorado. districts through its accreditation
process. Legislators are considering
To keep serving the students of St. several proposals to aid districts
Vrain, the State provided a $15 mil- and prevent a similar situation in
lion interest-free loan to help keep the future, including:
the District aoat. This loan is in
addition to the nearly $44 million that • Allowing land sales
the District has borrowed from the • Increasing school board oversight
State since 1999. St. Vrain agreed • Accounting for certain
to meet several criteria to ensure budgeting techniques
that it could make the District solvent • Requiring accurate public
and repay the loan: information in bond elections
Loan Agreement Facts: For more information, visit our web-
• 7.1% pay cut for teachers and site at www.jaredpolisfoundation.org.
classied staff
• 15% decrease in non-salary items
• Average of 13% pay cut for all
administrators
• 35% cut in administrative costs
next year
• Freeze lling vacancies

3. I nnovations In Education
University of Northern Colorado’s online community where educators
Youth Entrepreneurship Confer- connect to share their knowledge
ence & Business Competition: and experience. OWL.org supports
The Institute for Entrepreneurship teachers and school staff with
and UNC host a mountain states practical tips, strategies, and edu-
event providing students (ages 8-18), cational materials.
their teachers, and parents an For additional information visit www.owl.org
opportunity to gain rsthand experi-
ence with youth business. The con- Girls Embrace Technology Intern-
ference is broken down into two ships (GET): Supported by CU
educational tracks, – one for students Boulder’s Integrated Teaching and
and the other for teachers (a for-credit Learning (ITL) and the Alliance for
option for teachers is available). Technology Learning and Society
This year, a track has been added for Programs, GET provides a six-week
the parents of budding entrepreneurs. IT internship experience to 36 high
This conference targets not only stu- school girls. The objective is to actively
dents already engaged in business engage them in a “job-like” experience
enterprises but also those who have to explore their potential for a career
a future interest in starting one. in engineering and technology.
For additional information please contact:
David Cessna, (970) 351-1691 The 2003 interns will create a stand-
david.cessna@unco.edu alone multimedia software product
to teach elementary-level students
OWL.org: This FREE service is about the fate of various contami-
provided by the National Education nants introduced into river systems.
Association and its State and Local For additional information please contact:
Afliates. Devoted to “Educators Lucy Sanders at cuatlas@spot.colorado.edu
Helping Educators,” OWL.org is an
A bout The Jared Polis Foundation
The Jared Polis Foundation promotes technol-
ogy, community, and education in Colorado.
The Foundation currently supports three pro-
grams. One of our programs offers the latest
technology on a traveling school bus where
students learn a standards-based curriculum.
Another program refurbishes and redeploys
donated computers for education and training
in underserved neighborhoods. In addition, the
Foundation publishes the Jared Polis Education
Report to keep citizens informed about what
is happening in Colorado’s K-12 education
environment.

4. F unding Failures & Future Fixes
Colorado is facing its worst economic growth; the Gallagher Amendment, ing fell throughout the 1980s and
crisis since the Great Depression. passed by voters in 1982, limits 1990s, which dropped the State
State lawmakers need to cut expen- the growth of residential property from 18th nationally in 1983 to 39th
ditures by more than $900 million, taxes. in 2002, according to the Federal
about 15% of the State General Fund Recently, many of Colorado’s edu- government (see chart above).
Budget, to create a balanced budget cational leaders agreed to support
this year. They will also need to a ballot issue to allow the people Some say the roots of the State
decide how to deal with an expected to change Amendment 23, which fiscal problems are in the tax
$870 million shortfall next year. offers some protection to school limitation amendments to the State
funding, and in combination with Constitution; namely TABOR and
Proponents of a strong public edu- major changes to TABOR and the the Gallagher Amendment. The
cational system, including the State Gallagher Amendment to help the mixture of these two provisions, plus
Board of Education, have helped State make it through this nancial permanent tax cuts approved during
legislators and the media under- crisis. the 1990s, cut local funding to
schools forcing the State to pay
more, which was still not enough to
stop the fall in state per pupil fund-
ing. This situation led voters to pass
Amendment 23 in 2000.
Both of the major Denver daily
newspapers have supported this
comprehensive approach involving
the three amendments. This summer,
several state working groups will
look at possible changes to these
three constitutional amendments
which must be approved by voters.
Citizens may participate in these
meetings and offer their views.
For more information contact
303-333-3580 or e-mail Jared Polis
at jared@jaredpolis.com or his
stand that the budget can not be As a State Constitutional Amend- policy director Scott Groginsky at
xed at the expense of education ment, Amendment 23 protects scott@jaredpolis.com
alone; and any major changes in Kindergarten through 12th grade
school funding must be mixed with educational funding. The measure
changes to the TABOR (the “Taxpay- requires yearly State education
ers Bill Of Rights”) and the Gallagher spending increases at the rate of
Amendment. The TABOR amend- ination plus one percent through
ment, passed by voters in 1992, 2011 and at the rate of ination there-
limits State taxes and spending by after. Voters passed this initiative
the rate of ination plus population because Colorado’s per pupil spend-
To request school accountability reports visit our website at
www.jaredpolisfoundation.org

5. N ow Students in Colorado
Can Take Courses Online!
There is a new type of student in Colorado: the cyberstudent. Currently,
over 3000 Colorado students are enrolled in online courses. These online
classes can enhance learning for a wide range of students, especially
students with the following characteristics:
• Students with social difculties • Dropouts or expelled students
in physical classroom settings • Students requiring long-term
• Students with disabilities or hospitalization or
particular learning needs • Students needing access to
• Teen parents or pregnant teens advanced or remedial courses
unavailable in a physical school.
Some cyberstudents also take one or more classes in a traditional
neighborhood school, such as physical education, music, art or other
courses unavailable in cyberschools. Online teachers regularly communi-
cate with students by e-mail and phone, and some classes have group
discussions online or by conference call. To nd out more about Colorado
cyberschools, visit www.jaredpolisfoundation.org/cyberschools