Mayor Johnston’s latest endorsements align perfectly with his long-standing views on education reform.
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Opinions
Outside Money, Inside Influence: The Network Shaping Denver’s School Board Race
A closer look at how wealthy pro-charter donors and political networks are steering Denver’s 2025 school board elections, and what that means for the future of public education.
Opinions
The Bipartisan March Toward Gutting Public Schools, in Denver and Beyond
Is public education a public or a private good? This issue is at the heart of the school choice debate sweeping the country.
Opinions
Billionaires Pave the Way for Trump’s Federal Vouchers in the School Privatization Movement
Republicans have reintroduced a federal voucher bill, the “Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) act, which would provide $10 billion in annual tax credits to fund private and religious K-12 schools.” If Congress passes this bill, the billionaire oligarchy will be closer to fulfilling their decades-long goal to privatize the K-12 education system. This act underscores the insidious relationship billionaires have with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding education as he implements Project 2025’s plan to “steer federal money to vouchers.”
Opinions
The Transparency Gap in Denver Public Schools’ Upcoming Closure Plans
On November 7, the Denver Public Schools (DPS) Superintendent will announce a list of schools to be closed for the 2025-26 school year. During the next nine days, the school board and the Superintendent will meet with affected school communities to provide “counseling and care” as they explain how the closures will affect them. On November 21, the school board will vote on the Superintendent’s recommendations to close the named schools.
Opinions
Why ‘School Choice’ is on the Colorado Ballot This Year — and What You Should Know About It
Since school choice covers many options, it can be confusing, and it is often the “subject of fierce debate in various state legislatures across the United States.”
Opinions
Denver Public School Board Pivots on School Closure Policies Following Meetings with Out-of-State Charter School Advocate
Before the June 13 board meeting, board members had been committed to specifically not including any reference to standardized testing and state performance frameworks results as criteria for school closure decisions.
Opinions
DEGUIRE: The Dark Money Funding a Candidate for Colorado’s State Board of Education
The candidate, backed by Jared Polis, has been boosted by over half a million dollars of dark money.
Opinions
Governor Polis Sides with Far-Right Groups in Opposing Charter School Accountability
Advocacy organizations also weigh in on HB24-1363.
Opinions
Colorado’s PK-12 Enrollment Declines While Billionaires Fund Charter Schools
In January 2024, the Colorado Department of Education announced that “PK-12 student enrollment reached the state’s lowest mark in a decade.” The declines are across the state, as “forty-three of the 64 counties had an absolute decline in the under-18 population over the last decade,” according to state demographer Elizabeth Garner. “It doesn’t matter where you were — Eastern Plains, San Luis Valley, West Slope, Denver metro.” She predicts the declines will continue through the 2028-29 school year.