Great Education Colorado Blog

This Year’s Legislative Agenda: Grading on Effort

Great Ed — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:23:51 +0000

Pop Quiz:

1) When faced with a challenging problem, which employee would you prefer:
a) One who takes ownership and works creatively and cooperatively to solve it.
b) One who points fingers and explains why fixing it is impossible.

2) Facing the possibility of a challenging semester, how would you advise a student:
a) “The harder you work, the more you’ll get out of it.”
b) “Aren’t there easier classes you can take?”

There’s no question: when the going gets tough, effort matters. As employers, parents, and citizens, we don’t expect perfection, but we demand commitment, perseverance, creativity and accountability.

When it comes to investing in public education in Colorado there is no question that these are challenging times. A court in the Lobato case has found our school funding system to be unconstitutional and “unconscionable,” Colorado has cut higher ed funding more deeply than has any other state, and our budget remains tight because of the Great Recession, TABOR and other constitutional budget constraints.

So we ask the question:

3) Under current circumstances, which legislature would you choose:
a) One that sets out to create bold and innovative solutions to our school funding crisis.
b) One that makes excuses for why improving funding is too difficult.

We’d pick “A”, which is why, this year, we’ll be grading our legislature on effort. Here are the standards we’ll use:

Did they acknowledge that our education system does not meet the constitution’s “thorough and uniform” requirement?
Did they make it a priority to stop cutting schools and colleges, without harming other critical services?
Did they start developing long-term plans for matching critical reforms with the resources necessary to make them successful?

Everyone tells us that, during an election year, we can’t expect our legislature to have the courage or determination to fix this “unconscionable” system.

OK. But we can — and must — demand effort and progress from our state leaders. In the coming weeks and months, Great Ed will provide you with easy ways to help us make our leaders accountable for doing their part for educational excellence in Colorado.

The Lobato decision was a wake up call for Colorado. State leaders whose response is to hit the snooze button aren’t making the grade.

Constitutional Warfare: Can you spot the victor?

Great Ed — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:00:46 +0000

There’s no polite way to say it: Colorado’s Constitution is simply at war with itself. It’s been on a collision course for some time, but the Great Recession of 2008-10 hastened the inevitable train wreck.

How is Colorado currently violating the Constitution? Let us count the ways.

1) “Thorough and uniform.” In the Lobato case, after a five-week trial, Denver District Court Judge Sheila Rappaport found that our current school funding system fails to provide the “thorough and uniform” system of free public schools promised by the constitution. Calling the status quo “unconscionable,” Judge Rappaport found that there is no “rational relationship” between what is being required of schools and students on one hand, and the way we fund schools on the other.

2) Local Control. Judge Rappaport also found in Lobato that state funding was so inadequate that school districts have effectively lost their ability to use local dollars for local priorities, as the Constitution requires.

3) Amendment 23. For the last three years, the legislature has spent less dollars on education than the year before, even though Amendment 23 requires annual increases. The way they’ve done it is by creatively (and, we believe, incorrectly) reinterpreting this provision of the constitution. They added a “negative factor” to the school finance formula; each year they expand that negative factor to make whatever cuts are necessary to balance the state budget. This year’s budget proposal would spend $1.1 billion — that’s an average $1,278 per pupil or 17.6% — less than Amendment 23 actually requires.

4) State lands. The Constitution requires that all dollars earned off the lands set aside in 1876 for the benefit of public schools be used to supplement — not to replace — general fund dollars for K-12. Right now, those earnings are going right into the School Finance Act to relieve pressure on the general fund.

5) The Gallagher Amendment. Passed in 1982, the Gallagher Amendment was passed to maintain a specified balance between the total amount of property taxes that residential and non-residential property owners pay. Residential owners are to pay about 45% of the total, and non-residential (business) owners are to pay 55%. In order to maintain that balance, the state adjusts the “assessment rate” (the percent of the value of a home that is subject to tax) of residential property. Because the value of residential property rose so much more quickly than non–residential in the 90s especially, the residential assessment rate dropped precipitously.

Here’s the constitutional violation: because of changes in the value of property, in order to be in compliance with the constitutionally mandated 45%-55% split, the legislature would have to increase the residential assessment rate from 7.96 to 8.85%. The legislature has not done so, and as a result school districts are receiving less property revenues and businesses are paying a larger share of property taxes than the Constitution requires.

That’s five constitutional violations. To a large extent, these continuing violations have been caused by another constitutional amendment that is not being violated. Can you name it?

If you know, go to our Facebook page and post the name of the constitutional amendment that’s currently prevailing over all the others. Extra credit: Tell us who is paying the price.

Want the real picture of education cuts? Take a step back.

Great Ed — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:17:24 +0000

Once upon a time (in 2005), the voters of Colorado passed Referendum C, because of the threat that K-12, higher ed and other critical services would face deep cuts if it failed.

Cut to 2012, when there’s a collective sigh of relief that this year’s reduction in funding to public schools and higher ed will be in 8-digits (tens of millions) instead of 9-digits (hundreds of millions). After years of successive cuts, it seems we’re getting used to it – as if this is just the “new normal.”

But taking a step back can provide a whole new perspective on what the cumulative impact has been on Colorado’s kids, economy and future. A number of new studies and statistics demonstrate just how unacceptably far we have fallen:

As noted by the Boulder Daily Camera, the National Science Board reports that Colorado made deeper cuts (48.3%) to higher ed than any other state between 2002 and 2010.
According to Education News’ “Quality Counts” report, by 2010 (before the deepest cuts) Colorado had dropped to $2,500 below the national per pupil average (adjusted for regional cost differences). Notably, that gap tripled in less than ten years.
Under the current budget scenario, the per pupil funding in Colorado for FY2012-13 ($6344) will be lower than per pupil funding six years ago in FY2006-7 (see below). Six years of inflation in health care, pensions, energy and transportation, combined with increasing (unfunded) mandates have translated into the massive cuts in services, educational opportunities, and individual attention that our students are now experiencing.

If Amendment 23 had been honored for the past four years, school funding would be $1.1 billion higher — or $1,350 more per student. (Looking at just the proposed budget for the coming year, schools would be funded at a level $327 million below what’s needed to keep up with enrollment growth and inflation).
Contrary to conventional wisdom, the share of the state’s general fund dedicated to K-12 education is shrinking, not growing. K-12 currently makes up 39% of general fund expenditures, down from 40% in 2000-01. Total education spending (K-12 and higher ed) has declined from 54% of the budget in 2000-01 to 47% today.

As Colorado falls farther behind, so, too, do the prospects for our students and our economic recovery, which depends on innovation, a well-prepared workforce, and a vibrant higher ed system.

Colorado’s history of education funding is like the old story of the “frog boiling in water.” Each year the cuts add just a couple more kids to a classroom, just a few more percentage points to tuition. The “normalcy” of annual cuts makes it possible to miss the fact that, metaphorically, the water is boiling.

Taking a step back puts it all in focus. Colorado can’t afford another year of turning up the heat.

State Appeals, Advocates Respond.

Great Ed — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:05:19 +0000

Today, as expected, Attorney General John Suthers filed the state’s notice of appeal of the decision in the Lobato case. In that decision, the trial judge ruled that Colorado is not complying with the Constitutional right of every child to a “thorough and uniform system of free public schools.”

Last month Great Education Colorado and Colorado PTA submitted a letter with over 1,900 signatures from over 180 communities to state officials, calling on them to enforce rather than appeal Lobato.

Great Ed’s statement in response to today’s appeal is below. Comments from the plaintiffs’ attorneys follow.

NEWS RELEASE

January 23, 2012

Great Education Colorado Statement on State’s Appeal in Lobato

Now that the appeal is filed, we hope and trust that the parties will expedite the process as much as possible. Colorado’s students don’t get do-overs. For them, justice delayed is education denied.

This appeal comes just as the Colorado Department of Education released its estimate of cuts that each district can expect under current budget proposals. Funding for schools is currently slated at $327 million below what it would take to maintain current services and $1.1 billion below what schools would be receiving if the state were still honoring Amendment 23. Put another way, although CDE expects 8,990 more students in Colorado schools next year, funding will be $48 million lower.

The State’s appeal presents one more delay on the way to a school funding system that provides the resources necessary to meet the State’s own vision: that “[a]ll students in Colorado will become educated and productive citizens capable of succeeding in a globally competitive workforce.”

In light of the Lobato decision and the damage that a fourth year of deep education cuts will do to Colorado’s students, to our constitution, and to jobs and our economic recovery, the legislature should waste no time in working to honor our students’ right to a thorough and uniform education system.

###

Children’s Voices Media Release

Appeal to delay resolution of Colorado’s school funding problems

DENVER — The state’s formal notice of appeal in Lobato v. State of Colorado is an anticipated but unfortunate step in the prolonged lawsuit to fix Colorado’s broken public school finance system, plaintiff’s attorneys and supporters said today.

“The judge’s decision in December was firm and resounding,” said Kathy Gebhardt, one of the lead attorneys on behalf of Lobato. “The state is failing to meet constitutional requirements that it maintain a thorough and uniform school system. The evidence from the trial was overwhelming. The judge found the system to be irrational, arbitrary and underfunded. It’s unfortunate the state will further delay a constitutionally required education for the children of Colorado, but we will defend the district court decision and, for the sake of the state’s students, hope that we can move forward with all deliberate speed.” Bringing the case to trial was a six-year process, she noted.

“It is clear that the state has no basis on which to defend the current school, finance system,” she added. “All of the state’s bases for appeal are technical arguments that do not speak to whether students are getting a constitutionally adequate education. In addition, the state’s appeal does not seek guidance on how to solve the revenue implications of the district court’s decision, which was its stated justification for the costly and time consuming appeal.” . . .

MEDIA RELEASE: 1500+ Public Education Call on State to Reconsider Lobato Appeal

Great Ed — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:02:34 +0000

MEDIA RELEASE
December 21, 2011 1500+ Public Education Supporters Call on State Leaders to Reconsider Decision to Appeal Lobato Decision:“Please stop wasting our tax dollars defending an indefensible school funding system”

DENVER — Great Education Colorado, a nonpartisan, grassroots, statewide organization that advocates for improved public education through increased, wise investment in Colorado’s schools, colleges, and universities issued the following statement:

“We are disappointed that the state has decided to appeal the Lobato decision before seeking and receiving more input from the people of Colorado. Nonetheless, with today’s decision by the State Board of Education to delay their action on the appeal, we are hopeful that our leaders will reconsider this decision to spend even more taxpayer dollars defending an indefensible school financing system.

“We encourage every state elected official – every legislator, every State Board of Education member – to read the entire Lobato opinion and to make their own decision about whether the state is meeting its constitutional duty to maintain a ‘thorough and uniform system of free public schools.’”

“We applaud the governor’s interest in starting the process of determining how to create a sustainable remedy.

“There is simply no time to lose when it comes to providing quality education for our children. We hope and trust that the state will not use this appeal as yet another delay on the road to adequate investment in our schools. Our kids don’t get do-overs. For them, justice delayed is education denied.”

At the time of the announcement, Great Education Colorado and the Colorado Parent Teacher Association were in the midst of gathering signatures for a letter to the governor, attorney general and members of the State Board of Education, asking them not to appeal the decision.

The letter appears below. To date it has been signed by over 1550 Colorado citizens, representing over 160 cities throughout the state (cities represented are listed below).

Dear Governor Hickenlooper, Attorney General Suthers, and Members of the State Board of Education:Now that the trial judge in Lobato has ruled that Colorado’s public education system is “irrational, arbitrary, and severely underfunded,” you have a critical decision to make:

You can either work with the legislature in the interest of Colorado students to make the system constitutional as soon as possible, or you can make the problem even worse by kicking it down the road a year or two.

As Colorado taxpayers and public education supporters, we ask you to stop wasting our tax dollars defending an indefensible school funding system.

We ask that you take into consideration those whom you represent: the children, parents, businesses and citizens of Colorado who all depend on a quality public education system.

Please do not appeal the Lobato decision. Enforce it. Our children have already waited far too long for a school funding system that makes it possible for every child to succeed.

Sincerely,

Cities represented include: Aguilar, Alamosa, Alma, Arvada, Aspen, Aurora, Avon, Bailey, Basalt, Bayfield, Berthoud, Black Forest, Blackhawk, Blanca, Boone, Boulder, Boyero, Breckenridge, Brighton, Broomfield, Buena Vista, Byers, Calhan, Campo, Canon City, Carbondale, Castle Rock, Centennial, Center, Colo Springs, Commerce City, Conifer, Cortez, Creede, Crested Butte, Crestone, Cripple Creek, Del Norte, Delta, Denver, Divide, Dolores, Durango, Eagle, Eaton, Eckert, Edgewater, Edwards, Elbert, Elizabeth, Englewood, Erie, Evergreen, Fairplay, Federal Heights, Firestone, Florissant, Fort Collins, Fort Lupton, Fowler, Franktown, Fraser, Frederick, Frisco, Fruita, Gardner, Glenwood Springs, Golden, Grand Junction, Grand Lake, Greeley, Greenwood Village, Gunnison, Gypsum, Henderson, Highlands Ranch, Hooper, Hotchkiss, Howard, Idaho Springs, Ignacio, Indian Hills, Johnstown, Kiowa, Kittredge, La Junta, La Veta, Lafayette, Lakewood, Lamar, Larkspur, Leadville, Littleton, Lone Tree, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Lyons, Mancos, Manitou Springs, Manzanola, Mc Coy, Mead, Meeker, Milliken, Minturn, Monte Vista, Montrose, Monument, Morrison, Mountain Village, Nederland, Niwot, Northglenn, Norwood, Norwood, Nucla, Oak Creek, Pagosa Springs, Paonia, Parker, Peyton, Pine, Pitkin, Platteville, Pueblo, Pueblo West, Red Cliff, Rico, Ridgway, Rifle, Rockvale, Rocky Ford, Roxborough, Rush, Salida, San Luis, Silver Cliff, Silverthorne, Steamboat Springs, Sterling, Strasburg, Superior, Swink, Telluride, Thornton, Twin Lakes, Vail, Victor, Walsenburg, Westminster, Wellington, Westcliffe, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, Widefield, Wiggins, Windsor, Winter Park, Woodland Park, Yampa

NEWS RELEASE: Public Education Supporters Laud Decision for Lobato Plaintiffs

Great Ed — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:36:20 +0000

“Leaders Reaction will Determine the Quality of Education and Future of our State and Economy”

MEDIA RELEASE

“This decision is great news for Colorado’s students — as well as for our communities and our economy. After conducting the most thorough review of Colorado’s public education system in decades, Judge Rappaport came to the inescapable conclusion that Colorado is failing to provide the resources necessary for our children to succeed. Anyone who believes she could have come to any other conclusion needs to read the facts laid out in her opinion.

“This decision is a wake up call for Colorado. The future of our state and economy depend on whether our state leaders heed that call or bury their heads in the sand. The fact that this decision was issued on the same day that Jeffco Schools announced it would have to shed almost 600 employees in the next two years proves that our children cannot wait another day for state leaders to roll up their sleeves and find a way to stop shortchanging the future.

“The judge’s decision makes it clear that underfunding education is not just bad policy for our students and our economy — it’s unconstitutional. We hope and trust that our legislators will rise to the occasion and will focus on our children and future, rather than delay with pointless appeals.”

Click here to read the Judge’s ruling.

Early Media Coverage:

Fox31 News:

9 News: Judge: Colo. education funding unconstitutional

KKTV (Colorado Springs):

Immediate Feedback Loop: Fourth Year of School Cuts Announced on Election Day

Great Ed — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:41:12 +0000

Call it coincidental or ironic: this year, the governor was statutorily required to propose his budget on election day.

Proposition 103 provided Colorado with its only opportunity to avoid a fourth year of cuts to K-12 and continued cuts to higher education. The polls hadn’t even closed by the time Governor Hickenlooper’s budget unveiled the concrete implications of not passing Proposition 103.

Ed News reports:

The plan proposes an $89 million reduction in total program funding, the combination of state and local revenue that pays for basic instructional operations. That’s about $160 a student. Current total program funding is about $5.2 billion, down some $228.9 million, about 4.2 percent, from 2010-11. Current average per pupil funding is a little under $6,500.

Direct state support of state colleges and universities would drop 9.7 percent, taking it to $563 million from the current $619 million, which includes $519 million for institutions and $100 million from financial aid. Next year institutional support and financial aid each would take $30 million cuts.

To put the governor’s proposed cuts in perspective:

The $160 per pupil cut reflects a $350 million cut below what the current School Finance Act requires (i.e., keeping up with enrollment and inflation).

It reflects a level of school funding that is well over $1,000 per student and $1 billion total below what Amendment 23 requires.

It reduces average per pupil funding below FY06-07 levels. (Subtract $160 from the 2011-12 bar in this graph provided by the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute):

Colorado Public Radio reporter Ben Markus highlighted the impact that Prop 103 could have had:

Jane Urschel [with the Colorado Association of School Boards]: “If 103 does pass, then the whole ball game changes. There should not have to be cuts to K-12 or possibly not even to higher ed, because the proposal is to give some distribution of those dollars to higher education.”

Reporter: Even so, she says since 2008 nearly a billion dollars have already been chopped out of the state’s education budget. Janet Wyatt, chief legal officer for the Brighton School District, sees the damage those cuts have done on the ground.

Janet Wyatt, Brighton School District: The state does what they feel that they need to do. The impact on public education is huge, and it has ramifications that will last lifetimes.

The governor’s budget proposal is, of course, far from the last shoe to drop in school funding; now the budget is in the legislature’s hands. The magnitude of cuts could change if legislators disagree with some of the governor’s decisions, such as suspending the Senior Homestead exemption (it would cost up to $100 million to provide the exemption) and not appropriating $22 million to develop the state assessments that match the new standards implemented this year.

So begins the story of Colorado post-103.

Two Chief Myths about Proposition 103 Debunked

Great Ed — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:33:01 +0000

Between a statement by Governor Hickenlooper and a new study by the Bell Policy Center, fatal holes have been shot through the two chief arguments that Proposition 103 opponents have been pushing over the past several months.

Myth #1: There is no guarantee that the revenues raised under Prop 103 will go to education.

Truth: The language of the initiative has always made it clear that the dollars would go to preschool, K-12 and higher education:

ALL REVENUES RAISED BY THE INCREASE IN TAXES IMPOSED PURSUANT TO THIS MEASURE SHALL BE APPROPRIATED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ONLY FOR THE COSTS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION FROM PRESCHOOL THROUGH TWELFTH GRADE AND PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND SHALL BE IN ADDITION TO AND NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR MONEYS OTHERWISE APPROPRIATED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR THE COSTS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION FROM PRESCHOOL THROUGH TWELFTH GRADE AND PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION . . .

Now, Governor Hickenlooper has closed the door on any possibility that the dollars could be directed elsewhere. On Monday, the Governor told reporters:

“If it passes, I would certainly veto an effort to take that money away from education. If the voters of Colorado say they want something, my job is to make sure they get what they voted for.”

Bottom line: Every dollar will go straight to education.

Myth #2: Proposition 103 will result in job losses.

Truth: The study that opponents have been citing for this proposition has been debunked already. Now, the Bell Policy Center has issued a report that summarizes academic research on taxes and economic growth and presents data on the effects of tax increases enacted by other states:

In fact, analysis of more than 100 academic studies ….finds that spending on public services has a positive effect on economic growth….[I]ncreases in spending for infrastructure and education, in particular, were most consistently correlated with economic growth.

The report concludes:

[C]ontinued cuts in education spending will cost us jobs and, over the long run, will likely hurt the quality of our workforce, making Colorado less attractive to businesses and individuals looking to relocate.

Passing Proposition 103 is good for Colorado’s students, their families and schools. It helps protect against future cuts in education spending, adds to our long-term economic competitiveness and does so without harming our economy.

Now to focus on the central question presented by Proposition 103: should Colorado voters take action to prevent a fourth year of education cuts and start reinvesting in our students, our economy and our future?

News Release: Over 1,200 Public Ed Supporters Call on State Leaders to Support Proposition 103

Great Ed — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:37:54 +0000

NEWS RELEASE

October 20, 2011

1,200 Public Education Supporters Call on State Leaders to Support Proposition 103

Message to Legislators and Governor: “If you want to support families, then support public education.”

DENVER, Colo. – Reminding state leaders that “kids can’t afford [a] fourth year of short-sighted and irresponsible cuts to our schools, colleges and universities,” over 1200 Colorado citizens today called on all legislators and the governor to support Proposition 103. That citizens’ initiative provides the only opportunity to prevent hundreds of millions in cuts to education in next year’s budget.

The letter, signed by individuals from more than 140 communities, was coordinated by Great Education Colorado Action, a statewide, nonpartisan, grassroots organization that advocates for improved and wise investment in Colorado’s education system, preschool through higher education.

With the submission of the letter, state leaders are being asked two questions:

First, will you support Proposition 103?

Second, regardless of your position on the initiative, will you pledge that, if Proposition 103 prevails, you will implement the statute as enacted by the voters and oppose any effort to overturn it? We ask because Proposition 103′s very specific requirement that the new revenues be used for education could only be changed if the General Assembly (i.e., you and your colleagues) actively seek to reverse the will of the voters.

Responses to the inquiry will be posted on Great Education Colorado Action’s website: http://www.greatedaction.org.

You can view the letter and signatures here.

Dear Governor Hickenlooper and members of the General Assembly:

We are parents, grandparents, students, educators, concerned citizens and business people and we write today to encourage each of you to endorse Proposition 103, regardless of the position you have taken to date.

Our message is simple: if you want to support Colorado families during these tough economic times, then you must support public education. If you want to rebuild our economy, then you must support public education.

This November, supporting public education means supporting Proposition 103.

Our kids can’t afford the fourth year of short-sighted and irresponsible cuts to our schools, colleges and universities that will result if Proposition 103 does not pass. With each year of cuts, individual attention shrinks, educational opportunities dwindle, tuition and fees skyrocket, children fall through the cracks, and Colorado’s competitiveness declines. These cuts are foreclosing on the future of our children, of our communities and of our economy.

Over the past three years, the poor economy made education cuts virtually inevitable. But that changes with Proposition 103. If it fails, next year’s cuts will be a matter of choice, not necessity. Elected officials who oppose this very moderate measure will bear direct responsibility for those cuts.

For us, Proposition 103 is not political. It is not partisan. It is simply the right thing to do. We hope you’ll join us in voting YES.

Sincerely,

Signatures

Communities represented:

Aguilar, Alamosa, Allenspark, Arvada, Aspen, Aspen Park, Aurora, Austin, Avon, Bailey, Basalt, Bayfield, Berthoud, Beulah, Black Hawk, Boone, Boulder, Breckenridge, Brighton, Broomfield, Buena Vista, Byers, Calhan, Canon City, Carbondale, Cascade, Castle Pines North, Castle Rock, Centennial, Center, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado City, Colorado Springs, Commerce City, Conifer, Cortez, Crawford, Crested Butte, Crestone, Dacono, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Durango, Eagle, Eaton, Eckert, Edgewater, Edwards, Elbert, Elizabeth, Englewood, Erie, Evergreen, Florence, Fort Collins, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Fowler, Franktown, Fraser, Frederick, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Golden, Granby, Grand Junction, Greeley, Greenwood Village, Gunnison, Gypsum, Henderson, Highlands Ranch, Holly, Hygiene, Indian Hills, Jamestown, Keenesburg, Kersey, Kiowa, Kirk, Kittredge, La Junta, La Veta, Lafayette, Lakewood, Larkspur, Littleton, Lone Tree, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Lyons, Manitou Springs, Manzanola, Mead, Milliken, Monte Vista, Montrose, Monument, Morrison, New Castle, Niwot, Northglenn, Nucla, Pagosa Springs, Palisade, Palmer Lake, Parker, Peyton, Pine, Pueblo, Pueblo West, Redstone, Ridgway, Rifle, Rocky Ford, Rush, Salida, Sheridan, Silverthorne, Steamboat Springs, Sterling, Strasburg, Superior, Tabernash, Telluride, Thornton, Trinidad, USAFA, Vail, Walsenburg, Wellington, Westcliffe, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, Whitewater, Wiggins, Windsor, Winter Park, Woodland Park.

They came, they heard, they honored.

Great Ed — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:06:59 +0000

A standing room only crowd gathered at the Denver Athletic Club last month for the First Annual Great Education Colorado Luncheon honoring Cary Kennedy.

The diverse audience included activists, philanthropists, parents and grandparents, superintendents, both the Colorado House and Senate Education Committee chairs and numerous legislators, former Governor Bill Ritter and former Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff.

Great Ed Executive Director Liane Morrison and luncheon honoree Cary Kennedy. See more photos here

The Luncheon was emceed by Channel 9′s Gregg Moss. Governor John Hickenlooper made a surprise entrance to welcome guests. They also heard from Senator Michael Johnston about the need to match critical education reforms with resources necessary to make them successful, and from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock about his plans to focus on education as the key to long-term economic vitality and community strength.

Mayor Hancock also praised Cary Kennedy, whom he recently appointed as Denver CFO and Deputy Mayor, and introduced this video:

As the honoree and keynote speaker, former Treasurer and Denver CFO Cary Kennedy told the audience that Colorado’s future depends on education reform, budget reform and renewed investment in the education of our children.

Great Ed thanks all those attending for a unique and spectacular event! We’re looking forward to next year!