Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.
Thomas Jefferson High School junior Mai Travi has visited Denver’s zoo, museums, recreation centers, and much more, thanks to the city’s MY Denver Card.
The card has provided Denver youth ages 5 to 18 with free access to those opportunities since 2013. But she thinks more of her peers could benefit.
“Students who live outside the Denver area often have fewer opportunities to explore the cultural educational and enrichment experiences that help shape who they become,” she said.
There’s a chance lawmakers will end up agreeing. House Bill 1055 would create a pilot program in a limited number of communities outside of Denver to give students in grades 6-12 a similar My Colorado Card. The card would essentially be a free pass, not a voucher with dollars attached to it.
The bill passed its first hearing in the House Education Committee on Tuesday with a 7-5 vote.
Students involved with a Denver-based nonprofit organization called FaithBridge helped craft the bill that’s sponsored by state Rep. Mandy Lindsay, an Aurora Democrat. FaithBridge is an advocacy organization that helps students advocate for educational improvements.
“When students have access to out of school activities such as public museums and recreation centers, they’re able to explore their interests and find a passion, same as I was,” said Travis Baker, who is also a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School and is involved with the nonprofit.
The program would be administered by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and sunset in 2031. The participating communities would be selected in December.
Denver school board member Marlene De La Rosa, who testified in support, said the city has provided over half of Denver’s 90,000 students with a MY Denver Card, which is funded by Denver tax dollars approved in a 2012 ballot measure.
“They represent safe spaces, friendship, physical activity, cultural exposure, academic reinforcement, and community connection,” she said. “And if one program and the city can reach 45,000 youth, imagine what a statewide investment can do.”
The My Colorado Card program would have to be funded through gifts, grants, and donations, the amended legislation says. It would cost about $250,000 in its first year and about $80,000 in subsequent years, according to a legislative analysis. The bill would also require a report to lawmakers that would evaluate the program.
Although no one testified against the bill during the Tuesday committee hearing, some lawmakers expressed reservations about the program, including its cost and whether it represented an appropriate role for state government.
Rep. Lori Garcia Sander, an Eaton Republican, said she wanted to know more about how the card would be used and what data would be collected on students.
Lindsay said the MY Denver Card helped her kids figure out their interests and more youth deserve that opportunity.
“I think we really need to listen to young people when they are telling us and asking us for what they want,” she said.
Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Contact Jason at jgonzales@chalkbeat.org.
