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How do Colorado schools plan to help students who face the most challenges succeed?
A bill progressing in the Colorado Capitol would require each school to answer that question by adopting a plan and then posting it online for its community to see.
Sponsors of Senate Bill 103 say their bill wouldn’t necessarily put more demands on schools to help at-risk students, such as those who qualify for free or subsidized meals. Instead, it would make the ways that schools are helping such students more transparent for the public.
The Senate Education Committee advanced the bill with a 4-3 vote on Wednesday after a mid-March hearing. The proposal will now head to the full Senate for consideration.
Denver North High School student Matthew Pulido, who represented the Denver advocacy group Movimiento Poder during the March 18 hearing of the bill, said every student deserves a good education and the bill creates accountability and transparency.
“All we want is for Colorado districts to be intentional about where attention and support go,” Pulido said. “It’s about giving every student a fair chance.”
Under the bill, schools would need to have an Achieving Community Commitment to Equitable School Success, or ACCESS, policy that says how the school directs additional resources to at-risk students. The school would then post the policy on its own or district’s website.
The bill says schools may include community partnerships — such as access to health clinics, legal services, or college opportunities — in their plans. School leaders would also be allowed to include the wraparound support they provide, such as tutoring, mental health, or after-school programs. And the policy would also allow schools to highlight teacher retention efforts and family engagement strategies.
State Sen. Chris Kolker, a Centennial Democrat and a bill sponsor, said Colorado has directed more money to schools for at-risk students through the state’s funding formula. And most schools he’s talked to already have plans for at-risk students, he said.
“The bill gives them flexibility to promote these things,” Kolker said. “And it says ‘tell us,’ because we’re giving you extra money for this.”
Kolker said he expects further bill amendments because school districts and boards have said this bill replicates the improvement plans that districts must submit each year to the state education department.
The bill has the support of groups such as the Colorado Education Association, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and the Denver Foundation. Opponents of the bill include the Charter Advocacy Coalition, who say that these requirements would be redundant because charter schools already submit plans to the Colorado Department of Education.
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.
