Video 3 on school funding, a bill that died on the vine that would have allowed "independent learning" at schools, and Colorado Dems blame Republicans for their secret voting system results.
Part 3 in my video series on how our schools are funded.
If you were put off by the last part in my series on school funding because of the math, I have good news.
In this installment, tackling the local contribution to school funding and some related questions, there is less "numbers" math and more "visual math".
As always, please message me or add questions to the comments if you have them.
Independent study classes for high flyers in high school?
This last Assembly session is as notable for what didn't happen as what did.
The article linked below was quite interesting in that regard. It details 32 bills that (as CompleteColorado put it) "died on the vine".
If you're like me, the failure of most of the bills that were listed for special attention higher in the article will be cause for celebration.
Most of the ones that fall further down in the article didn't really provoke too much of a reaction either way.
Except for the one linked second below. I've written a lot about choice in education and how we're all different learners. I found the idea of this bill to be an intriguing one.
There are multiple ways to interpret what this bill is supporting, but (and I could be misunderstanding here) what I saw here was something similar to what I used to do when I taught high school. Something akin to an independent study program for kids that could benefit from it.
Due to the work-study schedule where I used to teach I would have everyone from those ready for higher math to those still struggling with fractions all in the same math class. This is one of the toughest problems you can face as a teacher.
The stock advice is to have the "high flyers" teach those that struggle. That's okay. It is a good option, but frankly it left somewhat frustrated because of the opportunity cost for those that could (and should) move to tougher problems.***
What I used to do was offer the kids that I knew were ready for more advanced problems the option of doing what I called "tough guy" problems instead of the usual classwork: maybe it would be the hardest problems from the end of the chapter or something I made up.
It was not perfect. It was certainly not systematized. It was, however, not nothing. And it was another option besides "teach your classmate how to do these kinds of problems".
I wonder if the sponsors will try again. I wonder if the bill would make it out of committee for a floor vote.
***Towards the end of my time at this school, when I had done about as much as was feasible for the advanced, I started to consider what ways I could realistically help those that were behind. I did come up with some ideas, but most of them involved extra work outside the normal classroom time, not independent study. In my experience those that lag often need some help and the accountability that comes from supervision (at least when they're dunderheaded teens).
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/legislature/bills-died-on-calendar/article_bf4436aa-f987-11ed-9088-b7be2a9b42ef.html
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/legislature/bills-died-on-calendar/article_bf4436aa-f987-11ed-9088-b7be2a9b42ef.html
And while we're on the topic of bills dying on the vine ...
One of the bills that died due to lack of being addressed before the end of the Assembly session was a bill that would have funded the placement of high-tech cameras around the state to monitor for wildfires.
Why did it languish and die?
If you were content to accept the Democrat talking points (see attached screenshot), you might have laid the blame at the feet of those rascally Republicans and their filibustering.
Thing is, according to the newly released (for the first time ever due to the dogged efforts of KUNC's Scott Franz) results of the Democrats' secret quadratic voting system, it was downgraded by the House and that is likely why it died. The Republicans were not privy to this maneuvering at all; you see, they don't have a vote in the secret system.
Nor do we get to see who voted and how, even though decisions like these have a material effect on policy and we should.
Two things to take from this:
1. Remember this the next time you read about obstructionist Republicans and laws not making it.
2. The Democrats continue to vote in secret.
3. The Democrats continue to vote in secret.
I know I said two and that I repeated the same one twice. Just thought that one was important enough to warrant extra mention.
https://www.kunc.org/news/2023-05-25/a-wildfire-camera-bill-repeatedly-fails-secret-survey-results-at-the-capitol-might-explain-why