Colorado’s Homeschool Law Turns Twenty: The Battle Should Never Be Forgotten
As explained by author Marya DeGrow, conflict between some Colorado public school districts and parents led to the adoption of a 1988 legislative bill that established guidelines for home education.
Retirement Windfall for Denver’s K-12 Employees
Public educators receive a generous deal in their defined benefit pension packages, but exactly how much more are they getting than through a conservative investment of the contributions into their retirement account? In Denver Public Schools, the average “lump sum deferred compensation” value is more than $600,000! Listen to Dr. Michael Mannino from the University of Colorado Denver explain this figure and the other findings of his new Independence Institute report, Deferred Retirement Compensation for Career K-12 Employees: Understanding the Need for Reform.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Will President Obama's School Reform Bring the Change Kids Need?
Barack Obama aspires to be an education president, but what kind of education president will he be? As a candidate, Obama has taken conflicting positions. Both the anti-reform National Education Association and the reformist Democrats for Education Reform claim him as their own. An analysis of candidate Obama’s education platform reveals elements of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Deferred Retirement Compensation for Career K-12 Employees: Understanding the Need for Reform
To improve understanding of public K-12 retirement compensation, this Issue Paper provides historical estimates using a substantial sample of retiree characteristics and salary histories. Deferred retirement compensation from a hybrid defined benefit plan is defined as the difference between an employee’s estimated retirement account balance and the greater pension value she expects to receive. When accounting for K-12 employee compensation, large amounts of deferred compensation should be included. For the 846 Denver Public Schools retirees in the sample, average lump sum deferred compensation is $627,570.
School Choice Alive and Well in Colorado
The 2008 election was largely a success for Democrats in Colorado, but not nearly so much for traditional Democrat allies who oppose school choice reforms. Listen to Amy Oliver and Ben DeGrow discuss Ben’s Denver Post column on the new leadership in the state legislature and the results of key ballot races.
How to Provide Health Insurance for All
Providing health insurance for everyone who wants it doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. It doesn’t have to come with increased government control of your medical decisions, or less personal choice when it comes to choosing physicians or deciding on medical treatments, either.
Douglas County’s Locally Licensed Teachers
Are there better ways to train and license public school teachers than the current system set up through the state? A waiver from the State Board of Education allows Douglas County School District (DCSD) to creatively fill its instructional needs in areas like math, science, and special education with a streamlined process at the local level. Tune in to hear DCSD Learning Center executive director Mike Lynch explain how the program works with Ben DeGrow, author of a new Independence Institute report on the topic.
Teacher Explains How CEA Members Can Get Their Political Refunds Before December 15
Jefferson County public school teacher Michael Alcorn narrates a 2-minute YouTube video explaining how members of the Colorado Education Association can get political refunds before the December 15 deadline.
