Tag: education
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Colorado Springs increasing safety around more schools in 2026
Several new school safety zones were implemented across Colorado Springs in 2025 as the city and school districts continued efforts to slow speeds around middle and high schools into 2026. The zones were originally put in place only at elementary student because it was believed they needed the most protection, according to City Traffic Engineer…
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GUEST COLUMN: Declining K-12 enrollment is a wake-up call
News reports confirm what many school districts already know: public school enrollment in Colorado is steadily declining. The state lost roughly 10,000 public school students in just the past year, part of a multi-year trend now playing out nationwide. Some have sounded the alarm. In truth, this moment is less a crisis than a realignment…
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El Paso County schools advancing teaching, learning with AI
As AI becomes increasingly prevalent in everyday life, school districts across the Pikes Peak region have taken steps to utilize it as a learning tool or regulate its use within the past few years. Harrison District 2, Widefield D-3, Fountain-Fort Carson D-8, Colorado Springs D-11, Academy D-20, Lewis-Palmer D-38 and School District 49 have launched…
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GUEST COLUMN: School choice is not optional, it’s essential
National School Choice Week (NSCW) invites families, educators, and policymakers to ask an important question: “Is our education system truly meeting the needs of every student?” For advanced learners, that question matters deeply. I’ve spent the past fourteen years with K12, beginning my career as a special education teacher at what would eventually become Destinations Career Academy of Colorado (CODCA). Today, I serve…
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GUEST COLUMN: National School Choice Week is something to celebrate
Great schools change lives. School choice puts families in the driver’s seat. As our nation marks National School Choice Week, America has real momentum to celebrate. What once started as a set of policy reforms has become something more lasting: an expectation. Families increasingly believe they can and must have meaningful options for their children’s…
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District 49 suspends restroom, locker room policy based on ‘biological sex’ months after approval
School District 49 voted 3-2 to suspend its policy not to allow transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms aligning with their gender identity during its board meeting on Friday. The policy was approved by a 3-2 vote in September, and the issue returned to the board after Holly Withers unseated incumbent Jamilynn D’Avola,…
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Mick Bates resigns from WP school board
In just over two months following the November elections that ushered in three new members to the Woodland Park RE-2 Board of Education, its longest-tenured member has stepped down. Former board President Mick Bates resigned on Jan. 7, which the board formally approved during its regular meeting last week. He did not attend the meeting.…
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When Colorado schools dump unions, they excel
Last fall, the Colorado Education Association boasted that over 80% of the candidates it endorsed statewide won their races. But scratch beneath the surface of that talking point and you’ll find a very different story — one that reveals not union strength, but growing teacher discontent and a roadmap for educational improvement that doesn’t require…
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Federal funding cut could cripple Colorado Springs childcare industry
Deserae Heskett opened Pikes Peak Preschool last year in a part of the city she knew many working parents had trouble affording childcare. “It was very important to us when we opened this business to open in this area code,” she said. The northeast Colorado Springs daycare enrolls 130 children under the age of 5.…
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No TABOR refunds this year, as Colorado Gov. Polis warns of tight fiscal outlook
Gov. Jared Polis on Friday submitted revised budget requests for the next two fiscal years, calling for new public safety spending, changes to Medicaid growth, and renewed efforts to privatize Pinnacol Assurance. Notably, the governor said Colorado residents won’t get refunds from the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). “We are focused on protecting the issues…