Rural Net

This is our first issue of Rural Net for the 2017-18 school year and there is much to report! We know that many of you receive updates and newsletters from a number of our k-12 partners and we do our best to keep the articles short (and relevant for rural schools and communities) with links to more information for those who are interested. We end each edition with an Executive Update for those you interested specifically in the work/initiatives of the Alliance.

The legislature is not in session but we are engaged in ongoing policy discussions on a myriad of issues and monitoring the State Board of Education, the Education Leadership Council and the Interim Committee on School Finance. There is not much to report yet on the school finance picture for 2018-19. The recent legislative forecast indicates a small surplus for 2016-17 (28 million) and approximately $667 million in additional general fund dollars available for spending (or saving) in 2018-19. This seems like good news but we do not yet know how much funding is required to fund growth and inflation and keep the negative factor flat. Stay tuned...

State Board Travels to Burlington

The entire State Board of Education, Commissioner Anthes and a myriad of CDE staff travelled to Burlington on September 13 and 14 for their monthly meeting. We believe this is the first time the Board has met on the eastern plains and appreciate their commitment to better understanding the unique strengths and challenges faced by rural schools.

On Thursday morning, the Board had an opportunity to hear from Denille LePlatt, CDE's new Director of Rural Services, members of the Rural Education Council: Allen Dillon (De Beque), Kermit Snyder (Rocky Ford), John Knapp (Rocky Ford), Douglas Bissonnette (Elizabeth), and Burlington's Superintendent, Tom Satterly, and Board Member, Mark Hillman. The conversation was thoughtful and engaging and we look forward to continued dialogue with the Board on rural issues.

A special thank you to Board member Pam Manzanec for inviting the board out to her district and to Mark Hillman and John Knapp for putting together delicious care packages for the board.

Click here to read more about the State Board's discussions on graduation guidelines and the options for responding to the USDOE's concerns regarding how Colorado handles parental opt-out for purposes of accountability.

Legislature Scheduled to Return for a Special Session

Governor Hickenlooper has called the legislature back for a special session to fix a drafting error in SB 267, last session's Rural Relief bill, which inadvertently cut off retail marijuana tax revenues for special districts, such as Denver’s Regional Transportation District and the Science and Cultural Facilities District. While most agree a fix is necessary there is strong disagreement around the need for a special session.

Hickenlooper Calls Special Session to Fix Pot Tax Error

Grantham To Hick: Call Off The Special Session

The session is scheduled to begin on October 2.

School Finance Interim Committee and K-12 Visioning Work Begins

The interim committee on School Finance held its first meeting in July and will meet again on September 27. The Committee was convened by the Legislature via HB 1340 to study various issues regarding school finance. Q uestions abound regarding the scope of the committees work and whether and how the work of the superintendents will be incorporated into the discussion and any resulting recommendations. We expect consolidation and funding of factors critical to the survival of rural schools to be a part of the committees discussion and are grateful for strong rural representation on the Committee from Senator Sonnenberg and Representative Hamner.

Click here to learn more and sign up for email updates regarding the committees work

The K-12 visioning process, which was rejected by the legislature, has been revived through the Governor's Education Leadership Council (ELC). The stated purpose of the ELC is to develop a vision and strategic plan to drive improvements to Colorado’s P-20 educational system in alignment with our workforce system.

The ELC is made up of representatives from the legislature, CDE, business and non-profits committed to early childhood, education, workforce and economic development. There is strong rural leadership on the committee through Rep. Wilson, Rep. Hamner, Rep. Rankin, Don Anderson (East Central BOCES) and Dan Snowberger (Durango).

The Council will spend a great deal of time on research and engagement and is not expected to make any recommendations until the 2019 legislative session. It is critical that committee members understand the rural perspective and we strongly encourage each of you to stay up to date on their work and get involved in the stakeholder input process.

Click here to learn more about the Council's Work

PERA Board Endorses Package of Reforms

The PERA Board of Trustees today voted 14-1 to endorse a comprehensive package of reforms designed to reduce the overall risk profile of the plan and improve PERA’s funded status.

Recommended changes include benefit reductions for current and future members and retirees, as well as contribution inc reases for members and employers.

Click here for the full story from PERA

Support and Resources for Work Based Learning

Work based learning is an educational strategy that offers students an opportunity to explore future career fields, develop important "soft skills" and demonstrate their skills in an employment setting. While not a new strategy, more and more rural school districts throughout Colorado are partnering with business and higher ed in an effort to ensure that students have the skills and career exposure needed to build pathways to meaningful careers.

Launching October 2017, the Colorado Department of Education is collaborating with the Colorado Workforce Development Council, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the Colorado Community College System and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to host a Work-based Incubator to support schools and districts interested in developing/expanding work-based learning programs in collaboration with local employers. The incubator will consist of the following monthly webinars (2:30p.m.-3:30p.m.) and Sector Summit:

September 19, 2017: Incubator Orientation (Webinar)
October 15-17, 2017: TalentFOUND Sector Summit, Keystone, CO (TalentFOUND registration required) bring together business, k-12, postsecondary and workforce system.
November 14, 2017: Policy and Resource Alignment (Webinar)
January 16, 2018: Career Advising (Webinar)
February 20, 2018: Measurement & Assessment (Webinar)
March 20, 2018: Engaging Partners to Leverage WBL (Webinar)

Interested in participating? Sign-Up Here

For more information, please contact [email protected]s

Call for Nominations: Demont Leadership Award

The Demont Award was established in 2002 by Representative Jim Wilson to honor administrators from rural schools with 1,500 or fewer students who have demonstrated high moral character, compassion and positive contributions to public education. Rep. Wilson will present the award at the Rural Alliance Annual Breakfast, scheduled during the CASB convention at the Broadmoor, on Friday, December 1, 2017.

FOR NOMINATION PACKETS AND/OR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jim Wilson – State Representative -- Colorado House District 60

AASA Executive Consultant for Rural & Small Schools

Completed nomination packets must be received in the Salida R-32-J Board of Education office on or before the close of business on October 31, 2017

Rural teacher shortage makes headlines...again!

Thank you to Jenny Brundin and Nic Garcia for their thoughtful presentation of the critical teacher shortage facing rural Colorado.

Colorado’s Rural School Districts Are Getting Pinched In The Teacher Salary Game

What a Dearth of Teachers Means for a School in a One-Stoplight Colorado Town

S-CAP Professional Development Opportunities!

The Student-Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP) is actively looking for people to attend and participate as a Reviewer or Observer at the upcoming events listed below!

The Student-Centered Accountability Program (S-CAP), is a collaborative effort by six rural districts in Colorado to create a more comprehensive system of accountability than the state DPF system and to focus on "whole child" accountability through continuous improvement of the system. The program is focused on providing parents and the community accurate, well-rounded information to be used for strategic and continuous improvement.

To find an S-CAP event happening near you, check out the links below:

Buena Vista S-CAP SSR, for more information, click here!
Kit Karson S-CAP SSR, for more information, click here!
Buffalo Merino S-CAP SSR, for more information, click here!
Monte Vista S-CAP SSR, for more information, click here!

To learn more about S-CAP, click here!

RAFT ON WHEELS

For some new ideas on how to address the perennial lack of resources in rural areas, check out RAFT (Resource Area For Teaching) Colorado. RAFT equips educators with affordable materials, ideas, kits, and PD to implement project-based learning with their students. An added bonus is that teachers discover how to use everyday materials (meaning: inexpensive or free) to develop cross-curricular lesson plans that make learning more fun and meaningful for students, especially in the area of STEM.

For more information, check out their website, http://www.raftcolorado.org/raft-on-wheels-2/#cc-engineering , or e-mail their Education Director, Chris DeKay ( [email protected] ).

Graduation Guidelines Summit

Districts interested in digging deeper and/or sharing your work around graduation requirements should attend CDE's free, interactive Graduation Guidelines Summit focused on strategies for implementing Graduation Guidelines that lead to deeper learning and provide pathways to Postsecondary and Workforce success for each student.

October 30th at the Adams 12 Conference Center.

Executive Update

Changes on the Alliance Board

Bruce Hankins (Dove Creek) has been elected to serve as the Rural Alliance Board President for the 2017-18 school year and Tom Satterly (Burlington) has been elected Vice-President. The Board would like to thank Kirk Banghart, former President, and Brian Hanson, former Vice-President, for all their hard work and dedication. We would also like to welcome new Board Members Grant Schmidt (Hanover, Region 3) and Darren Edgar (Sierra Grande, Region 4). Click here for a full list of Alliance Board Members and regions.

Dues Increase

The Rural Alliance Board implemented a $300 dues increase effective in the 2017-18 school year. We understand that budgets are tight but the increase is necessary to sustain operations as we continue to maximize our impact. We are so grateful for the continued support of existing Alliance members and glad to welcome back several districts who had not been part of the Alliance for some time. Please contact Michelle Murphy if your Board has questions/concerns about the increase and/or renewing your District's Alliance membership.

Associate Members

The Board also implemented a new Associate Membership program in 2017-18 to increase revenue and broaden collaboration and communication between and among our k-12 partners. Associate membership is available to associations and organizations engaged in the k-12 policy debate. Associate members will appoint a representative to serve on an Advisory Committee, which will meet with Alliance Board quarterly to discuss and develop critical funding and other policy positions and strategies.

We are excited to welcome the Colorado Association of School Boards, the Colorado BOCES Association, the Colorado Association of School Executives, Great Education Colorado and PEBC and are grateful for their support of our work and process.