Let’s help Colorado’s children catch up

For a generation of educators and policy makers in Colorado, the wide gap in educational outcomes and enrichment opportunities between the rich and poor, suburban and rural communities, urban and gentrified neighborhoods has been a cause of great frustration and grave worry. It is unacceptable, yet it remains.

Too many of our children are falling behind, and COVID has made it worse. The problem is clear: Colorado schoolchildren have fallen behind in reading, math, science and writing — particularly students of color or those from low-income families. On the most recent national tests, only about 40% of Colorado’s fourth-graders were proficient in reading, with only 22% of low-income students scoring proficient or higher.

We aren’t just picking on fourth-graders. When you look at Colorado students in grades three through eight, more than half fail to meet grade-level expectations in reading, writing or math on state tests. The one constant? Glaring disparities based on income, race and geography. Those factors cannot be allowed to dictate success any longer.

In an era when Democrats and Republicans can’t seem to agree on much of anything, we believe that attacking the root causes of this gap is something that we can and must do together. On the heels of COVID and school closures, closing the gap has taken on a special urgency. Now is the time to take the first step, because the future of so many young people is on the line.

That’s why we have signed on as early supporters of a proposed ballot initiative that would provide funding for families to choose from a menu of approved out-of-school learning providers, including tutoring in reading, math, science, and writing, extra services for special needs students, and career and technical education-training programs.

This fall, Coloradans can do something about it. They can close the achievement and enrichment gap by supporting a ballot initiative that will work alongside K-12. The Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress (LEAP) Program would be funded by a 5% sales tax increase on recreational marijuana and revenue from agricultural, mineral, and renewable energy development on state land. This measure has been carefully crafted by experts from across the state to address the most pressing needs our students face. If passed, it will provide equity and flexibility for Colorado’s K-12 students so they can sharpen their skills and add new ones. The program would provide up $1,500 in annual per-child funding for out-of-school instruction, which is a game-changer. That money could be used for a variety of opportunities, including tutoring for reading, math, and science, as well as support for students with special needs and enrichment activities.

All Colorado students would be eligible, and the most under-resourced students would be prioritized.

As students, teachers, and families grapple with online learning, hybrid models, and the slow return to in-person instruction because of the pandemic, the need to provide our students with tutoring, supplemental instruction, and enrichment programming intensifies.

The measure has earned early support from dozens of community leaders from across Colorado as well as heavyweights from education and policy circles, including state Sen. James Coleman (D-Denver), Sen. Paul Lundeen (R-Monument), former Sen. and State Treasurer Mark Hillman, CEO of Gary Community Investments and former Sen. Mike Johnston, Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education, Colorado Succeeds, RESCHOOL, Thorne Nature Experience and Transform Education Now (TEN).

In the end, this issue transcends nearly every political, geographic, economic, and racial group, and should be able to find broad support at the polls.

The LEAP Program won’t just benefit students, though that is without question the primary goal. It also will benefit our teachers, who can receive additional compensation providing supplemental services during non-school hours, and our employers, who will find a better-educated pool of prospective employees.

If this measure passes, there will be more work to do. But we must recognize this moment and seize the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our kids; they are the future. So, let’s get to work with fresh resolve and common purpose.

Papa Dia is an unaffiliated voter and founder and president of African Leadership Group, based in Aurora. Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat, represents District 29 in the Colorado Senate. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican, represents District 12 in the Colorado Senate.