HB 07-1118 (Wednesday)

This bill requiring the State Board of Education to establish statewide minimum graduation requirements has passed from the House to the Senate and is in the Education Committee.  It will be heard around 10:30 on Wednesday, March 21st at the Capitol in room 354.  The bill can be viewed at this link: http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2007a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/
5CBD607BCDE3BC2E87257251007B68B5?open&file=1118_ren.pdf

Steps You Can Take:

1. Contact the members of the Senate Education Committee and tell them you support the bill as long as the minimum graduation requirements are identified as "suggested" ; and that you support recognition of diverse and multiple pathways to a diploma that include the arts and humanities.

2. Come to the hearing prepared to speak on the need students have for a balanced education

SB 07-131 (Thursday)

This bill mandating 4 years of science and 3 years of math as a statewide graduation requirement has passed from the Senate to the House and is in the Education Committee.  It will be heard at 1:30 PM on Thursday, March 22nd at the Capitol in room 0112.   The bill can be viewed at this link:
http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2007a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/
642B377C59274D39872572670073FFE8?open&file=131_ren.pdf

Steps You Can Take:

1. Contact the members of the House Education Committee and ask them to stop the marginalization of courses in the arts and humanities by voting against SB 07-131

2. Come to the hearing prepared to speak on the need students have for a balanced education

You can find the names of your Colorado Senators and Representatives, as well as their contact information at:
http://www.comaps.org/allsearch.html

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Questions or comments? E-mail us at info@balancededucation.com or call (303) 459-2295

© 2007 Advocates for a Balanced Education

http://www.BalancedEducation.com

Alert 3               March 2007

About ABE: 
We are a Colorado non-profit organization concerned about the narrowing of the curriculum and the marginalization of arts and humanities as a result of high-stakes testing, snapshot accountability, and higher education requirements placing de facto mandates upon K-12 public education.

     Fifteen leaders from education, public service and business form the board of Advocates for a Balanced Education and share a desire to offer students-become-adults the balanced education which will provide them with the necessary skills  for economic self-sufficiency and participation in a self-governing society.

     For that purpose, our goal is to assist  educational policy makers at all levels of state and local government, as well as the citizenry of communities in supporting the inclusion of the arts and humanities as an essential part of Colorado’s K-12 public education system.