Senate Education [Apr 22, 2026]

Oh, you might need a... Are you trying to open that up? Yeah. It's rounded. It's rounded. I can't do that. I did it on my window, so... Yo!

Coleman? Excuse me. Let's do this.

Rich. Here.

Mr. Chair. Here. We have a quorum and we'll begin. We have a full schedule today, especially with confirmations, and we're going to get started right away with a confirmation hearing for Western Colorado University. We have one confirmee, Scott Ehrlich, and we have President Brad Baca here today.

President Baca, if you'd like to go ahead and get us started.

Thank you. Mr. Erliger, would you like to say a few words?

So how is it with the name change for you, though? How do you feel about that?

My university changed or my college changed too and I still call it the same old name too, so it gets hard. Do we have any questions for Mr. Early?

That is Paisley, and I found this coat, and I bought it just for that reason. Well, it looks good.

Senator Bright. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I just want to throw a word in favor I known Mr Ehrlich for a few decades now and the way that he approaches community involvement and just making things better for everything that he involved in Incredible success and I'm glad to see you be a new asset for Western State.

little bit, get through the days, right? So any other comments? Okay.

Christopher Taylor, take the poll, please. Senators Bright? Yes. Coleman? Aye.

Rich? Aye.

Mr. Chair? Aye. That passes unanimously.

Any objections to the consent calendar? Seeing none, go off to the consent calendar, which is our smooth way of getting through the Senate. So appreciate you coming in, and congratulations.

Thank you.

Dr. Frank. Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the committee. As always, I'll start by thanking you for your service. I'm here to recommend Kayla Garcia to you. She has been nominated for this position by Governor Polis. Kayla is originally from Pueblo, Colorado. Her brother is an alumnus of CSU Pueblo, but she herself is an alumna of Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She worked in the community relations and communications side of the private sector for a time before her current role, where she serves as the President and CEO of Girls, Inc. here in Denver. Her combination of experiences and her ability to be a strong advocate for important voices is an ideal match for the needs of the Colorado State University System Board of Governors. And I join Governor Polis in recommending her to you highly and without reservation. Thank you.

You have a few minutes to say a few words, whatever you need to. Awesome. Well, good afternoon and thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm Kayla Garcia, President and CEO of Girls Inc. in Metro Denver, but today I'm here before you as a proud Colorado State University alum, a forever Pueblo girl, and a first-generation college graduate whose life has been fundamentally changed by higher education. I grew up in Pueblo. My father was a steelworker. I spent my summers with my grandparents in Rocky Ford selling snow cones along the Arkansas Valley. I attended Colorado State University where I worked my way through school holding jobs at local restaurants, completing internships, earning my degree, also earning some student loans. Education opened my career, my new ways of thinking and learning, and opportunities that I didn't know existed. Fort Collins was the first place I called home outside of my parents' house. It's where I found community, safety, and built my future. I even went on to marry a ram. And last year we took our one and three child our children to read our brick on campus that says Joseph and Kayla we love CSU Professionally, I built my career around expanding access to education and opportunities for young people around Colorado. Every day, I work with youth, helping them navigate challenges, realize their potential, and most importantly, achieve their dreams. As a community leader, I've managed multi-million dollar organizations and budgets. I've hired and supported leaders to serve at the mission of organizations. Last year, I was on the executive committee for the city of Denver to work on the $900 million infrastructure bond. I'm now leading a multi-year expansion and fundraising campaign for Girls, Inc. to further provide greater outcomes for students in our state. I bring both a strategic lens and deep commitment to community and purpose, and these values will guide me along in service with the board of governors. I'm deeply committed to the mission of the CSU system and the responsibility this role carries. It would be my honor to continue to serve the people of Colorado and future generations to come. Thank you.

Thank you. I move to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation, the appointment of Kayla Rayl Garcia to the Colorado State University System Board of Governors.

Ms. Chris Fanley, will you take the poll, please? Senators Bright.

Coleman.

Rizal.

Kip.

Rich.

Marchman.

Mr. Chair.

I'd recommend the consent calendar.

Occupational Education and confirming Jennifer Allison.

All right. Good afternoon Chairman Cole Kohl.

All right, good afternoon Chairman Kolker and members of the Senate Education Committee. It is so good to see you again. My name is Dr. Marielena De Sanctis, and I am honored to serve as the Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System. As you know, the Colorado Community College System is the state's largest and most accessible system of higher education, serving more than 130,000 learners each year across 13 colleges and 35 locations statewide. Our role is to open doors of opportunity and ensure Coloradans can access affordable, workforce-aligned education that leads to economic mobility. That work is guided by our strategic plan, Together We Will, and grounded in the collective strength of our system, the Power of 13. But none of this work happens without strong, thoughtful governance. Our state board plays a critical role in setting direction, ensuring accountability, and keeping students at the center of every decision. It requires leaders who understand education, who value community, and who are committed to public service. And that is what brings us here today. We are pleased to introduce Jennifer Allison as a candidate for board service. Jennifer brings nearly 25 years of experience in education, including significant leadership in K systems and career in technical education Experience it closely aligns with what we do across the community college system As you know we are not only a system of community colleges but we oversee occupational education, and her experience in this area will be incredibly valuable to us. She has led high-performing schools, supported educators and learners at multiple levels, and understands firsthand the importance of preparing students for what comes next. Just as importantly, she brings a clear commitment to community, to student success, and to the kind of collaboration that strengthens systems like ours. I am confident that she will be a thoughtful and valuable addition to the board. I want to thank Governor Polis for the nomination. Thanks to you, Jennifer Allison, for your interest in serving Colorado in this manner. And thank you, Senate Education Committee, for your time, your partnership, and your continued support of Colorado's community colleges. And with that, Senator Kolker, with your permission, I would turn it over to Jennifer.

First of all, thank you, Chancellor. I appreciate those kinds of words. I don't know that I have anything else to say. But I also want to thank the committee for your time today. I appreciate it. My name is Jennifer Allison, and I'm a veteran public school educator with 24 years in Texas public schools, ranging from rural all the way to urban. I began my career as a vocational education teacher. I taught ag science as well as family and consumer science. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work my way into some leadership roles. I was a career and technical education coordinator for a large school district, then became a high school assistant principal, and then the last 17 years of my education career, I was a middle school principal. So spent lots of time having fun with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Through that time, one thing that stayed consistent for me was focus on helping students connect with learning that was all real-world applicable. trying to answer that question of when am I going to use this again. I worked with many students who didn't necessarily see a traditional four-year college as their path. So helping them and their families find meaningful and career-connected options was incredibly important. Additionally, in my professional career, I spent five years serving as the executive director for two statewide nonprofit organizations for people in the fair, festival, and event industry. That experience gave me a broader perspective on workforce needs and the importance of strong partnerships with business and industry and education, as well as the ins and outs of managing two 15-member boards. I got to see firsthand how quickly workforce demands can change and how important it is for educational systems to stay aligned and responsive. What draws me to community college and specifically to this board is the critical role they play in bridging education and workforce. They are often the most accessible and adaptable part of the system, serving not only traditional student learners, but adult learners and whole communities across both urban and rural areas. I'm most interested in supporting efforts that strengthen career pathways, expand access for non-traditional students and ensure programs are aligned with Colorado's workforce needs. I believe my background across both K-12 education and industry engagement would allow me to contribute a very practical student-centered perspective to the board's work. My husband is here with me today, Wes Allison, and because of him, we were blessed to get to make Colorado our home as we moved here right at a year ago for him to assume the role of president and CEO of the National Western. Very recently, like about four weeks ago, we have planted our roots and bought our first home in Franktown, Colorado. It is very important that I give back to the industry that has done so much for me, but more importantly, for the community and the state that we now call home. At the end of the day, through working with this board, I believe success isn't only measured by how many students we enroll, but also by how many lives we help to move forward. And with that, that's the impact that I hope to make to this board. Thank you again for your time and your consideration in this seat.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just a real quick question. Would love to know what improvements you think could be made to the National Western Stock Show.

Thank you. I appreciate that. My recommendation is let's just keep the dust down because every time I go, I can't breathe. So I appreciate it.

Yes. Yes. I move to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation, the appointment of Jennifer Allison to the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education.

Senators Bright? Yes. Coleman?

Rizal?

Kip?

Rich?

Marchman?

Mr. Chair?

I'd recommend the consent calendar.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Members of the public, Mr. Chair and committee members, I'd like to start by thanking you for the opportunity to discuss this bill today. Like many of the folks in this room and millions more listening online, my life was transformed by Colorado's public education system. That's why I'm proud to be bringing Senate Bill 170 to you today with my co-sponsor, Senator Bright. This is a bill designed to celebrate, lift up, and maximize the transformative power of a good public education. For a long time now, a student's zip code has been the strongest statistical predictor of that student's school or career outcomes, or whether that student would also be lifted by the right educational experience. This bill says not in Colorado not anymore Right now Colorado educators schools districts students and families are proving that changing outcomes for all kids no matter the circumstances they come from is possible It's modelable. It's scalable. Senator Bill 170 sets up a task force to find those educators, schools, districts, students, and families that are beating the odds, find out how they are doing it, and figure out how state-level policy can help us replicate. Senate Bill 170 acknowledges that it is the legislature's greatest imperative to start replicating the strategies to get more kids connected to the right support, inspired by the right opportunities, and successfully launch into full, happy lives. I have said this and I've practiced this, but now I'm sitting in front of you all on committee and to say this for the first time on the mic is interesting, so I'll just say And I appreciate the chair having a conversation with me earlier to be a little bit more myself when I'm in front of other people. So I'll say this. I feel as if in the 10 years I've been in office that I have failed our great state in meeting this imperative for decades. I feel that there have been generations of Colorado families that have gone underserved in the time that I've been here. and I set out in the beginning to help make sure that all of our kids had an opportunity. And that's based off of my experience and experiences that I've seen for other kids. I now have children. I thought I understood the education practice until I had kids, and I had to figure out where I was going to put them in preschool and so on and so forth. And here they are now, 15 years old, they're ninth graders, and, you know, I wouldn't allow anything except the best for my kids. But I feel like in the years that I've been here, I haven't accomplished what I needed to to help all kids in the state. And so I take that responsibility. We believe that we don't have to do that anymore in terms of failing. We have amazing Colorado kids, families, educators, and leaders. Every Colorado kid can meet grade-level math and literacy goals when they have what they need to succeed. We believe we have extraordinary educational success happening every day across our state. And we believe that Colorado has everything it needs to help all kids succeed. And, you know, that is a big goal for us to accomplish. But 170 is a relatively small bill that gets it started with the task force. It's a conversation that I wanted to follow up from last year. I thought that we needed to have what we call exploratory, not confirmatory conversation. There are people listening to this, people that may be here today, that assume what side of the argument I'm on when it comes to education, but I will just say, in the years that I've been here, I have voted in support of every policy that came across my way for education, regardless of where it came from, because I believe my members have done the right work. And I say this to you today, that my commitment with this task force is that we bring people together that aren't just coming to preach to the choir, but are truly willing to find the solutions, because I don't have the answers. I'm going to tell you. I just don't. I'm still trying to figure it out along the way with James Jr. and Naomi. It's important to note there's no general fund appropriation associated with this bill. All the funding will be coming from gifts, grants, and donations. And currently, we are fundraising for this. I've done this before with the racial equity study and others. And we're always looking for partners to help fund this work, given our tight budget. And I will just say that I know we have a few amendments that are coming today when that time comes regarding appointments and who going to be making appointments A minority report that we want to make sure is included in our task force And I also understand just from conversations with members of the committee that there are concerns with Ledge deck that I'm happy to discuss more with my co-primes in the House and Senate, as well as defining opportunity gaps, which is an ongoing conversation. And I'm committed to continuing that conversation because I really want to make sure that the people that we're picking for this task force, based off of the qualifiers, the definition of opportunity gaps is something that we can all get to a good place on. And we'll keep working on the bill. It was a long introduction. Thank you all for allowing me to share.

and I do find it to be incredibly offensive. And so I would like to ask the sponsors. You know, when I look at the ledge deck, it says these successes are not isolated miracles. They demonstrate that Colorado's education system can fulfill its promise when policy and system design are aligned around high expectation for all students. Therefore, the General Assembly declares Colorado must no longer accept persistent learning and opportunity gaps as inevitable, nor treat educational inequity as intractable condition. Instead, Colorado must commit to learning from proven successes, removing systemic barriers, and modernizing its education system. Those two paragraphs are incredibly offensive. I left my job as a supply chain manager making three times what I was making as a teacher in order to do just that. Just that. I learned all about ways to improve life for people who don't look like me or talk like me or come from situations like me. And so I understand why my phone is ringing off the hook night and day over this bill, because this is incredibly offensive. It feels like what is being said here is that what our public education system is doing now is not these things. And I hear what you're saying, but I don't see it matching the words on the paper. And so I would be interested to hear how you kind of rectify this, and then I'll get into some. I've got some other questions about things.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you very much, Senator Marshman, for your question and concern regarding the ledge deck. My commitment to you is that there is a way for us to fix the language, as you said, in D and also I think you covered in 2 on page 3. I would love some suggestions. I think today I would not be confident in making a particular change to the ledge deck or striking it until we had an opportunity to talk to our co-primes. But I would be, as we talked about offline, more than willing to have more conversation with you about what the language could be or whether or not we need to strike it.

Thank you. And I do have an amendment prepared to strike the ledge deck because, as I mentioned, if this makes it to the floor like this, we're going to hear a lot more. A lot, lot more. I don't have any recommendations for the Ledge Deck amendment. I recommend we strike it. My question is around how this is going to look at school closures and stability, our educator pipeline, prior reform effects, how we're going to make sure that it stays with local elected governance, and any kind of effects that reform has had since Colorado has raced to the top of the nation in becoming an education reform state. And so I question, and I've seen the amendments that have been brought forth, but I've also, again, had a number of phone calls and outreaches about this, and I'm still not seeing that in the bill. So the fact that it came quickly, that it's heard today, that my phone's been blowing up for 24 hours on this bill, and that there were suggestions that were ignored, is turning into a bit of a problem for me. So I would love to hear where specifically we are going to include these components in this bill.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Senator Marchman, for your questions. And what I would say is you may not, in this bill, see those specific questions addressed because in having conversations with many members since last year, when we decided not to run another bill, because I said I really wanted to make sure that we had something that we could have, as I said, an exploratory conversation over, I don't think we wanted to prescribe particular things such as how reform and whatnot has impacted our state. I think what we wanted to do is answer the question as to how we can make sure that every single one of our children are thriving. And so for that reason, that is something that I would love to leave open for the task force to further discuss, just to make sure that it is not as prescribed. I don't want the task force to meet with preconceived expectation. I think the only expectation that we want for the task force is to say what works and how do we replicate it.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Senator Coleman. You know, I am looking at the four things, five things that the bill is looking at. It's looking at the current state of opportunity gaps. It's looking at districts with a track record of closing gaps. It's looking at programs, strategies, practices. It's looking at non-financial barriers that prevent effective schools and practices. It's looking at new approaches. But it does not look at school stability, availability of qualified licensed educators, or locally accountable governments. And it also leaves out all the accountability. We just ran a really big lift of accountability. First, you know, a study and then a bill. And I would really like to see kind of those four things included in here. And I'd be willing, like taking out the reform is fine, but that's one of five things I asked for. So I still am curious about school stability, availability of qualified, licensed teachers, locally accountable governance, and effects of accountability.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you Senator Marchman And I recently received language that is still being discussed and I open to in terms of defining opportunity gap which I think would also include some of those factors that you just mentioned and I would love to continue to have that conversation to see how we can make sure that this bill but also the task force once it is implemented is actually discussing those components. Any other questions?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I appreciate the conversation we had prior to committee just continuing to define what opportunity gap is, and that would help us determine how to identify these people, that that's one of those qualifiers. But then also there's the conversation around what other language could potentially be used as the qualifier. And so that will be an ongoing conversation. But I agree it needs to be addressed because we obviously can't identify the individuals for the task force without coming to a clear, agreed upon definition of opportunity gaps. And that goes back to the prior commitment that we need to figure that out in order for us to move forward.

And I think there's so many things we can learn from failing. And I think those teachers in those schools who are being considered failure schools and those administrators could have a strong opinion on what's causing those failures. Not just looking for people who have succeeded, but looking for people, and I'm not calling these people failures, I'm just calling the situation a failure. who see these struggles and what do they need, what do they see as potential in these schools So I would recommend a person on the task force or people on the task force that have those experiences Sarah Coleman. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Senator Coker and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to present to you today. My name is Dr. Mike DeGear. I'm representing myself as well as advocates for public education policy, where I serve as the vice chair. I have been involved in education for the past 60 years. Yes, I will turn 81 this year. You can all smile. I was a teacher, principal, district-level reading coordinator, executive leadership coach, and an educated effective specialist with CDE. I provide policy analysis and research for AFRAPEP and serve as the vice chair of that organization. I learned about this bill two days ago, so I haven't had much time to study it in depth, as some of you may have had. This bill makes it seem like opportunity gaps are the same as test score gaps, that they need to be studied for the first time in Colorado. Here's the thing. We already know about opportunity gaps. Research centers across the country have been studying this issue for decades. As an example, the Learning Policy Institute in California and the National Education Policy Center together have done inordinate comprehensive studies on this issue. Kevin Willner spoke to me a few days ago about this bill. He said the bill muddles opportunity gaps and test score gaps, which some of you actually spoke to in your questioning. It tosses in the overused great equalizer language. It defines opportunity gaps as only arising through educational institutions. In the U.S., it's poverty and concentrated poverty and racialized poverty that drives most opportunity gaps when we use test scores as the measured outcome. Colorado does not need to have a task force to study opportunity gaps. We can learn from these researchers, organizations, and find out what needs to be happening. So what is really the idea behind this bill? The only phrase that jumped out at me was expanding access to effective schools for Colorado students. We already have open enrollment. We already know that we have the second highest percentage of charter schools in the country. We already have declining enrollment. So why would we want to have new schools happening? Unfortunately, the only thing I could find in my limited time to research this was a phrase called education deserts. Someone seems to be promoting the idea that we don't have enough quality school experiences in some of our places across the state. This is something that's been promoted by the arch-conservative Thomas Fordham Institute to promote charter school expansion across the country. It does not deal with the reality that Colorado schools are not failing. Colorado graduation rate reached the highest level in more than a decade. Dropout rate is at its lowest in history. Test scores do not tell the whole story. This bill is not based in verified research. It's predicated on assumptions that we don't know how to implement best practices in schools. False narratives that some schools are failing. that public schools can solve poverty, the test scores equate to the full measure of student achievement, and that students should be leaving their local public schools in order to attend alternative learning environments with purported higher test scores. I believe this bill isn't needed at all, and I urge you to vote now. Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. My name is Fernanda Saros, and I'm here representing Transform Education Now. We organize alongside parents and communities across Colorado to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality school. In our day-to-day work, we see firsthand the realities behind what the bill defines as opportunity gaps, disparities in access and outcomes tied to race income in geography these are not abstract concepts they show up in the lives of families we work with every day we work directly with parents who are seeking better options for their children families who recognize their students are being underserved and are looking for access to high quality schools too often those families are concentrated in communities where those options are limited and often unavailable we cannot call our system high performing if access to quality education depends on a student zip code background or circumstance Achievement and opportunity gaps persist and they require thoughtful and deliberate action That is why we appreciate Senate Bill 170. This bill takes an important and necessary first step by creating a task force to study where gaps exist, identify what is working, and recommend ways to expand access to effective public schools. At 10, we believe it is our responsibility to be thorough and intentional in how we address these challenges. Understanding where gaps exist and what defines an effective school and how to expand access to those opportunities is critical to ensuring we are doing right by all students. We recognize that every child deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of zip code, background, or circumstance. As long as opportunity gaps persist, we cannot say that every student in Colorado has that access. Senate Bill 170 represents a meaningful step towards changing that reality. We appreciate the sponsor and the work that has been done with stakeholders, and we respectfully urge you to vote yes on Senate Bill 170. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thanks. Chair Kolker and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Liz Waddick, and I'm the vice president of the Colorado Education Association. I'm here today on behalf of my organization as well as the American Federation of Teachers Colorado, together representing tens of thousands of educators, education support professionals, and higher education faculty across the state. We are here today in respectful amend on this position on Senate Bill 26-170. We're grateful to President Coleman and to Senator Bright for their active engagement with us on this policy and willingness to address CEA and AFT's feedback. CEA and AFT are unequivocally committed to student growth and opportunity. We believe every Colorado child deserves access to an excellent public education, which is why we fight so hard for funding, because we know that the two are inextricably tied. It's also why our organizations have supported the expansion of community schools. that have a more responsive model to the community. And to be clear, CEA and AFT support efforts to honestly examine barriers that stand in the way for many of Colorado's most vulnerable students. That shared commitment is exactly why we're asking the committee to strengthen this bill before it moves forward. Opportunity gaps don't exist in a vacuum. They're the product of a long list of interconnected, complicated factors. And if this task force is going to produce recommendations that actually move the needle. Its charge needs to reflect that complexity. To us, a holistic conversation would include the availability of qualified licensed educators, the recruitment, retention, and turnover challenges that leave too many students, especially in underserved communities, without experienced teachers, the track record of existing policies both here in Colorado and nationally with honest attention to their effects on student outcomes, and district fiscal sustainability, the role of locally accountable governance and meaningful family and community voice, and the effects of accountability systems and standardized testing on curriculum and instructional time. We also requested and were granted two structural fixes, reassigning one task force appointment away from the minority leader and ensuring that task force members have the right to request a minority report. So we ask that you support Amendment L We want this task force to succeed We firmly believe that there is progress to be made in Colorado and we should give this task force the space to explore every opportunity to do so A narrow charge will produce a narrow outcome Narrow recommendations and Colorado students deserve full conversation. Thank you, and we look forward to continuing work with the VP and the sponsors to find the right balance.

Thank you, Chair Kolker and members of the committee for the opportunity to speak today. I am Maddie Ashour, the director of K-12 education policy at the Colorado Children's Campaign. The campaign is a nonpartisan policy organization committed to making Colorado the best place to be a kid and raise a kid. We use data and research to identify what kids across our state need most and then advocate for policies that strengthen their well-being and help them thrive. We're here today in strong support of Senate Bill 170. Across generations and states, students' zip codes are one of the strongest statistical predictors of their educational outcomes. Educators, school leaders, policymakers, parents, and researchers have worked together for decades to understand why that is and to develop strategies to disrupt the stubborn status quo. We found that educational gaps are complicated. Powerful forces outside the control of schools like poverty, state policy, funding, and pandemics play a big role. But across our state, there are schools and educators achieving remarkable results, including in challenging situations and in communities that have faced barriers to getting great educations in the past. These schools are helping students grow academically, closing gaps, and preparing more kids for brighter futures. They're doing this right now within the constraints of our current system, which includes TABOR. How? The charge of this task force established in Senate Bill 170 is to find out. Colorado loves a task force, but we've never enacted one like Senate Bill 170. This task force creates space for Colorado to take a closer look at the schools that are changing the game for some of their students and to learn directly from the educators about what is making the difference for their students. Our hope is that we will be able to share and apply what we learn. We think and talk a lot about disparities, deficits, disagreements, and dysfunction in this building. Senate Bill 170 gives us a chance to talk about excellence, assets, and commonalities across state and local educational models. The work of this task force will be challenging. The members will have a lot of listening to do, especially from educators. Task force discussions will certainly be robust, but they will also be inspiring. The Colorado Children's Campaign believes in our kids, our educators, and our policymakers. If we work together to learn from what works, we can build a statewide education system that meets the needs of all kids and supports and amplifies excellence across our schools. I encourage a yes vote, happy to answer questions.

Senator Marchman. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you guys for being here. As I look at the task force, I see that in some cases it's an organization that represents teachers or superintendents or things, or a school like a charter school. And in some cases, it's just an organization. My issue, among many, is that this bill is funded by gifts, grants, and donations. And yet there's no recusal process. There nothing in here that says that the person who is paying is not sitting on the task force influencing So I really curious if you would support an amendment that would put this in line with our state ethics. And I would also like to understand what donors have already been maybe reached out to. Who's going to fund this? Anybody? I want my question answered. We're good.

My first question is, would you be willing to support an amendment that would ensure the people paying are not the people sitting on the task force? Thank you.

I imagine the Colorado Children's Campaign always supports the ethical practices that are upheld in Colorado, particularly on task forces like this. I'm looking to Senator Coleman because I don't have any of the background information about the gifts, grants, or donations piece of this. We just support the policy on its face.

Ms. Saros?

Okay, thank you. Senator Marcia? Oh, Dr. DeGear?

Sarah Marchman.

Mr. Shore?

Ms. Wadick?

No.

Democratically elected school boards are the heart of our democracy and they need to be maintained at all times,

Thank you. Other questions? Sarah Marshall. I just wanted to say, President Coleman, I do want to hear what you have to say about gifts, grants, and donations, but I wanted to take advantage of the panelists in front of us to get my other questions answered. So I'll ask you when you come up at the end. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else have questions? I do have some questions. And, again, this goes back to the questions I asked before, IDing opportunity gaps. Ms. Searles, you talked in your testimony a lot about IDing the gap, where they exist. my question is what are the gaps that you know of do you have a list of gaps that you think that aren't being filled right now there you go something's not working you got it it's green long as it's green you're good yeah

okay so what i took from your answer if they're on track if they're at grade level which requires assessments um and i don't think we always agree everyone on the assessments and resources for ieps were three things that i highlighted from what you just said um you know and and i can say

for the john c john erwin schools of excellence awards and it lists who they are and to me would these schools be considered schools that are narrowing opportunity gaps How would you define that Because I trying to figure out how we choosing these people Are we going to choose them from these? Because they're successful. They're getting recognized. We have 34 schools in Douglas County, 34 schools in Jeffco. Those are the two highest school districts with the highest number of excellent schools. um dps i wasn't able to get that count it's also high it's not as high as the other two so how are you figuring that we're going to be selecting these i mean where they're coming from is is uh uh dry creek elementary and cherry creek which is on here is that narrowing those gaps how How are we going to determine the gaps that Dry Creek, which is right off of Dry Creek Road near where I live in Centennial?

Just checking. Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.

any other questions thank you all for coming thank you for joining us and taking the time it's not easy coming down here and I appreciate it do we have anyone else in the room who would like to testify we sign up to testify who has not been called seeing none testimony phase is closed to the amendment phase and back to the bill sponsors We have talked about an amendment, but we don't have an amendment. Both of you haven't moved an amendment. Who would like to?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Conceptual. Senator Marchman.

maybe coming out. And now I'm hearing you say, oh, I don't know. We might just tweak the language. And so I feel like things are a little bit shifting, to be honest. So maybe you could clarify for me what you are willing to do to give me a good reason not to, yeah.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Senator Marchman. Just to make sure that I'm clear, in this committee, I talked about, you know, is there a way for us to be able to change the language, amend the language? But in our conversation earlier, I said that it was something that I wanted to shop, as you said, to my members in the other chamber. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to do that. I completely understand and apologize if I misled you. And so if you need to run an amendment, I completely understand. And then I will also continue to have that conversation with my House co-primes.

No other amendments. The amendment phase is closed. Final comments on the bill? Close or questions? Senator Marchman.

Senator Coleman.

about how to help our kids. Thank you. Thank you. I do have a question before you go into your closing. It was brought up to me, this is something that we discussed in another bill, and I was able to learn more about them, is facility schools. Facility schools are dealing with some of the most severe disabled, and how are we going to be, I mean, there's definitely a gap in how we're supporting them. How are they going to be represented, or can they be represented? And I don't know if you have an answer for that, but at least I wanted to bring that up. Senator Coleman.

Thank you. Because not just facility schools, but kids with disabilities, you know, because in the opportunity gap definition that we have here, based on factors such as race, socioeconomic status, and geography that may result, I would love to see if we're going to add something, make sure it's kids with disabilities. That was brought up in the testimony, the IEP resources, because if they don't have that, federal government requires us to do that, but they don't give us funding that's allocated to the need. And I would love that discussed, too. Just a suggestion. Thank you. Who would like to finish here? Senator Coleman?

Senator Bright.

um mesa we had appleton and broadway i think that's your district correct senator rich redlands love to hear from them too what they're doing so i

senator kipp she's in another committee at that time of year we're getting our time split so just a moment Thank you. Thank you. We have had the bill moved but Senator Kipp is back and she has some closing comments too Senator Kipp?

Thank you, Senator Kipper. Appreciate that. The motion has been made. Ms. Chris-Faylor, will you please take the poll? Senators Bright? Yes. Coleman? Aye. Brazil? Aye. Kip? Yes. Rich? Aye. Marchman? I'll be an aye for today. Mr. Chair? Aye. There's still some things to work on, but we'll be an aye. That passes unanimously. Senator Marchman, do you have a comment here? Oh, no, I'm sorry. You have your hand up. I'm sorry.

Next, where's my list? We have Senate Bill 166 with our own Senator Kipp as former, I think, temporary member, I think you were on, Ed, for a flash. Who would like to start us off? Senator Benavides.

Yeah.

Thank you. Any other comments? We do not have any witnesses. No, not for seconds. Is there anyone in the room that would like to testify? See no one. The witness phase is closed. To the amendment phase. Yes. Senator Kipp, would you like to move your amendment?

Thank you. And Senator Benavides, you'd like to explain?

Thank you.

Is that right? Senator Benavides?

All right.

Senator Benavides.

Comments, questions? I'm a little slow on the uptake. Sorry. Anyone? Okay. Any objections to this amendment? We have an objection. Can we please take a vote? Senator Spright?

Coleman?

Brazil? No.

Rich? No.

Mr. Chair? Aye.

Passes 4-2. Thank you. Any other amendments? None? Okay. We'll take a senatorial 5. We just need Senator Coleman back. But we can do the rest of it. Yeah, but did you close the amendment phase? Okay. We can. Thank you. Any amendments from the committee? Seeing none, the amendment phase is closed. Final comments. Go ahead.

Senator Kipp.

Second. I'm just joking. We don't do that. That's a proper motion. Ms. Chris-Faylor, can you take the poll, please? Senators Bright?

Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. Totally spaced. Senator Frizzell.

anyone else all right um again just to make sure that i'm understanding and maybe i'm not clear If they've committed a crime of violence or a drug, felony drug offense, and it is defined, they cannot serve unless they're sentenced to less than 10 years or less than 10 years after they've completed their sentence. Senator Kipp?

Make it clear?

Thank you. Any other comments? Ms. Kurzweil, if you'd take the poll, please. Senator Sprite?

Coleman? Aye.

Kip? Yes.

Marchman? Aye.