Press Room

Hudak bill to improve the school turnaround process passes first hurdle

Wednesday, April 20 2011

“This bill is about making sure that parent and community input is heard”

DENVER— Today, a bill to improve public input in school turnaround improvement plans passed the Senate Education Committee.  Senate Bill 80, sponsored by Senator Evie Hudak (D-Westminster), directs local school boards to seek input from the public by conducting a public meeting prior to adopting a school turnaround plan. A school turnaround plan occurs when a school has shown inadequate performance relative to annual and long-term academic proficiency targets for all students. The Colorado Department of Education and local school districts are required to intervene in schools that persistently do not meet these targets.

Under Senate Bill 80, local school boards must hold public meetings and take public input before submitting a turnaround plan for evaluation by the state review panel. This will substantially increase the level of public involvement in the turnaround process for a particular school.

Senator Hudak offered the following comment on the committee passage of Senate bill 80:

“This bill is about making sure that parent and community input is heard during the school turnaround process.  Parent and community involvement and transparency in the development of a school’s turnaround plan is vital in reforming our education system. The public must be able to play a leadership role in school improvement plans.”