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I’m a little young to be growing so cynical, but how else would you explain why I’m not surprised by this recent story from Education News Colorado? Only $7 million out of $312 million in federal stimulus funds for education has actually been allocated to Colorado districts. Delays and changes in federal rules and the bureaucratic process of processing and approving district applications are the primary culprits for the delay, the State Board of Education was told Thursday. Maybe someone blew the pixie dust off that magical money tree. Because first, the money blew away from real education reform. Now it’s making its way from D.C. to Colorado school districts on the backs of some tired old pack mules. Now tell me again: How desperately do school districts need that money? Why are we relying so much on the federal magic money tree to help students learn? Oh wait, yeah. The money mainly will prop up the existing system. If students happen to learn, that’s just a nice bonus. Seems to me like there must be better ways to turn this thing around….

Remember the poor kids in our nation’s capital who benefit from the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program? Last night D.C. Parents for School Choice Executive Director Virginia Walden Ford sent out an email alerting supporters about a new troubling development from Capitol Hill: Just an hour ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the omnibus bill that kills the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). This is devastating news, and it means that if this bill makes it through the U.S. Senate and is signed into law by President Obama, the OSP will slowly die, with no new students permitted to access great schools through this groundbreaking program. When we began the fight to save this program more than a year ago, we pledged that we would fight hard and fight long and fight to the finish. We said we wouldn’t give up–regardless of the odds. Tonight is no exception. The House passed the voucher-killing omnibus by a tiny margin. The Senate must still act. So, we have not yet been defeated in our effort. To get the full picture, check out a new Weekly Standard piece by Sheryl Blunt aptly titled “The Teachers’ Unions that Stole Christmas”:

Okay, this is hard for me to admit because you’ll probably make fun of me. Here goes: I’m afraid of witches. Yeah, they really creep me out, especially that cackling old hag on the Wizard of Oz. But I learned about something this week that frightened me about as much, and that was an attempted “witch-hunt” audit proposal by four state legislators against Colorado’s public charter schools. (Check out our GoBash blog for all the details, including a copy of the proposal and an important podcast discussion.) Democratic state senator Lois Tochtrop was correct to describe the proposal as a “witch-hunt.” I’m glad she and the four Republicans on the Legislative Audit Committee shot down the bad idea and spared the tens of thousands of Colorado charter school students and their families from an attack on their public school choice. So, okay already, can these state legislators stop trying to frighten little 5-year-old kids like me?

Every year the Center for Education Reform rates the quality of different states’ charter school laws based on their flexibility and equity. This week they released the new edition, and the news again is good for Colorado — one of only 13 states with “strong laws that do not require significant revisions.” But I’m never satisfied with a B letter grade, and neither should Colorado. As usual, there are some key improvements that can be made to our state’s charter school law: More alternative authorizing options beyond the state’s Charter School Institute Greater opportunity for charters to have autonomy from district policies over budgeting, personnel and the like Greater opportunity to access funding for the construction and maintenance of school facilities It’s great to be one of the best states when it comes to charter school laws. But as long as the District of Columbia, Minnesota, California, Utah, Arizona and Michigan stand ahead of Colorado, our work is cut out for us to provide the best in independent public school innovation that meets the needs and demands of families in our state.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports some interesting developments in that city’s nearly two decades old voucher program (H/T Joanne Jacobs). Four Milwaukee voucher schools — including the fast-growing independent Atlas Preparatory Academy — now have more than 750 students each. More than 21,000 students total are enrolled in 111 voucher schools this year. But what’s really telling: And 18 schools that were on the voucher roster a year ago were not there. It’s hard to get sentimental looking at the list. Most were small or weak. Some could not meet the tightened requirements of state law, including rules being applied full force now that voucher schools get accredited by independent organizations…. “The market is working,” said Terry Brown, who heads St. Anthony. “It’s not a perfect market,” but over time many bad schools have been weeded out.

State Treasurer Cary Kennedy seems like a nice lady, and I think it must be hard being a politician in such an office — especially during the tough budget times faced by state government and the difficult decisions that requires. But does the current budget reality mean Treasurer Kennedy can have it both ways? As the Denver Post has reported, Governor Bill Ritter is asking K-12 schools to give up $260 million in expected funding between the current budget year and 2010-11 — despite Amendment 23’s constitutional requirement to guarantee annual increases in the core of state K-12 education funding. As my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow has noted, the potential showdown between union-backed Ritter and the Colorado Education Association over the proposed cuts could make for “interesting times.” For Treasurer Kennedy, who devised Amendment 23 but now in office stands by fellow Democrat Bill Ritter, the scenario presents an especially challenging dilemma. Ed News Colorado’s coverage of Kennedy’s Friday speech to the Colorado Association of School Boards at the luxury Broadmoor hotel (a good use of taxpayer funds itself?) really captures the challenge she faces:

You’ve all heard that little girl singing about all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth. Well, forget her. All I want for Christmas (and I really, really mean it … no Legos, no Nintendo games, nothing else would matter) is to be nominated for the 2009 Edublog Awards — Best Individual Blog category. Because their rules say I can’t nominate myself, I am dependent on the kindness of strangers. In shameless hopes of a little reciprocation (hey, I’m 5 years old … what maturity level do you expect?), I will take this opportunity to nominate a few of my favorites: Best Individual Blog: Colorado Charters Best Group Blog: Jay P. Greene Best New Blog: Education Next Okay, now please hurry up! You only have until next Tuesday, December 8, to nominate me (read the instructions here). I won’t ask for anything else for Christmas … I promise. Well, maybe, except for the Denver Broncos Mr. Potatohead — that would be totally awesome!

This week the Detroit News reported on one of the measured reactions Michiganders have to proposals to address that state’s budget crisis: Local public school districts have too little funding to provide a quality education, according to 60 percent of voters surveyed in an exclusive Detroit News/WXYZ (Channel 7) poll released Tuesday. Only 23 percent of respondents said the taxes and fees paid for public education are “too high”; 60 percent said they are about right, and 12 percent said “too low.” What’s missing from the story?

Thanks to the Complete Colorado site, I saw this revealing article from yesterday’s Boulder Daily Camera: Boulder Valley began taking open-enrollment requests for the 2010-2011 school year this week, but the school district’s new online application system crashed within an hour of its debut — possibly because of an overwhelming number of applicants, officials said. According to the school district website, they hope to have the system back up and running in a little while — by noon local time. I’m not so interested in the technical difficulties (though some of my Education Policy Center friends have examined the quality of school districts’ online choice information), but in the reminder that open enrollment time for many Colorado school districts is here or soon will be. And whether you’re in Boulder Valley or Jeffco, on the Western Slope or Eastern Plains, or anywhere in our great Centennial State, you need to bookmark the School Choice for Kids website for all kinds of valuable information on different schools and the process of selecting the best one for your child. And may you not encounter any crashing computer systems along the way.

Last night marked a key moment of transition for the Denver Public Schools, as the old, reform-friendly Board made its last votes and the new, not-so-reform-friendly Board was sworn in to take its place. More remarkable and bizarre, however, was how dramatically events unfolded, as reported by Ed News Colorado: As board member Michelle Moss walked up to take her seat for what was to be her last meeting in eight years representing southwest Denver, her newly elected replacement Andrea Merida told her that she would be sitting on the dais instead. Merida, rather than waiting to take the oath of office with two other new members after the meeting, had instead been sworn in hours earlier so she could cast a vote on the controversial reforms.