YOUR AD HERE »

Across the Street column: Education rules help districts follow state law

Joyce Rankin
Across the Street
Joyce Rankin
Larry Laszlo |

Elections are over! Congratulations to all candidates who ran for their local school boards and to those winning their elections. Now the hard work begins as you serve your community schools.

I’ve been busy watching elections, visiting an online school, attending the West Slope Superintendent’s meeting in Grand Junction, and making new rules as I serve on the State Board of Education.

First, the rule making. In one of my 2016 columns I reported: “The Colorado State Board of Education does not make law. The Colorado General Assembly, representatives and senators, are the only people who can make law in Colorado. The State Board of Education is responsible for promulgating rules that local districts use to follow the laws.” Since new education laws were passed in 2017 we are now adopting new rules that accompany them. At the November meeting we voted on the rules Governing Standards for Career and Academic Plan (ICAP). We also voted in favor of the School Health Professional Grant Program and discussed a research grant request titled “Safe Communities, Safe Schools.”



Other parts of the job are actually more “fun.” I recently attended an open house for Goal Academy, an online school on Main Street in the heart of Grand Junction. Goal Academy “leverages multiple resources to develop highly personalized learning pathways deigned to re-engage disconnected youth with learning.” Some students, for various reasons, have difficulty learning within the traditional school environment. They and their parents may decide that an online school, with student directed flexibility, is a better choice. I visited with current students, graduates, teachers and parents as I learned more about this educational opportunity. One of the students, who loves learning about History and has a desire to pursue a career in politics, attended with his father. At my invitation they are both planning a visit to the Colorado State Capitol to observe state government firsthand.

The West Slope superintendent’s conference was held last month in Grand Junction. I attended at the invitation of Chairman Ken Haptonstall, new superintendent of Mesa 51 School District. These meetings give superintendents an opportunity to hear of the challenges and successes of fellow superintendents on the Western Slope. West End Superintendent Mike Epright earned a huge round of applause for moving one of his schools off of turnaround status on the accountability clock.



The State Board of Education meets two days a month at the Colorado Department of Education in Denver. The meetings are audio streamed live, and archived for future reference, on the CDE website. Beginning in December the meetings will be videoed at the same online location.

I’m honored to represent the 3rd Congressional District on the State Board of Education. Please send me your thoughts or concerns on educational issues.

Joyce Rankin is a member of the State Board of Education. “Across the Street” will appear monthly.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.