A Representative View: Legislative Year Succeeds In Putting Kids At Top Of Agenda

by Andrew Romanoff, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives

Stick 100 people in the same building for 17 weeks, and you’re bound to see an occasional disagreement. But as the dust settles on this year’s legislative session, one conclusion is clear: children came out on top.

The Second Regular Session of the 66th General Assembly reached an end on May 6, one day ahead of schedule. This was the eighth year I’ve served in the legislature, my fourth year in the majority, and the single best session for kids.

Forget the food fights. Focus on the facts. The bills we passed this year will help Colorado’s children:

Start school ready to learn. Brain science confirms what most parents and teachers already know: early childhood education works. Children who participate in high-quality preschool and kindergarten are less likely to lag their classmates, repeat a grade, or drop out. Yet too many families can’t afford such programs.

Lawmakers took action. We passed a balanced budget that put children first. The result: 25,000 more 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds will be able to attend preschool and full-day kindergarten.

Find a safe place to go to school. Nearly 90 percent of the school districts in Colorado report a health or safety problem in at least one of their facilities. Many school buildings across our state – especially those in rural Colorado – are literally falling down. In some classrooms, the roof is caving in; in others, the floorboards are so rotten that they can’t hold up a desk.

Lawmakers took action. We decided to “Build Excellent Schools Today.” The BEST Act will steer up to $1 billion toward school repairs – the single largest investment in school construction in Colorado history. And we created a school safety resource center to help schools prevent, prepare for, and respond to crises.

Develop the skills to succeed. High-paying jobs in the 21st century will demand more than a high-school diploma. Yet nearly a quarter of Colorado’s high-school students fail to graduate, and a third who enter college need remedial education.

Lawmakers took action. We invested in teacher training and professional development. We allowed schools and school districts more flexibility to innovate. And we adopted a new blueprint for public education – the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids – to prepare students for postsecondary work.

Compete with their counterparts around their world. A skilled workforce tops every employer’s priority list. Yet deep cuts in recent years have left Colorado near last place in public support for higher education.

Lawmakers took action. We added $60 million to college stipends, work-study funding, and financial aid. We dedicated tens of millions of dollars to the infrastructure of our colleges and universities. And we brought thousands of good jobs to Colorado by cutting taxes for small businesses and by investing in bioscience, renewable energy, and other homegrown industries.

Stay healthy. One out of every seven children in Colorado is uninsured. These children are more likely to go without vaccinations, to develop chronic conditions, and to use the emergency room as their primary source of care. The net effect: a lower quality of life, a greater risk of contagious disease, and higher costs for everyone else.

Lawmakers took action. We provided health coverage for 50,000 more children. We forced insurers to justify their rate hikes and to honor their policies. We expanded mental-health treatment for victims of child abuse and neglect. And we increased reimbursement rates for health-care providers, so that they can continue to treat Colorado’s most vulnerable children.

It’s been more than a decade since Gov. Roy Romer vowed to make Colorado the best place in America to raise a child. The work we did this year, under the leadership of Gov. Bill Ritter and Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate, brought us far closer to achieving that goal.