Qualified educators are eligible for an annual payment of up to $5,000 toward their outstanding educational loans

DENVER – Dec. 15, 2021: The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) is now accepting applications for its Educator Loan Forgiveness Program, which will grant up to $5,000 annually to educators currently serving rural districts or teaching in hard-to-fill positions. This program is funded for five years. To qualify, teachers, administrators, and special service providers must have a license valid in the state of Colorado.
 
The program prioritizes applicants who serve in rural school districts or teach in content shortage areas—subjects that historically attract fewer educators. Prospective applicants can check eligibility on the CDHE website. Additional information and FAQ can be found in the program’s informational booklet.
 
To apply, prospective participants first fill out the interest survey. Doing so will grant them access to the online application portal where they can complete their application. Completed applications must be submitted by April 15, 2022. CDHE will notify all applicants of their program status within 60 days from the close of the application.
 
“As we deal with educator shortages across the state, this loan forgiveness program is particularly timely,” said Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, sponsor of the original loan-forgiveness bill in the state legislature. “Colorado teachers have demonstrated their worthiness in the face of the disheartening challenges brought on by COVID-19. This program rewards the educators who have shown their willingness to invest in our children and our communities.”
 
The loan forgiveness program is among several strategies CDHE and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) are pursuing to help curb the state’s educator shortage, which has hit rural districts especially hard. According to CDE’s Education Shortage Survey 2020-21, small rural districts had the highest percentage of teaching positions that remained unfilled.
 
For more information, visit the Educator Loan Forgiveness webpage.

Meeting Reminder

Wednesday, Dec 15, 2021 
3:00-5:30 pm
Join with Zoom
Meeting ID: 8976129 5150
Passcode: 014029

Key Meeting Topics

• Review draft recommendations
• Discuss feedback on recommendations

Important Documents

• Meeting agenda with background materials
• Draft Universal Preschool Recommendations
• Stakeholder feedback
• All Subgroup Reports

The ECLC is required by legislation to convene a Transition Advisory Group (TAG), to learn from parents/families, members of the early childhood workforce, providers, school districts, human services leaders, Councils, and other stakeholders. 

The LCS Chronicle

Your Digital Newsletter from The Legislative Council Staff

Looking Forward to 2022

As 2021 nears its close, Legislative Council Staff are reflecting on another year spent doing what we do best - serving the Colorado General Assembly.  The 2021 legislative session brought many new procedures as the COVID pandemic continued to challenge our normal ways of doing business.  The LCS helped the legislature develop new ways for members and the public to safely participate in the legislative process.  We also adopted new and more efficient ways to conduct our work too.  Throughout all the changes of the past year, however, our commitment to serve the Colorado General Assembly safely and effectively remains unchanged.  As you prepare for the 2022 legislative session, please know that LCS staff are available to assist with any issue.
  
Do you have a question for LCS?  Contact LCS today by stopping by our front office in Room 048 in the State Capitol, by emailing [email protected], or calling 303.866.3521.

Scholarship Spots for Girls With Impact’s Business & Leadership Academy

Families - We’re partnering with Girls With Impact to bring you scholarships for their 10-week mini-MBA program. Girls With Impact is the nation’s online live, online business, and leadership academy for young women, 14-18. We are able to offer these scholarships courtesy of Denver headquartered company, US Bank.

Winter classes start the weeks of January 10th and will fill up, so sign up today.

EDITOR’S NOTE
This is the final issue of ED Review for 2021.  Publication will resume January 7, 2022.  We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

FIGHTING COVID-19: WINTER PLAN

The Colorado Academic Standards revision committees for the Arts and Social Studies have released draft recommendations for revision of the academic standards. The feedback window will be open until Jan. 1, 2022.

The State Board of Education is required to review and revise approximately one-third of the standards beginning in 2022 and an additional one-third every two years thereafter. The review and revision of all academic standards will be divided into three groups and each of the three groups will go through the following cycles:

CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Save the Date for the 2022 Winter Legislative Conference — February 24 and 25 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver. Learn more on our website.
• Whether you attended the 81st Annual CASB Convention or not, members want to be sure to access many of the presentations and resources on our website. (member login is required)
• Encourage new board members to watch the CASB Conversations webinar: What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction. This important issue is relevant now as districts are certifying their mill levies. CDE’s Mill Levy Correction communication toolkit provides additional resources for boards and districts.

ADVOCACY

CSFP’s Annual State Profile Reports

The 2021 State Profile compares audited data noting changes between 2019-20 to the base year of 1992. Data is audited which lags behind the current year. It is important to know that this data is pre-pandemic data. The 2019-20 school year is a good base year for looking at enrollment numbers for student populations when thinking about discussions around 5 year averaging for school districts. 

Three reports from the state profile data:

The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Announces New Regional Directors

Life Skills Training for High School Students

Apply for the grant from the University of Colorado Boulder that, as part of a research study, covers all costs to implement the Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) High School program, an evidence-informed social-emotional learning and substance abuse prevention curriculum.

Applications are due by January 31, 2022, and typically take less than 30 minutes. Awards will be announced in March 2022.

CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Save the Date for the 2022 Winter Legislative Conference — February 24 and 25 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.
• Encourage new board members to watch the CASB Conversations webinar: What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction. This important issue will become even more relevant in December as districts are certifying their mill levys. CDE’s Mill Levy Correction communication toolkit provides additional resources for boards and districts. 

ADVOCACY

The Colorado Academic Standards revision committees for the Arts and Social Studies have released draft recommendations for revision of the academic standards. The feedback window will be open from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1, 2022.

Provide feedback through the standards online system.

Provide general feedback for the social studies and the arts standards through email: [email protected].

Learn more on CDE's website

CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Did you know students can register for a Student Leadership Strand at Convention? Encourage students from your district to engage and elevate student voice at this year’s Convention. The students will be presenting three breakout sessions — you won’t want to miss out.
• The 81st Annual CASB Convention: Resilient, Ready, Relentless for Colorado Students will be held on Dec 2-4 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The Marriott Courtyard still has rooms available. Please check our website for current updates on hotel availability.
• Save the Date for the 2022 Winter Legislative Conference — February 24 and 25 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.
• Encourage new board members to watch the CASB Conversations webinar: What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction. This important issue will become even more relevant in December as districts are certifying their mill levys. CDE’s Mill Levy Correction communication toolkit provides additional resources for boards and districts. 

ADVOCACY

CASB Serving You!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

• Did you know students can register for a Student Leadership Strand at Convention? Encourage students from your district to engage and elevate student voice at this year’s Convention. The students will be presenting three breakout sessions — you won’t want to miss out.
• The 81st Annual CASB Convention: Resilient, Ready, Relentless for Colorado Students will be held on Dec 2-4 at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The Marriott Courtyard still has rooms available. Please check our website for current updates on hotel availability.
• Save the Date for the 2022 Winter Legislative Conference — February 24 and 25 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver.
• Encourage new board members to watch the CASB Conversations webinar: What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction. This important issue will become even more relevant in December as districts are certifying their mill levys. CDE’s Mill Levy Correction communication toolkit provides additional resources for boards and districts. 

ADVOCACY