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.

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.

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.

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

Mill Levy Correction Resources 

Mill Levy Correction refers to a legal and legislative directive to correct an interpretation of statute by CDE that led to a historical undercollection of property taxes in education in Colorado school districts. Mill Levy Correction will be implemented starting in the 2021 tax year. A new toolkit is available on the CDE website that includes the following resources:

PAEMST Awards – Nominations and applications open

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the highest honors bestowed by the U.S. government specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computer science teaching.

Principals, teachers, parents, students or members of the general public may nominate exceptional Colorado STEM teachers who are teaching grades K-6 for the 2021-22 award year. Eligible teachers may also apply directly on the PAEMST website. The nomination deadline is Jan. 7, and the application deadline is Feb. 6.

Call for Nominations for the Colorado School Counselor Corps Grant Program Advisory Board

Representatives for the School Counselor Corps Grant Advisory Board are needed from school districts or individuals with expertise in elementary, middle and high school counseling; Labor and Employment; student retention; counselor education; and/or career planning.

Priority for these positions will be given to individuals from rural communities or a K-12 building. The SCCGP Advisory Board provides recommendations to CDE for the Colorado School Counselor Corps Grant Program. Each member of the board shall serve at the pleasure of CDE for a term of three years with the possibility of extending to a second term based upon the member’s eligibility. More information can be found on the SCCGP Advisory Board webpage. 

Department of Early Childhood transition plan is moving along

After months of intense stakeholder engagement and building upon years of work in Colorado to align our early childhood system, the Department of Early Childhood Transition Plan is one step closer to approval.

On Nov. 1, the Transition Working Group submitted the plan to the Early Childhood Leadership Council, which has until Monday, Nov. 15, to approve the plan, at which point it will be final and shared with the Colorado Legislature.

Access the completed Department of Early Childhood Transition Plan here (PDF).

A report of recommendations for the universal preschool program will be submitted on Jan. 1, 2022, to the ECLC.

Information about the planning process, including opportunities to get involved, can be found on this website. 
 

Colorado Department of Human Services launches program to promote youth mental health

The CDHS Office of Behavioral Health and partners have launched I Matter, a program to promote youth emotional and mental health. Young people can take a confidential survey to be matched up with a mental health professional who can best support them. Every youth is then eligible for three free counseling sessions.

Visit IMatterColorado.org to learn more.

Prepare for the 2022 Teaching and Learning Conditions survey - now including Education Support Professionals

The 2022 Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado (TLCC) survey launches Wednesday, Jan. 19. This anonymous online survey of all school-based licensed educators and education support professionals promotes discussions in schools and districts about instruction, planning time, professional development, school improvement and related policy issues.

CDE will send headcount numbers based upon data from the 2020-21 Human Resources Collection to accountability contacts and human resource contacts. These count estimates will help determine the number of codes to send each school for staff to access the survey. Districts must confirm the numbers by Friday, Dec. 3.

Schools and districts must have at least 50% participation to view their own data. Inaccurate counts could result in an interference with schools getting their TLCC survey data back.

For more information on the survey, including changes from previous years, are available on the TLCC website. 

View the TLCC 2022 Save the Date Flyer (PDF).

ALAS Outlines Priorities Following its 18^th Annual National Summit Legislative Day

Areas of focus for 2021-2022 are migrant education, the Latino educator and administrator pipeline, and improving access to inclusive educational materials

ALAS Celebrates its Platinum Partners for Shared Commitment to Latino-Serving Leaders

Curriculum Associates, Footsteps to Brilliance, Hazel Health, Imagine Learning, and Scholastic will all provide financial and in-kind support throughout the year

UCCS Student Survey Request

Take the survey

Survey from the Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance

The Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance has contracted with the Urban Institute to conduct a study on methods for counting at-risk students for school finance purposes. To facilitate stakeholder input, the Urban Institute has developed a short survey, which should only take five minutes to complete.

The committee would appreciate your feedback. Please feel free to share the survey with others who might be interested.

You can access the survey below.

Take the survey

Your input will help guide the Urban Institute's work, ensuring that a full set of alternative at-risk measure options are explored and assessed. To ensure that your feedback is included in the analysis, please complete this survey by Tuesday, October 12.

The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Announces Recipients of its 2021-2022 Leadership Awards

18 outstanding leaders to be recognized at the ALAS 18^th Annual National Gala and Awards Dinner Oct. 9^th in Washington, D.C.

School Bus Rebate Programs 

Please be aware that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened up two School Bus Rebate programs yesterday. These programs provide funding to replace older diesel buses with cleaner school buses.

• The latest round of the DERA School Bus Rebates can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/dera/rebates

• The new 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates can be found here: https://www.epa.gov/dera/2021-american-rescue-plan-arp-electric-school-bus-rebates

• Note: The new ARP rebates exclusively fund electric school bus replacements at a rebate amount of $300,000 per bus, but the rebates are narrowly targeted to school districts estimated to have high student poverty levels. School districts and private fleets serving public schools must check the eligibility list at the link above to determine if they qualify to apply to this new program. The ARP rebate webpage also includes a table comparing the two rebate programs.

You will find separate applications, program guides, and FAQs at the two sites above. The programs will follow the same timeline, with applications due by Friday, November 5, 2021, at 4pm EST.