Achieving A Vision For Education In Colorado

The bill creates a strategic planning legislative steering committee (steering committee) to lead the statewide effort to establish a vision for education in the state (vision) and create a strategic statewide education plan (strategic plan) to achieve the vision. The bill creates an executive advisory board consisting of representatives from the departments of education and higher education, a co-chair of the early childhood leadership commission, and a representative from the governor's office. The chair and vice-chair of the steering committee will appoint a statewide advisory board consisting of representatives of the pertinent education stakeholder groups from around the state. The steering committee must contract with a nonprofit, nonadvocacy organization to act as facilitator for the steering committee and the advisory boards.

The bill describes the duties of the steering committee to be completed, with assistance from the advisory boards and the facilitator, in 4 phases. The duties include:

• Reviewing and synthesizing input already collected by the departments of education and higher education concerning the state education system;
• Reviewing research to identify the critical elements of the existing state education system and benchmarking the elements as implemented in Colorado against the elements as implemented in high-performing states and countries;
• Creating a structure and process for soliciting and synthesizing input from around the state to create the vision and the strategic plan; and
• After creating the vision and the strategic plan, overseeing the ongoing implementation of the strategic plan, including measuring the state's progress toward achieving the vision, periodically reviewing the vision and strategic plan, and, if necessary, revising the vision and strategic plan.

The steering committee must establish the timeline for creating the vision and the strategic plan and for beginning to implement the strategic plan. Beginning November 15, 2017, the steering committee must submit an annual report to the state board of education, the Colorado commission on higher education, the governor, and the education committees of the general assembly summarizing the work it completes each year and recommending legislative and regulatory changes, if necessary.

The steering committee and the advisory boards are not subject to sunset review.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)