Starting in January, Democrats will control Colorado’s State Board of Education for the first time in 50 years,reports Chalkbeat.
This is just the latest sign that,as HPPR has reported in the past, the former red state is now trending blue.
So what does this mean for the education board? Unclear, given that Colorado Democrats are themselves divided on education issues. While they all seem to agree that it’s important to protect Colorado’s most vulnerable children, such as immigrants, they’re less united on what to do about, say, charter schools. Thus, a shift in control likely won’t change the board’s plans for the state’s lowest-performing schools. But it could mean a change in academic standards.
It’s also unclear who will lead the board. The obvious candidate is Angelika Schroeder, a Democrat from Boulder, since she currently serves as the board’s vice chair. But Schroeder is recovering from heart surgery and hasn’t said whether she wants the job.