HB 17-1287: Achieving A Vision For Education In Colorado

This bill creates a legislative steering committee tasked with establishing a vision for the future of education in Colorado and developing a strategic plan to achieve that vision. The bill also creates an advisory board with representatives from the department of education, department of higher education, governor’s office and early childhood leadership commission. A second advisory board would consist of representatives from education stakeholder groups from across the state.

The plan would undergo four phases: • Researching high-performing education systems in other states and countries to compare with Colorado’s current system • Collecting public input from teachers, parents and any groups wanting to be involved across the state • Analyzing information collected and creating the vision and strategic plan to achieve it • Adopting and implementing the plan

Legislative procedure in Colorado requires every introduced bill to have a hearing in committee. The committee members will either support the bill and vote pass it out of committee for consideration by the full body, or kill the bill and vote to “indefinitely postpone” it.

A pro-education vote on HB 1287 on the House Floor was a “yes” vote. However, the motion in the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee was to “indefinitely postponed” the bill so the pro-education vote was a “no” vote.