Author: Jason Gonzales

Sign up for our free monthly newsletter Beyond High School to get the latest news about college and career paths for Colorado’s high school grads. Surrounded by a half-circle of 20 students from Aurora Central High School, Becky Palacios Romero fielded questions on Thursday afternoon about her time at the University of Colorado Denver.The sophomore, an international business major, focused on her experience rather than convincing the students at her former high school that they should apply during the week’s final statewide free application day. That’s because every Aurora Public Schools student is now guaranteed acceptance and application fees waived…

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Beyond High School is our free monthly newsletter covering higher education policy and practices in Colorado. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox early.A coalition of liberal groups hope to put a tax reform measure on the November 2026 ballot that could result in significant additional funding for K-12 schools and higher education. The Protect Colorado’s Future coalition wants to amend a portion of the state’s constitution that mandates a flat income tax rate, currently set at 4.4%. The draft measure, which the group unveiled Wednesday, would ask voters to approve a new graduated income tax. Taxes would…

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Beyond High School is our free monthly newsletter covering higher education policy and practices in Colorado. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox early.Federally funded research grants have paved the way to life-saving treatments and contribute millions to local economies.But, according to a new study, the 2026 Trump administration budget cuts could halt that research, result in job losses, and hurt the economy in every U.S. congressional district.These estimates from the Science and Community Impacts Mapping Project say slashing National Institutes of Health grants, which are just 1% of the federal budget, by $18 billion within Trump’s “big,…

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Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Colorado voters are set to consider two ballot measures this year to help fund free school meals. But state lawmakers now want one of the measures to also cover the costs of federal food benefits that have been cut.State lawmakers initially put Proposition MM on the ballot to ensure the state’s two-year-old Healthy School Meals for All program, which provides free school meals to all Colorado students, has enough money to operate. Proposition MM, one…

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Beyond High School is our free monthly newsletter covering higher education policy and practices in Colorado. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox early.A new report shows fewer Colorado college students are graduating with debt — and the debt they do have on average is thousands less than 10 years ago.The numbers compiled within the state’s seventh Return on Investment report released on Thursday also highlights that a college education continues to help residents stay employed and get jobs with higher wages.Overall, the report provides a data trove that seeks to show college is worth the time and…

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Sign up for our free monthly newsletter Beyond High School to get the latest news about college and career paths for Colorado’s high school grads.Colorado would need to spend $3.5 billion to $4.1 billion more to adequately resource K-12 public schools and help students learn, according to two studies released Friday.The studies, commissioned by state lawmakers and conducted by two independent groups, offer different models and figures to adequately fund schools. But they similarly say Colorado should dramatically increase K-12 spending beyond the $9.8 billion budgeted this year — an argument education advocates have made for years.“The studies contain recommendations…

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