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Public Education

POLIS IS MEDDLING IN OUR SCHOOLS

Governor Jared Polis, as head of the National Governors Association, has launched a plan called “Let’s Get Ready! Educating All Americans for Success.”      On the surface, it sounds pretty good, helping students succeed and keep America competitive. But when you read the details, it becomes clear that this plan isn’t really about helping kids learn. It’s about reshaping education to serve the state’s goals, not students’ needs. Sounds like socialism to me. Public schools are already controlled by the state based on monopoly state ownership, and survive only through compulsion and taxation, but Polis wants to take it one step further. 

 

Polis’s plan says  governors should “define a vision for ‘readiness’ at every level of the education system.” The “roadmap” released by Polis and the NGA offers their own definitions of student readiness that go far beyond basic academic proficiency. The initiative stresses not just math and reading, but “workforce preparedness, civic engagement, and lifelong well-being.” That’s not education; that’s workforce management. Polis is interested in molding young people to fit the mold of the jobs the state wants them to fill.

 

According to an interview in the Washington Post, Polis says a governor’s main job is to “define a vision for how students can progress through a learning pathway, from early childhood to career.” Notice the wording—from early childhood to career. It’s not about growing independent thinkers or responsible citizens; it’s about turning kids into ready-made workers for the economy. That should concern families who value independent thinking, local control, classical liberal education, or faith-based schooling.

The plan even tells governors to “eliminate government silos” by merging agencies and aligning all funding around one vision. That might sound efficient, but it’s really about centralizing control. Local school boards, teachers, and parents would have less say about what students learn or how schools are run. Polis also wants states to use “public dashboards” that track whether his education reforms “are taking root” and show where “mid-course corrections may be needed.” In plain terms, that means constant oversight and pressure to follow the governor’s plan—no matter what local communities think.

 

Instead of emphasizing reading, writing, and math, it wants schools to measure factors such as workforce preparedness, civic engagement, and lifelong well-being. Those sound like good goals, but who decides what civic engagement or well-being really means? Those are broad, political ideas that can easily be shaped to fit a specific agenda, and Polis would like nothing better than to have control over that. 

His framework undermines key priorities for conservative families:​Critical thinking vs. predetermined pathways. Preparing students for the workforce takes the emphasis off the formation of free citizens who ask questions, challenge assumptions, and pursue truth beyond state-managed outcomes.​Local control and parental choice: When the government decides what “readiness” means and combines schools, early education, and job programs into one system, it leaves less room for schools or families to make their own choices and provide authentic learning opportunities.​

 

Purpose of education: Is schooling meant primarily to produce workers who fit state-defined economic needs, or citizens who understand self-governance, moral virtue, and personal vocation? The Polis roadmap leans heavily toward the former. ​Polis’s vision treats children largely as inputs into a state-engineered system, rather than as individuals with dignity, freedom, and the capacity to think for themselves. This plan mirrors much of what was described years ago in The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado. Written by Adam Schrager, a long time Colorado journalist, it describes the political strategy of how Colorado was reshaped through coordinated control of policy, funding, and messaging. When it was written, the goal was to build a lasting political structure that could influence every level of government and public life — and education was a major part of that plan.​

What we’re seeing now follows that same pattern. Polis’s roadmap doesn’t just focus on improving schools; it’s about creating a long-term system where education, workforce development, and government programs are all connected and controlled from the top. Students aren’t treated as unique individuals with different talents or callings, but as future workers who need to be molded to fit the state’s economic goals. The deeper strategy is a lot like what was used in The Blueprint — these catchy phrases make the programs sound parent-friendly, but in reality, they give the state more control over what kids learn, how schools are funded, and what outcomes are expected.

 

​If schools become systems feeding children into the economy as predictable “units,” rather than developing them as free thinkers and responsible citizens, we risk losing the broader purpose of education.​So it's time to: Look for schools (public, charter, private, or homeschool co-ops) that emphasize character, classical education, faith, or creativity over test scores and workforce prep. Find schools that teach students how to think, not what to think.​​​

Take Action!

  • Parents can build networks through local community groups, churches, or education coalitions that share the same values. These groups can organize, share information, and even support independent learning communities if public options become too restrictive.​

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  • Watch where the money flows. Follow state education initiatives and budget alignments. If new funding is tied to workforce metrics or state databases, parents should speak out. Funding should support learning and citizenship, not compliance with a state pipeline.

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  • Advocate for choice. Support policies that expand school choice, including vouchers, education savings accounts tied to students and families, as well as open enrollment. The more options families have, the harder it is for any single government plan to dominate the system.

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  • VOTE! We have one more year with Polis, and both houses of our state legislature is controlled by the Democrats. This platform will need to be destroyed by strong Republican leadership that need our support to get into office. 

Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14

Getting involved locally:​

There are many different ways that citizens can get involved in the educational process. Schools are asking for participation in many different ways. The schools along the corridor have made school board meetings readily available for the public to watch and participate in. Together, we can contribute time and attention to our young people. Below is a list of opportunities:

-Attend a board meeting (virtual): Bennett, Strasburg, Byers, Deer Trail

-Run for school board positions
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-Write your local superintendent 

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