Colorado lawmakers chastise universal preschool leaders for major troubles with enrollment, serving kids with disabilities
Lawmakers on Wednesday raked leaders from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood for what they and preschool providers see as serious shortcomings in the delivery of Gov. Jared Polis’ signature promise to provide preschool to all Colorado kids in the year before kindergarten.
In a Joint Budget Committee hearing that turned heated at times, committee members including State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada, and state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, piled onto criticisms of the department and its rollout of the state’s newly expanded preschool program, known as universal preschool.
They interrogated Lisa Roy, executive director of the department, and Dawn Odean, program director of universal preschool, about the same issues that prompted a group of Colorado school districts and education organizations to sue Polis and state education agencies last month.