A Vision for Colorado.

• Author: Fine, David
• Position: VIEWS from colorado springs

The "Visions for Colorado'' plenary session featured Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia and Kelly Brough, CEO and president of the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce.

Garcia focused on education, primarily the serious problems with Colorado's pipeline to higher education, which is in turn severely underfunded. Brough picked up the education theme and also briefly touched on the paralyzing tangle of Colorado's constitution.

The facts explain the problem:

* Colorado has one of the country's most well-educated work forces, in great part as a result, of in-migration;

* Yet, Colorado ranks 48 out of 50 in per capita funding for higher education;

* Colorado has a 72 percent high school graduation rate;

* A large percentage of Colorado-educated students entering college education need remedial help;

* At the same time, Colorado is in the grip of a state constitutional tangle, which greatly limits the slate's ability to invest in higher education.

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The weak pipeline and tenuous funding jeopardize Colorado's ability to attract and maintain dynamic businesses.

Not surprisingly, both the chamber and Gov.John Hickenlooper's administration have made education a central focus. The chamber backed the passage of Senate Bill 191, which made sweeping reform to educator...