Educating Colorado

It's been a lot more complex than just getting some numbers, but officials from the Colorado Department of Higher Education and from the governor's office have been great about breaking it all down for me and sending links to the information that I need. I've been gathering information and doing my reporting the past week. The piece is pretty much finished, but for one or two more figures I'm waiting on.

I was surprised to learn that the 2009 economic stimulus has been propping up higher education funding for the past three years. There is genuine concern among the colleges that I've spoken to and those who work for the state that 2011-2012 will see even bigger cuts than in 2010-2011, and that could lead to more job cuts and higher tuition and fees.

Trying to put all of the figures into context and make it into an easily digestible article has been a fun learning experience for me. The fact that the U.S. education system is so different from the U.K. where I'm from has meant that much of the information is new to me, and so helped me to write a piece that I think is straightforward and easy to understand, despite budgeting not always being a clear subject.

Anyway, I'm going to get back on the phone..