The Denver Gazette reports that Gov. Jared Polis is celebrating Colorado’s new first-place education ranking from U.S. News & World Report as the state marks its 150th birthday. The ranking credits gains in associate degree completion, preschool enrollment, K-12 funding, school choice, literacy efforts and workforce training. Good news is good news. Nobody needs to boo the kid who brought home an A.
But the same ranking puts Colorado 17th overall, 33rd in healthcare access, 47th in crime and corrections, and 45th in fiscal stability. So while Polis is cutting the birthday cake and holding up the gold star, the rest of the state dashboard looks like a stolen Kia after a Denver weekend.
That is the real story. Colorado’s governing class has mastered selective celebration. Find one flattering number, put it in neon, schedule a school visit and hope nobody asks why patients cannot find care, families are worried about crime and the state budget is coughing blood into a handkerchief.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Colorado ranked first in education, driven by gains in preschool enrollment, associate degree completion and other measures. Credit where it is due. Even politicians occasionally find the right end of the screwdriver.
- Polis pointed to universal preschool, full-day kindergarten, better K-12 funding, charter-school equity, after-school programs, phonics-based literacy instruction and workforce training. That is a respectable list, not a hologram.
- The report also ranked Colorado 17th overall. Apparently the “best state” banner got caught in traffic somewhere between the press release and reality.
- Colorado placed 33rd in healthcare access, despite ranking second in healthcare quality. Excellent care is comforting, provided you can afford it, reach it and find someone available to deliver it.
- The state ranked 47th in crime and corrections and 45th in fiscal stability, including 49th in short-term fiscal stability. Congratulations on the gold star, Governor. Now please explain the smoke coming from the basement.
My Bottom Line
Polis deserves to celebrate legitimate education gains. Stronger literacy instruction, more school choice and better postsecondary pathways are worth recognizing. This is not an anti-education piece, and pretending the ranking is meaningless would be dishonest.
The problem is the victory-lap habit. Colorado government treats every favorable ranking like final proof that the whole progressive machine is humming, while less flattering numbers are quietly folded into a drawer marked “context.” These people govern like a kid bringing home an A in art while hiding the math test, the suspension notice and the bill for the window he broke.
The same report being celebrated by the Governor’s office says Colorado is weak on healthcare access, crime and fiscal stability. Those are not footnotes. Those are lived realities for patients, crime victims, business owners and taxpayers. A mother trying to find maternity care in a rural county does not become more impressed because someone in Denver found a favorable preschool metric. A family replacing a stolen car does not frame the education ranking above the mantel.
So enjoy the cake, Governor. Take the picture. Hold up the ranking. Then explain the crime, the access problems and the fiscal dumpster fire without blaming TABOR, Trump, rural voters or the scarecrow of the week. Colorado’s ruling class has become very good at celebrating rankings, programs and vibes. Regular people are still paying for consequences.
Source: The Denver Gazette
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