Hickenlooper briefly talks education at swearing in ceremony

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia were sworn in for their second terms on the Capitol’s west steps Tuesday morning, both touting the state’s economic recovery while stressing the importance of expanding those opportunities to all regions and people of the state.

Hickenlooper made two brief references to education in his 13-minute speech.

“We have been restoring funding to the state’s education budget,” Hickenlooper said. “We will continue to build … a Colorado where all of our children have access to a first-rate education regardless of zip code; where funding for higher education is transparent, fair and gets results.”

While the state is funding schools at a higher level than during the Great Recession, school superintendents are making the case they need more money. School funding is likely be a topic of ongoing debate during the legislative session.

Hickenlooper will make his annual state of the state speech to a joint session of the legislature on Thursday morning. That address will be longer and typically contains somewhat more detailed policy proposals, although education has not been a major theme of his last four state of the state speeches.

The administration’s primary education priorities have been improving early childhood education and services, full implementation of the education reforms enacted since 2008, and increasing the number of people with college degrees and professional certificates.

Read Hickenlooper’s inaugural text here. Garcia talked a bit more about education; read his prepared remarks here.