Designate Educators & Teachers Memorial Highway

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1024

BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Soper and McCluskie, Bacon, Barron, Boesenecker, Bottoms, Bradfield, Brown, Caldwell, Camacho, Carter, Clifford, Duran, Espenoza, Flanell, Froelich, Garcia, Garcia Sander, Gilchrist, Hamrick, Hartsook, Jackson, Johnson, Joseph, Keltie, Lieder, Lindsay, Lukens, Mabrey, Marshall, Martinez, Mauro, McCormick, Nguyen, Paschal, Phillips, Richardson, Rutinel, Rydin, Sirota, Slaugh, Smith, Stewart K., Story, Suckla, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Velasco, Weinberg, Willford, Winter T., Woodrow, Woog, Zokaie; also SENATOR(S) Catlin and Coleman, Amabile, Baisley, Ball, Benavidez, Bridges, Bright, Carson, Cutter, Danielson, Daugherty, Exum, Frizell, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Lindstedt, Liston, Marchman, Mullica, Pelton B., Pelton R., Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez, Simpson, Snyder, Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman, Zamora Wilson.

CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF STATE HIGHWAY 92 IN DELTA COUNTY FROM MILE MARKER 3 TO MILE MARKER 7 AS THE "EDUCATORS AND TEACHERS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY".

WHEREAS, Across the state, educators and teachers work tirelessly to foster the curiosity of, instill essential values and skills in, and encourage the aspirations of Colorado's children and youth; and WHEREAS, Beyond the teaching that occurs in a classroom, educators and teachers fill a variety of roles in students' lives, including role model, mentor, listener, and motivator; keep democracy alive by laying the foundation for good citizenship; and often profoundly influence their students in ways that remain with students long after their school days are over; and

WHEREAS, In 1861, one of the first acts of the territorial Colorado legislature was to call for the election of county superintendents of schools and tax-supported districts; public schools immediately began to color Colorado's landscape, demonstrating the value of education and of learning about the world beyond our great mountains; in 1882, the first school opened in what would become Delta County, and the school's first teacher was Mrs. A.W. Carr; and WHEREAS, The construction of a school building in a community reflects the community's belief in the importance of education, symbolizing the spirit of progress and societal advancement, and from frontier times to modem day Colorado, schools and teachers have been considered pillar entities and community members; and WHEREAS, By 193 0, Delta County contained 18 school districts, and in 1950, plans to organize Delta County and several outlying areas into one district were presented; a new school board was elected on October 2, 1950, and, on January 1, 1951, Delta County Joint School District 50J assumed complete responsibility for all operations of those schools; and WHEREAS, Running for 73 miles from Delta to Sapinero, State Highway 92 winds along the rim of the Black Canyon, passing over the Blue Mesa Dam and the Aspinall Unit; and WHEREAS, Before crossing the Gunnison River, a stretch of State Highway 92 travels through an unincorporated portion of Delta County, colloquially known as "Read, Colorado", which was where one of the earliest schools was built, along with a general store and post office to support the families of local farmers and ranchers; and WHEREAS, Aptly named, Read, Colorado, housed the original headquarters for Delta County Joint School District 50J before it was relocated to Delta, Colorado, in August 2018; and WHEREAS, Today, District 50J operates 17 schools that, together, due to the incredible efforts of more than 250 teachers and 450 education support professionals, currently serve just shy of 4,500 students; and

WHEREAS, The presence of schools continues to be an important symbol of community pride in rural areas of the state; teachers and education support professionals do not just educate the next generation of Coloradans--they also inspire lifelong learning, a passion to achieve dreams, and values that drive success, and these lasting contributions to a grateful state should be remembered; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly ofthe State ofColorado, the Senate concurring herein:

( 1) That the Colorado General Assembly recognizes our educators and teachers for their invaluable labor to lay the foundation of lifelong learning in the students of our state; (2) That it is fitting and proper to designate the portion of State Highway 92 from Mile Marker 3 to Mile Marker 7, and that travels through Read, Colorado, as the "Educators and Teachers Memorial Highway"; and (3) That the Colorado Department of Transportation may accept and expend gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of the initial placement of signs to mark State Highway 92 from Mile Marker 3 to Mile Marker 7 as the "Educators and Teachers Memorial Highway".

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Colorado Education Association, the Delta County School District 50J School Board, the Delta County Board of County Commissioners, the Delta County Historical Society, the Colorado State School Board, and the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Julie McCluskie SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

James Rashad Coleman Sr. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Vanessa Reilly CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Esther van Mourik SECRETARY OF THE SENATE