In a May 23 article by April M. Washington and Lynn Bartels, the Rocky Mountain News reported complaints made by Republican state Sen. Joshua Penry (Fruita) and state Rep. Robert Witwer (Golden), who claimed that Democratic state Rep. Mike Merrifield (D-Manitou Springs) “slurred” and "[took] cheap shots at them" in remarks he made in a May 21 interview published by the online political daily news website Colorado Confidential. The article also reported the criticism, which Penry and Witwer made in a May 18 Denver Post guest op-ed column, that the House Education Committee is a “graveyard” for education reform.

In the Colorado Confidential interview, Merrifield, the former chairman of the House Education Committee, ascribed “political bias” to what he called “the sudden push, especially from the Republicans, demanding a mandated curriculum with math and science” and noted that he preferred to discuss education issues with experts:

Merrifield: But I'm looking forward to picking up the gavel next session. I'll be back as chair of education committee, strong and full of vim and vigor. I'm really looking forward to working with a lot of people from around the state with real expertise, who are interested in real education reform, with less political bias.

CoCo: What do you mean?
Merrifield: Well, consider the sudden push, especially from the Republicans, demanding a mandated curriculum with math and science -- and forgetting other aspects of education, as if that were the silver bullet. Forget about the joy that we have in school -- we're never allowed to talk about the joy and fun of learning. No, everyone is supposed to be in the same curriculum, on the same track and with the same interests. Well, you know? That just won't work. They have no data and no research to back up this mandatory math and science push, but I'll tell you, if you get students involved in arts and [social studies], their success rates are much higher.

[...]

CoCo: Any final thoughts?
Merrifield: There are people who are out to -- whose ultimate goal -- is the destruction of public education. We're not just talking about just the siphoning of funds -- the use of tax funds for religious indoctrination -- but what's being taught in our public schools.

I'm looking forward to discussions with experts, backed with scientific data and research, rather than rhetoric from politicians who think they're experts who spent some time in classroom when they were children, and that was probably the last time they were in a classroom.

The News reported the Republicans' claim that Merrifield's comment about “politicians who think they're experts” was a slur and a cheap shot, but it did not include Merrifield's full quotes from the Colorado Confidential interview and only paraphrased his remarks. The article also named no Republicans other than Penry and Witwer who took exception to Merrifield's remarks to Colorado Confidential.

From the article “Merrifield's blog comments on education reform assailed,” by April M. Washington and Lynn Bartels, in the May 23 edition of the Rocky Mountain News:

Two Republican lawmakers who sponsored a bill to strengthen math and science standards this year are accusing the former House Education Committee chairman of taking cheap shots at them in a blog.

Republicans charged that remarks by Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs, to the blog coloradoconfidential.com disparaged those seeking education reforms.

They claim Merrifield slurred two Republicans, Sen. Josh Penry, of Fruita, and Rep. Rob Witwer, of Genesee, when he implied that the decision to increase high school math and science requirements should be left to experts, not politicians who haven't been in a classroom for years.

Witwer said Merrifield's comments trivialize parents' concerns about public education.

“I think those comments are disparaging to people who care about public education but don't happen to be a part of the education establishment,” Witwer said.

The article also reported Penry's charge that under Merrifield, the House Education Committee had become a “graveyard for bipartisan education reform”:

Merrifield, who recently overcame a battle with throat cancer, talked to the blog about his health, his education views and other issues. He criticized Republicans' rush to require three to four years of math and science to graduate. He said backers have no data or research to support the need for the requirements.

Merrifield said he's hoping to pick up the gavel again next session as chairman of the education committee and pledged to be back “strong and full of vim and vigor,” the blog reported.

Republicans said they would fight Merrifield's return as chairman. Penry said Merrifield made the House Education Committee a “graveyard for bipartisan education reform.”

Penry and Witwer's criticisms -- uncritically reported by the News -- echoed arguments they made in a May 18 Post guest op-ed column:

Earlier this month, the General Assembly adjourned without addressing Colorado's most pressing education challenges. Lost in end-of-session accolades and “mission accomplished” rhetoric was a sad fact: Thanks to the curious priorities of this General Assembly, Colorado now has more rigorous standards for sex education than for math, science or English.

It is not as though meaningful reforms weren't proposed. Senate Bill 73, by Chris Romer, D-Denver, and Michael Garcia, D-Aurora, would have required students to be proficient in English to receive a Colorado diploma. And Senate Bill 131, which we sponsored, would have set graduation standards for math and science at four years and three years, respectively. While important first steps, both bills made only very modest demands of our public schools.

After receiving broad bipartisan support in the Senate, both bills were dispatched on party-line votes in the House Education Committee, which is rapidly becoming a graveyard for common-sense education reform efforts. Rather than demanding more of our education system, the majority on this committee stubbornly defends an indefensible status quo.