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Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill to promote colleges and trade schools helping students facing unique challenges complete degrees and certificates, leading to good-paying jobs.

House Bill 1006 would allow the Colorado Department of Higher Education to designate schools as “thriving.”

Yesenia Silva Estrada, vice president of planning and chief of staff at Colorado Mountain College, said the new designations would go to institutions with a proven track record for helping students of color and other populations currently underrepresented in achieving education beyond high school.

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"They could receive designation as a rural 'thriving' institution," Estrada explained. "Or they’re helping adult learners, they’re helping veterans, they’re helping first-generation students, students from low-income backgrounds."

The measure was drafted after the Trump administration announced it was ending $350 million in funding for Minority-Serving Institutions, a federal designation the administration claims is “discriminatory” and creates racial quotas. The bill’s sponsors said colleges with official thriving designations would be a sign campuses welcome all students.

If passed, a committee of business, college and state leaders would establish criteria for thriving colleges and trade schools, and the state agency would post the designations each year based on measurable data.

Estrada added Colorado lawmakers would receive an annual report including lessons learned by schools about how to best support students.

"If we did have this recognition framework, it would allow us to quickly identify which are those institutions that are being successful and share best practices," Estrada emphasized.

Supporters of the measure are also aiming to shrink a persistent gap in degree attainment for Colorado’s K-12 students. Estrada noted the new designations would be a signal to students enrolling in degree or credential programs is a good investment. She stressed there are currently more jobs in Colorado than qualified workers.

"A certain level of postsecondary education is needed, especially in the state of Colorado, to be able to achieve a better wage outcome and a better career," Estrada underscored.