Colorado Trust for Local News launches digital tool that allows readers to weigh civic decisions

What if readers didn’t just read about tough civic decisions — but made them? To engage and inform audiences on important local issues, The Colorado Trust for Local News is turning complex community debates into interactive experiences.

In January, senior education reporter Suzie Glassman received a $10,000 grant through The National Trust for Local News’ News Innovation Sprint to develop "Interactive Democracy: Choose Your Own Adventure" – a digital tool that allows readers to experience the complexity of civic decisions firsthand.

Now, that idea has come to life. 

The Colorado Trust for Local News has partnered with Polco, a civic engagement and data platform, on this new feature. The Colorado-based company develops exactly the kind of tools Glassman envisioned integrating into Colorado Trust journalism content. Polco works primarily with local governments, creating budget simulations, prioritization exercises, and interactive surveys that help officials gather community input. The platform includes data on 70,000 jurisdictions representing 30 million voices, according to the company's website.

“The interesting challenge is understanding how we use all of this data in a way that makes sense for media, not just for government”, said Glassman. “These tools were initially built for city councils, not newsrooms.”

Glassman, who was recently named an NTLN News Innovation Lead in addition to her senior reporter duties, covers broad trends across the education systems in three counties along Colorado’s Front Range. She came up with this idea years ago after covering a controversial school consolidation that roiled a small community. Residents felt unheard and powerless, while school board members wished residents understood more about the difficult decisions they faced. 

“My job is to give readers perspective, to explain how decisions are made and exactly what those decisions mean for the community,” Glassman said. “I’m excited to see how readers engage with these tools and how it enhances their understanding of controversial and impactful issues like budget cuts, school consolidations, transportation decisions and more.”

The first story integrating Polco’s platform focuses on school boundary changes in Brighton, a growing district north of Denver. The district is opening a new high school and middle school, which means redrawing attendance zones to redistribute 1,200 to 1,800 students across its schools. District officials presented three boundary maps, each prioritizing a different value: safety (avoiding major highway crossings), balanced enrollment and other factors.

"It's kind of like a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' book," Glassman said. "Did you prioritize safety? Jump to this section and see exactly what the consequences are, including which neighborhoods get split up and which families face longer commutes."

In another example of the tool’s early use, Glassman created a taxpayer receipt for Jefferson County residents. It breaks down where a reader’s property tax dollars actually go and how those dollars are allocated across categories such as classroom instruction, special education, transportation, and more. For school districts seeking tax increases – a common ballot issue in Colorado – this transparency helps give voters a baseline for understanding the impact of any proposed tax levies and the impact of tax increases or higher property values on state funding. 

Readers are already weighing in with positive and appreciative comments online:

“Wow, I didn’t realize how little of the massive taxes I pay goes to schools. Yikes. This is a fantastic tool!,” said one commenter. “I can’t imagine how much time it took to build this. Well done.”

Another commenter wrote, “Insane how little money there is. I pay more to daycare in a month than I do towards public schools in a year.”

As Glassman expands the interactive tools to more decision-based stories, NTLN is measuring reader engagement to judge how to use it in other newsrooms, turning passive news consumption into active civic participation across the country.