DENVER – Teachers from across Colorado are rallying today to call for better funding for Colorado’s K-12 schools. At a moment when federal investment in education is uncertain and at risk, Colorado’s leaders must do all they can to make sure our state gets education funding right.
The Colorado Children’s Campaign supports a new proposal recently shared by Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie that would mean that every school district in the state receives more funding in 2025 than in 2024 – and commits to making sure resources get to the schools and students who need it most. The proposal is far from a cut: It would increase public education funding by $231 million, a 2.4% increase over the 2024-25 school year.
“How we fund our public schools matters. The changes to the school funding formula Colorado committed to in 2024 are still necessary to ensure we are using our resources to support students in the best way we can,” said Heather Tritten, President and CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “Children across the state, especially in rural Colorado and in places where many students are living in poverty, learning English, or have special education needs, will benefit from a plan that increases funding and ensures predictability and sustainability.”
In 2024, legislators, leaders, and educators worked together to make landmark improvements to how the state funds public education, including a new school funding formula (House Bill 24-1448) that will prioritize students living in poverty, students who are learning English, and students who have special needs as well as rural school districts. However, the state is facing serious budget constraints and cannot fund the formula at the level it planned to without significantly cutting other vital services for Colorado kids and families, including Medicaid.
The new proposal makes adjustments to reflect that budget reality and school districts’ concerns while also maintaining the state’s commitment to improving its approach to school funding.
“This year’s budget challenges and teachers’ calls for more consistent financial support for schools highlight the way Colorado’s archaic tax policies, especially TABOR, limit our state’s ability to make changes that meet our communities’ needs and that reflect our state’s values,” Tritten said. “Coloradans care about children, and we should work to create a system that allows Colorado to use its resources to support their education and well-being.”
Read our blog post on this topic: Kids deserve better school funding. What can Colorado do in a tight budget year?