Founded in 1995, the Colorado School Finance Project (CSFP) is a non-profit whose mission is to compile, collect, and distribute research-based, non-partisan information and data on topics related to school finance for state and local policymakers.
****COVID-19 UPDATES and INFORMATION****
Colorado Supreme Court rules legislature can extend its lawmaking term after cornavirus pause– Colorado Sun, April 1, 2020
Colorado Supreme Court Response to Interrogatory on House Joint Resolution 20-1006– April 1, 2020
Democrats in the Colorado legislature jostle over whether they must return to the Capitol to continue their coronavirus pause– Colorado Sun, March 30, 2020
Colorado Legislature Could Extend Its Break By Weeks, But There’s Disagreement Over Whether They Have To Make That Decision In Person– Colorado Public Radio, March 29, 2020
Colorado Department of Education’s Coronavirus Resource Page
Money for technology, cleaning, and summer learning: What the coronavirus stimulus bill means for schools– Chalkbeat, March 27, 2020
Colorado’s legislature will not resume on Monday as planned. It’s an open question when they will return– Colorado Sun, March 25, 2020
Next, We Just Need To Move 900,000 Colorado Students to Remote Learning– CPR, March 24, 2020
Colorado Teachers’ of the Year Letter– March 23, 2020
Press Release: JBC Action Postponed Until April 7 at Earliest– March 20, 2020
– Initiative 271- Vision 2020 Information –
Fair Tax Colorado Tax Calculator
Initiative 271 Ballot Language and Initial Fiscal Impact Statement
Sign up to attend a Fair Tax Colorado online info session:
- Tuesday 3/31 5:00-6:00 pm Register
- Thursday 4/2 12:00-1:00 pm Register
- Tuesday 4/7 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Register
- Wednesday 4/8 5:00-6:00 p.m. Register
- Thursday 4/9 9:00-10:00 a.m. Register
WATCH NOW: Colorado School Finance Project presents-Did You Know? Colorado’s School Finance History 2019
March 2020 Forecast – presentations to JBC:
- Colorado Legislative Council staff
- Office of State Planning and Budget
Trends in Per-Pupil Spending: National Average versus Colorado Average
JBC Staff Figure Setting 2020-21- Department of Education (JBC working document – subject to change)
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 including an overall summary and detail by school district
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 Summary (portrait mode)
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 Summary (landscape mode)
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 by Assessed Value and type of Mill – includes pie chart and detail by school district
- Total Assessed Value 2019-20
- Assessed Value per Pupil 2019-20
- Total Program Mills 2019-20 (mills each district levies as part of the school finance act)
- Mill Levy Overrides 2019-20 (voter-approved)
- How much does one mill raise?
- How much does on mill raise per student?
March What We’re Reading:
– Colorado scrutinizes oil and gas tax breaks as severance taxes drop and state budget gets tight– Colorado Sun, March 23, 2020
– How a coronavirus downturn could affect Colorado’s education budget– Chalkbeat, March 19, 2020
– Landmark Education Bill Goes to Maryland Legislature– National Center on Education and the Economy, February 27, 2020
– Making the Grade 2019: How Fair is School Funding in State?– Education Law Center
What We’re Reading – links to school finance related articles
****COVID-19 UPDATES and INFORMATION****
Colorado Supreme Court rules legislature can extend its lawmaking term after cornavirus pause– Colorado Sun, April 1, 2020
Colorado Supreme Court Response to Interrogatory on House Joint Resolution 20-1006– April 1, 2020
****COVID-19 UPDATES and INFORMATION****
Democrats in the Colorado legislature jostle over whether they must return to the Capitol to continue their coronavirus pause– Colorado Sun, March 30, 2020
Colorado Legislature Could Extend Its Break By Weeks, But There's Disagreement Over Whether They Have To Make That Decision In Person- Colorado Public Radio, March 29, 2020
Colorado Department of Education's Coronavirus Resource Page
Money for technology, cleaning, and summer learning: What the coronavirus stimulus bill means for schools- Chalkbeat, March 27, 2020
Colorado's legislature will not resume on Monday as planned. It's an open question when they will return- Colorado Sun, March 25, 2020
Colorado Teachers' of the Year Letter- March 23, 2020
Press Release: JBC Action Postponed Until April 7 at Earliest- March 20, 2020
- Initiative 271- Vision 2020 Information -
Initiative 271 Ballot Language and Initial Fiscal Impact Statement
Sign up to attend a Fair Tax Colorado online info session:
Press Release: JBC Action Postponed Until April 7 at Earliest- March 20, 2020
March 2020 Forecast - presentations to JBC:
- Colorado Legislative Council staff
- Office of State Planning and Budget
March What We're Reading:
- Colorado scrutinizes oil and gas tax breaks as severance taxes drop and state budget gets tight- Colorado Sun, March 23, 2020
- How a coronavirus downturn could affect Colorado's education budget- Chalkbeat, March 19, 2020
- Landmark Education Bill Goes to Maryland Legislature- National Center on Education and the Economy, February 27, 2020
- Making the Grade 2019: How Fair is School Funding in State?- Education Law Center
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 including an overall summary and detail by school district
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 Summary (portrait mode)
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 Summary (landscape mode)
- Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 by Assessed Value and type of Mill – includes pie chart and detail by school district
- Total Assessed Value 2019-20
- Assessed Value per Pupil 2019-20
- Total Program Mills 2019-20 (mills each district levies as part of the school finance act)
- Mill Levy Overrides 2019-20 (voter-approved)
- How much does one mill raise?
- How much does on mill raise per student?
CSFP’s February 2020 Advisory Meeting:
- Vision 2020 update– Abby Vining, Colorado Fiscal Institute
Vision 2020 Policy One-pager– Great Schools Thriving Commuities meeting
GSTC Vision 2020 One page Explainer
Salida School Board Work Session– February 11, 2020
2020 CASE Winter Leadership Conference Presentations:
– “Nuts and Bolts”– February 05, 2020
– “2020 Ballot”– February 06, 2020
School District Uniform Total Program Mill Levy (2020):
– Draft bill 20-0291
– Bill Summary
– Uniform Mill Year 1 BSF Buydown financial run– district-level data
– Uniform Mill Full Implementation- BSF + MLO Equalization– district-level data
– MLO Equalization State Match Estimates– district-level data
February What We’re Reading:
- Landmark Education Bill Goes to Maryland Legislature- National Center on Education and the Economy, February 27, 2020
– Teacher Shortages Across the Nation and Colorado: Similar Issues, Varying Magnitudes– Colorado Department of Higher Education, December 2017
– Making the Grade 2019: How Fair is School Funding in State?– Education Law Center
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, using U.S. Census data, indicates Colorado's 4-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) for 2015-16 is below the U.S. average in all categories. The CSFP created a chart illustrating the graduation gaps between Colorado and the U.S. average.
Supplemental Budget Requests FY2019-20, Department of Education-January 2020 - JBC staff document - subject to change.
HB20-1260 (bill text)- Adjustments to Total Program Funding for 2019-20 School Year
HB20-1260 (fiscal note)- Adjustments to Total Program Funding for 2019-20 School Year
Memo from JBC re:Supplemental Comeback for FY2019-20
Colorado Student Enrollment At-a-Glance 2019-20
Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2019-20 by Assessed Value and type of Mill – includes pie chart and detail by school district
- Total Assessed Value 2019-20
- Assessed Value per Pupil 2019-20
- Total Program Mills 2019-20 - (mills each district levies as part of the school finance act)
- CORRECTED: Mill Levy Overrides 2019-20 - (voter-approved)
Colorado Education Policy Fellowship Program Presentation- University of Colorado at Denver: School of Public Affairs, January 22, 2020
CSFP’s January 2020 Advisory Meeting:
- Colorado State Economic & Budget Outlook– Kate Watkins, Chief Economist, Legislative Council Staff
- Vision2020 Policy Input Tool 2.0– Abby Vining and Carol Hedges, Colorado Fiscal Institute
- Vision2020 Input Tool Kit– Abby Vining and Carol Hedges, Colorado Fiscal Institute
January What We're Reading:
- Teacher Pay By State 2020- Interactive Map, World Population Review, retrieved January 27, 2020
- Small school districts say move to 4-day week attract, retain teachers- News Tribune, January 26, 2020
December 2019 Forecast
- Legislative Council staff
- Office of State Planning and Budget
2019 State Profile Data: Our annual profile information depicts changes in K-12 funding and counts (comparing the base year of 1992-93 to 2012-13 to 2016-17 to 2017-18). Data is audited so lags behind current information.
- 2019 State Profile Overview: a 1-page overview of areas of concern for K-12
- 2019 Overview Charts & Highlights: 2-page document with highlights and charts.
- CSFP 2019 State Profile Data: 4 tables and Notes page
- Table 1: Enrollment, Special Education, Free and Reduced Lunch, English language learners (ELL), and Gifted Students
- Table 2: Number of Teachers, Teachers per 1,000 students, Average Salary (comparing CO and National)
- Table 3: Per Student Current Spending and Revenues
- Table 4: Relationship between State/Local Revenue for K-12 Public Education and Personal Income
- Notes and Terms: Footnotes for all tables are located on this page.
Joint Budget Committee: Education Briefing Documents for FY 2020-21
Colorado Association of School Boards Convention, December 2019:
- New Board Member Training - December 5, 2019
2019 Interim School Finance Committee:
- 2019 Interim Committee on School Finance Colorado General Assembly website for 2019 session. Includes links to committee documents, committee schedule and meeting materials, and committee members
- FIFTH MEETING: December 16- Agenda AND Draft School Finance Bill LLS 20-0550
- FOURTH MEETING (2 days): October 21, 2019 & October 22, 2019
- THIRD MEETING: September 12, 2019 materials
- SECOND MEETING: August 19, 2019 materials
- FIRST MEETING: June 25, 2019 materials
December What We’re Reading
- Low-Income Schools Need More Funding. Here's How Colorado Lawmakers Want To Tweak The Formula To Make That Happen- Colorado Public Radio, December 17, 2019
- Four ways that tinkering with Colorado's school funding formula could impact state's districts- The Colorado Sun, December 16, 2019
- Fairer to whom? Colorado considers redividing the pie with a new school finance formula- Chalkbeat, December 13, 2019
"Bagels with the Board: University of Colorado" presentation- November 20, 2019
Final November 2019 Colorado Election Results for School Finance (Thank you to Paul Howe for taking the time to create and update the spreadsheet)
Map of Mill Levy Overrides for 2019 elections
Colorado Education Association Uniform Mill Levy Presentation– November 16, 2019
CSFP’s November Advisory Meeting:
- “School Distict Uniform Total Program Mill Levy” Bill DRAFT
- Uniform Total Program Mill Levy: LLS NO. 20-0291.02
Public Education and Business Coalition School Finance Presentation– November 13, 2019
School District Election Results for 2019: Bond, BEST, Mill Levy Override (MLO)
- 2019 School District Election DRAFT Report – Unofficial Results (as of 10am 11/07/19)
Governor’s FY 2020-21 November 1, 2019 Budget Request
2019 Interim School Finance Committee:
- 2019 Interim Committee on School Finance Colorado General Assembly website for 2019 session. Includes links to committee documents, committee schedule and meeting materials, and committee members
- FOURTH MEETING (2 days): October 21, 2019 & October 22, 2019
- THIRD MEETING: September 12, 2019 materials
- SECOND MEETING: August 19, 2019 materials
- FIRST MEETING: June 25, 2019 materials
- 2019 Interim School Finance Committee meeting dates are as follows (and are subject to change):
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- December 16
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November What We’re Reading:
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- December 16
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November What We're Reading:
- School district, community respond to 4As failure- The Journal, November 27, 2019
- Part calculator, part crystal ball: Colorado lawmaker's simulator testing tweals to state's school-funding formula - The Colorado Sun, November 27, 2019
- With Proposition CC's failure, Colorado Democrats face a budget crunch in 2020. Here are their 4 options to address it.- The Colorado Sun, November 27, 2019
- State Defines Line It Would Draw for Allowing 4-day School Weeks- Oklahoma Watch, November 23, 2019
– Colorado districts aren’t getting enough state money to maintain schools and attract. So they’re turning to local taxpayers.- The Colorado Sun, November 8, 2019
– ‘It’s huge for us’: More than a dozen Colorado districts approve school tax measures– Chalkbeat Colorado, November 7, 2019
– Making the Grade 2019: How Fair is School Funding in Your State?– Education Law Center, November 4, 2019
CASB Western Slope Advisory Meeting Presentation- October 17, 2019
Updated: Where are we now? A look at progress toward equitable and more adequate school funding
CSFP'S October Advisory Committee Meeting
- Update from Joint Budget Committee Staff, Craig Harper
- CASB Uniform Mill Levy- Matt Cook
- Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook- Lauren Larson and Allie Kimmel
- Vision 2020 Policy Input Tool- Abby Vining and Carol Hedges
Corrected: How much are school districts spending on School-level and District-level administration?
2019 Interim School Finance Committee:
FOURTH MEETING MATERIALS:
- Agenda– October 21, 2019
- Update from Joint Budget Committee Members on Issues Related to School Finance– October 21, 2019
- Agenda- October 22, 2019
- Public Comment to the Interim Committee on School Finance– Area Superintendents, October 2, 2019
- Additional Information for Interim School Finance Committee survey– CASE, October 2, 2019
- 2019 Interim Committee on School Finance Colorado General Assembly website for 2019 session. Includes links to committee documents, committee schedule and meeting materials, and committee members
Proposition CC (a "de-brucing" measure):
- HB19-1257 refers a question to the voters on whether or not the state can keep additional tax dollars for education and transportation investments. (Click here for HB19-1257's Fiscal Note.)
- HB19-1258 is a companion bill to HB19-1257. It specifies how revenue retained would be allocated. (Click here for HB19-1258's Fiscal Note.)
- Battle lines drawn around Tax Payers Bill of Rights as formal opposition to Proposition CC announced- Complete Colorado- Page Two, June 12, 2019
- Colorado voters leaning toward approving the elimination of state spending caps under TABOR, poll finds- Colorado Sun, August 14, 2019
- Now we know how much money is at stake on the 2019 ballot with Proposition CC and Tabor refunds in Colorado- Colorado Sun, September 20, 2019
- Individual District Prop CC Fact Sheets- Colorado Association of School Boards
- Proposition CC explained: What it means to end the spending caps in TABOR and the money at stake- Colorado Sun, October 11, 2019
October What We're Reading:
- Lawmakers are finally setting out to retool Colorado's school funding formula- The Colorado Sun, October 29, 2019
- When Five Days Become Four- Harvard Political Review, October 24, 2019
- Colorado lawmakers request changes to school funding- Colorado Politics, October 23, 2019
- Lawmakers and Advocates Alike Want To Revamp The 25-Year-Old Formula Behind School Funding. But They Don't Agree On How- CPR, October 22, 2019
- Colorado public education associations support superintendent concerns about proposed changes to accountability system- Press release from CASE, CASB, and CEA, Ocotber 3, 2019
- It's count day in Colorado Schools. Here's why an accurate census matters- Chalkbeat, October 2, 2019
September 2019 Economic Forecast
- Colorado Legislative Council Staff
- Governor's Office of State Planning & Budget (OSPB) Forecast
CASE Superintendent's Conference:
- Presentation: Taxpayer Equity Uniform Mill: How is K-12 impacted?
- Handout: Districts with 24-27 Mills or within 3 mills of TP FY2019-20
- Handout: Districts below 24 mills or within 3 mills of TP FY2019-20
2019-20: CSFP map of Colorado School Districts on 4-day weeks for 2019-20 School Year, (updated August 2019). Some districts choose to have a 4-day week. For others, it is a financial decision. Colorado has 178 school districts. Source: Colorado Department of Education and districts.
DRAFT of 2019 School District Elections - information is subject to change as more current information becomes available. Elections: Bond, BEST, Mill Levy Override (MLO), Operational MLO, and Transportation MLO. Information posted as of 9/17/2019.
CSFP'S September Advisory Committee Meeting
- Joint Budget Committee Staff, Craig Harper's Presentation: Education Property Tax Legislation for 2020: Input Needed
- Link to the two draft bills that are the starting points for legislation in the upcoming session below:
- BILL TOPIC: "School District Uniform Total Program Mill Levy"
- BILL TOPIC: "School District Mill Levy Equalization"
- 2019 Interim Committee on School Finance Colorado General Assembly website for 2019 session. Includes links to committee documents, committee schedule and meeting materials, and committee members.
- THIRD MEETING: September 12, 2019
- Meeting Agenda
- EdBuild- Categorical Program Funding in Colorado
- EdBuild- Funding for English Language Learners
- EdBuild- Funding for Students with Disabilities
- CSFP- What is the budget stabilization factor? And how does it impact school districts?
- EdBuild- Overview of Possible Special Education Funding Scenarios
- Links to EdBuild's Supplemental Charts
- Special Education Fiscal Advisory Committee Report (SEFAC annual report)
- THIRD MEETING: September 12, 2019
Proposition CC (a "de-brucing" measure):
- HB19-1257 refers a question to the voters on whether or not the state can keep additional tax dollars for education and transportation investments. (Click here for HB19-1257's Fiscal Note.)
- HB19-1258 is a companion bill to HB19-1257. It specifies how revenue retained would be allocated. (Click here for HB19-1258's Fiscal Note.)
- Battle lines drawn around Tax Payers Bill of Rights as formal opposition to Proposition CC announced- Complete Colorado- Page Two, June 12, 2019
- Colorado voters leaning toward approving the elimination of state spending caps under TABOR, poll finds- Colorado Sun, August 14, 2019
- Now we know how much money is at stake on the 2019 ballot with Proposition CC and Tabor refunds in Colorado- Colorado Sun, September 20, 2019
Colorado's Legislative Council Map of the Budget Stabilization Factor's impact on per-pupil funding in Colorado school districts FY 2018-19
September What We're Reading:
- Our Voice: Four-day school weeks interesting conversation to have- AdberdeenNews.com, September 28, 2019
- Why colleges are struggling to graduate more teachers- EducationDive, September 18, 2019
- School Safety Performance Audit- September 2019
- State Auditor Highlights from School Safety Audit- September 2019
- Colorado now has more school districts on four-day weeks than any place in the nation- with little research on the benefits- The Colorado Sun, August 27, 2019
2019 Interim School Finance Committee:
- 2019 Interim Committee on School Finance Colorado General Assembly website for 2019 session. Includes links to committee documents, committee schedule and meeting materials, and committee members.
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- SECOND MEETING: August 19, 2019
- Agenda
- EdBuild At-Risk report
- EdBuild Cost-of-Living report
- EdBuild Size Factor report
- FIRST MEETING, June 25, 2019 materials
- SECOND MEETING: August 19, 2019
- 2019 Interim School Finance Committee meeting dates are as follows (and are subject to change):
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- September 12
- October 21
- December 10
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Proposition CC (a "de-brucing" measure):
- HB19-1257 refers a question to the voters on whether or not the state can keep additional tax dollars for education and transportation investments. (Click here for HB19-1257's Fiscal Note.)
- HB19-1258 is a companion bill to HB19-1257. It specifies how revenue retained would be allocated. (Click here for HB19-1258's Fiscal Note.)
- Battle lines drawn around Tax Payers Bill of Rights as formal opposition to Proposition CC announced- Complete Colorado- Page Two, June 12, 2019
Colorado's Legislative Council Map of the Budget Stabilization Factor's impact on per-pupil funding in Colorado school districts FY 2018-19
August What We're Reading:
- Colorado made kindergarten a priority. But when it comes to four-day schools weeks, lawmakers don't see a problem.- The Colorado Sun, August 29, 2019
- In mostly rural Colorado, the four-day week has taken hold. But what do communities do with "Fifth Day"?- The Colroado Sun, August 28, 2019
- Colorado now has more school districts on four-day weeks than any place in the nation- with little research on the benefits- The Colorado Sun, August 27, 2019
- Colorado leads the nation in four day school weeks, but are they right for everyone?- TheDenverChannel.com, August 19, 2019
- Colorado voters leaning toward approving the elimination of state spending caps under TABOR, poll finds- The Colorado Sun, August 14, 2019
- 4 new studies bolster the case: More money for schools helps low income students- Chalkbeat, August 13, 2019
Creede PowerPoint Presentation- Colorado School Finance Project, July 27, 2019
Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) Conference PowerPoint presentation- Breckenridge, July 26, 2019
2019 Interim School Finance Committee:
- 2019 Interim Committee on School Finance Colorado General Assembly website for 2019 session. Includes links to committee documents, committee schedule and meeting materials, and committee members.
- FIRST MEETING: June 25, 2019
- Meeting Agenda
- Colorado's School Funding Formula Presentation- Office of Legislative Legal Services
- School Finance Revenues in Colorado- Joint Budget Committee (JBC) Staff
- Staff Budget Briefing FY 2019-20 Department of Education- JBC Working Document
- 2018 report from the Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance.
- School Finance Act (SB19-246) Fiscal Note
- FIRST MEETING: June 25, 2019
- 2019 Interim School Finance Committee meeting dates are as follows (and are subject to change):
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- August 19
- September 12
- October 21
- December 10
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Learn more about Colorado school finance in our Colorado School Finance Project Briefing Documents:
- Colorado’s Constitutional Impacts from: Gallagher, TABOR, Amendment 23, and the Negative/Budget Stabilization Factor
- Colorado Legislative History of Mill Levy Overrides
- Financial Pressures
- How are School Districts Funded
- Marijuana Excise Tax and Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST)
- School Board Responsibilities and Budget Timeline
- Timing of School Finance
- Why Resources Matter
July What We’re Reading:
– These 17 School Districts Borders Highlight Colorado’s Byzantine Funding Scheme– Colorado Public Radio, July 25, 2019
– What PERA’s bad year means for public workers, retirees and taxpayers in Colorado, explained in Charts– The Colorado Sun, July 9, 2019
– Low pay. Cuts to PERA. For some state workers in Colorado, it’s like the recession never ended– The Colorado Sun, July 8, 2019
Historical information is available on our Historial Info page, by calendar year.