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.
Money Matters: Tell Your Story ESSER funding documents
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance October 19, 2021 - Special Education: Funding Overview- Legislative Council Staff - Overview of Possible Special Education Funding Scenarios- Consortium of Directors of Special Education - 2019-20 Annual Report by the Special Education Fiscal Advisory Committee - Special Education Fiscal Advisory Committee (SEFAC) - CDE Early Childhood Update - Mile High Early Learning: Montessori Inspired- Pamela Harris - Early Milestones Colorado: Ideal Learning in Colorado- Katie Nicolau - Colorado's Missing Year: Assessing Colorado's K-12 Performance in the Wake of COVID- Keystone Policy Center - Wildflower Schools- Rachel Kelley-Cohn September 17, 2021 - State Land Board funding for K-12 Education- Colorado State Land Board - A National Perspective on Property Tax & School Finance: How Colorado Compares- Lincoln Institute of Land Policy - Mill Levy Overrides 101- Legislative Staff - Property Tax Levy Overrides in Other States- Andrew Reschovsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison - School District Overrides- Daniel Thatcher, NCSL and Michael Griffith, LPI August 24, 2021 - School Finance 101 presentation- Legislative Council staff and Office of Legislative Legal Services - Federal COVID Recovery Funding for Education Update- Colorado Department of Education - Measuring Student Poverty in Colorado's School Finance System- Colorado Children's Campaign
October CSFP Advisory Meeting - Video recording of meeting - 10 Key Takeaways from CSFP's Inaugural Conference - Economic & Revenue Forecast Presentation - Kate Watkins, Legislative Council Staff - School Finance Update Presentation- Marc Carey, Legislative Council Staff - Interim Committee Discussions and Mill Levy Correction Presentation- Tracie Rainey, CSFP and Justin Silverstein, APA Consulting
Adams 12 Five Star Leadership Academy presentation - October 8, 2021
Thirteen Years of the Budget Stabilization Factor-2009 to 2022 (data for every school district)
ELECTIONS PAGE 2021 DRAFT of 2021 Colorado School District Elections- Elections: Bond, BEST, Mill Levy Override (MLO), Operational MLO, and Transportation MLO. Information posted as of 9/29/2021. 2021 State Ballot Information Booklet (the Blue Book)- Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly
The factors in the Colorado School finance formula: - Dollars available for Colorado school finance formula factors BEFORE and AFTER the Budget Stabilization Factor - A Look at Factor Funding and the Budget Stabilization Factor - School Districts Ranked by Pre-BS Factor Cost of Living as a % of Total Factor Funding
September Forecast Legislative Council Staff Economic & Revenue Forecast Economic & Revenue Forecast Presentation Consumer Price Index Forecast Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee The Colorado Outlook: Supplemental Materials
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance September 17, 2021 - State Land Board funding for K-12 Education- Colorado State Land Board - A National Perspective on Property Tax & School Finance: How Colorado Compares- Lincoln Institute of Land Policy - Mill Levy Overrides 101- Legislative Staff - Property Tax Levy Overrides in Other States- Andrew Reschovsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison - School District Overrides- Daniel Thatcher, NCSL and Michael Griffith, LPI August 24, 2021 - School Finance 101 presentation- Legislative Council staff and Office of Legislative Legal Services - Federal COVID Recovery Funding for Education Update- Colorado Department of Education - Measuring Student Poverty in Colorado's School Finance System- Colorado Children's Campaign
CSFP Inaugural Conference Beaver Run Resort, Breckenridge, Colorado September 15, 2021 - "How Money Matters: Creating, Adequate, Equitable and Sustainable School Funding"- presentation by Danielle Farrie, Education Law Center - "What the NFL taught me about Leadership & Teamwork"- presentation by Reggie Rivers, former Denver Broncos player (PowerPoint presentation download with videos) - Boulder Valley School District ESSER story video- Rob Anderson - East Grand School DIstrict ESSER story video- Frank Reeves - Greeley Evans ESSER story video- Dierdre Pilch - Gunnison Watershed School District story video- Tia Mills - Littleton School District ESSER story video- Jonathan Levesque - Northeast BOCES ESSER story video- Tamara Durbin
A Look at Mills in Colorado: - Local Mill Effort by Assessed Valuation Per Pupil UPDATED - Total Mills (including bonds) for all school districts
October/September What We’re Reading:
– The latest Nobel Prize winner: Researcher who helped show money matters for schools– Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat, October 13, 2021
– RFSD responds to staffing and salary concerns– Jeanna Souldern, Sopris Sun, September 1, 2021
OCTOBER 2021
Money Matters: Tell Your Story ESSER funding documents
Adams 12 Five Star Leadership Academy presentation - October 8, 2021
Thirteen Years of the Budget Stabilization Factor-2009 to 2022 (data for every school district)October/September What We're Reading:
- The latest Nobel Prize winner: Researcher who helped show money matters for schools- Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat, October 13, 2021
SEPTEMBER 2021
ELECTIONS PAGE 2021
DRAFT of 2021 School District Elections- Elections: Bond, BEST, Mill Levy Override (MLO), Operational MLO, and Transportation MLO. Information posted as of 9/29/2021. 2021 State Ballot Information Booklet (the Blue Book)- Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly
The factors in the Colorado School finance formula: - Dollars available for Colorado school finance formula factors BEFORE and AFTER the Budget Stabilization Factor - A Look at Factor Funding and the Budget Stabilization Factor - School Districts Ranked by Pre-BS Factor Cost of Living as a % of Total Factor Funding
September Forecast Legislative Council Staff Economic & Revenue Forecast Economic & Revenue Forecast Presentation Consumer Price Index Forecast Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee The Colorado Outlook: Supplemental Materials
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance September 17, 2021 - State Land Board funding for K-12 Education- Colorado State Land Board - A National Perspective on Property Tax & School Finance: How Colorado Compares- Lincoln Institute of Land Policy - Mill Levy Overrides 101- Legislative Staff - Property Tax Levy Overrides in Other States- Andrew Reschovsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- School District Overrides- Daniel Thatcher, NCSL and Michael Griffith, LPI
August 24, 2021 - School Finance 101 presentation- Legislative Council staff and Office of Legislative Legal Services - Federal COVID Recovery Funding for Education Update- Colorado Department of Education - Measuring Student Poverty in Colorado's School Finance System- Colorado Children's Campaign
CSFP Inaugural Conference Beaver Run Resort, Breckenridge, Colorado September 15, 2021 - "How Money Matters: Creating, Adequate, Equitable and Sustainable School Funding"- presentation by Danielle Farrie, Education Law Center - "What the NFL taught me about Leadership & Teamwork"- presentation by Reggie Rivers, former Denver Broncos player (PowerPoint presentation download with videos) - Boulder Valley School District ESSER story video- Rob Anderson - East Grand School DIstrict ESSER story video- Frank Reeves - Greeley Evans ESSER story video- Dierdre Pilch - Gunnison Watershed School District story video- Tia Mills - Littleton School District ESSER story video- Jonathan Levesque - Northeast BOCES ESSER story video- Tamara Durbin
A Look at Mills in Colorado: - Local Mill Effort by Assessed Valuation Per Pupil UPDATED - Total Mills (including bonds) for all school districts
AUGUST 2021
Sheridan School Board Presentation August 24, 2021
CASB Conversations Webinar: What You Need to Know About the Mill Levy Correction August 23, 2021- Tracie Rainey (CSFP), Kate Bartlett (CDE), and Susan Meek (CASB) - Recording - PowerPoint Slides Additional Resources: - Financing Public Schools FY 2021-22 (LCS) - School Finance Booklet (LCS) - CDE Mill Levy Correction website - CSFP Mill Levy and Tax Credits for Colorado districts - CSFP Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity – 2020-21
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance 2021 - August 24th Agenda - School Finance 101 presentation- Legislative Council staff and Office of Legislative Legal Services - Federal COVID Recovery Funding for Education Update- Colorado Department of Education - Measuring Student Poverty in Colorado's School Finance System- Colorado Children's Campaign
CSFP Staffing Survey Results, August 2021
Financing of Public Schools 2021-22- Legislative Council Staff, August 11, 2021
Timeline of Colorado's School Finance & Education Reform 2020-21 thru 1982
Education Week Quality Counts Per Pupil Spending Charts FY18 Trends in Per Pupil Spending Chart- Data from NCES, US Census Bureau, and Education Week
Budget Stabilization 2009-to present chart
JULY 2021
JOIN US- Colorado School Finance Project's Inaugural School Finance Conference, September 15, 2021 at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, CO -REGISTER NOW
Timeline of Colorado's School Finance & Education Reform 2020-21 thru 1982
Education Week Quality Counts Per Pupil Spending Charts FY18 Trends in Per Pupil Spending Chart- Data from NCES, US Census Bureau, and Education Week
Budget Stabilization 2009-to present chartJuly What We’re Reading: – 4-day school weeks: Education innovation or detriment? Evidence suggests instructional time makes the difference- Brookings Institute, July 12, 2021
JUNE 2021
June Forecast Legislative Council Staff Economic & Revenue Forecast Economic & Revenue Forecast Presentation Consumer Price Index Forecast Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee The Colorado Outlook: Supplemental Materials
CSFP's Legislative Wrap-up 2021 information and resources- Click 2021 ribbon
June CSFP Advisory Meeting - Meeting Recording - Education Funding in 2021-22 (circle chart) - School Finance so far in 2021 Presentation- CSFP - ESSER $s: How they Makes a Difference Presentation- CSFP - Salida School District 2021 Education Reimagined - Boulder Valley School District Financial Transparency FY2020-21 - Boulder Valley School District Community Engagement FY2020-21 - School Finance Act with Factors FY21-22 spreadsheet - Potential Ballot Measures Presentation- Carol Hedges, CFI - Initiative 27 Fiscal Impact Statement - Initiative 27 Fiscal Summary - SB21-293 (Property Tax Reduction bill) Fiscal Note - Initiative 25 Fiscal Impact Statement - Initiative 25 Fiscal Summary
Mill Levy and Tax Credits FY2020-21- UPDATEDJune What We’re Reading: – Colorado schools are getting more money. Bigger changes could be on the way. – Chalkbeat, June 29, 2021 – PERA’s investments generated billions in 2020. But the Colorado pension’s financial condition worsened. – The Colorado Sun, June 21, 2021
MAY 2021
Colorado Supreme Court ruling on interrogatory for House Bill 21-1164 (Total Program Mill Levy Tax Credit)
Memo from Legislative Council Staff- Legislative Changes and Flexibility in Use of American Rescue Plan Funds- May 20, 2021
SB21-268- Public School Finance Act Reengrossed 5.17.21 SB21-268- Public School Finance Act SB21-268- Public School Finance Act FISCAL NOTE Colorado Department of Education DRAFT runs on SB21-268May What We're Reading: - Universal free lunch will help Colorado districts keep feeding kids. But could it also rob some schools of state funding?- The Colorado Sun, April 27, 2021 - Building for the future: Weld County school districts using bonds to renovate and add facilities- Chalkbeat Colorado, March 1, 2021
APRIL 2021
Lake County School District Board of Education Presentation April 27, 2021
CSFP April Advisory Meeting Materials: - Meeting recording - School Finance Update Presentation- Marc Carey and Kate Watkins, Legislative Council - Moody's Methodology Change Presentation- Mattie Prodanovic and Jason Simmons, Hilltop Securities - Budget Stabilization Factor as Percent of State Share - School Finance Factors with and without Budget Stabilization Factor - Analysis of Factors Workbook Explanatory narrative - Excel Workbook looking at Factors, Base Funding, and the Budget Stabilization Factor
USDA Announcement on Free Lunch Extension through June 2022 April 20, 2021
Public Education & Business Coalition Board Presentation April 20, 2021
ESSER III Colorado Allocation by School District
Western Slope April Advisory Meeting Presentation April 15, 2021
Salida School DIstrict Presentation April 13, 2021
Public Education Study Group materials 4.9.2021 - Meeting recording - School Finance 101
UPDATED Colorado COVID-19 Public School Assistance 2021
Budget Stabilization Factor Chart 2008-2021: Reflects passage of SB21-053, supplementalApril What We’re Reading: - How States Can Manage Uncertainty, Balance Budgets, and Help Communities in the Pandemic's Wake- Pew Charitable Trusts, March 22, 2021 – Universal free lunch will help Colorado districts keep feeding kids. But could it also rob some schools of state funding?– The Colorado Sun, April 27, 2021 – Colorado Senate adds special ed funding, chief equity officer position to 2022 budget– Chalkbeat Colorado, April 8, 2021 – Colorado’s 2022 budget boosts K-12 spending, restores higher ed cuts– Chalkbeat Colorado, April 5, 2021
MARCH 2021
Public Education Study Group materials 3.26.2021
- A Look at Colorado Schools: Then and Now
- Timeline of Colorado’s School Finance & Education Reform 2019-20 thru 1982
- Timeline of Facts and Figures for Colorado Schools
2020-21 Budget Stabilization Factor by School District
March Forecast Legislative Council Staff Economic & Revenue Forecast Economic & Revenue Forecast Presentation Consumer Price Index Forecast Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee The Colorado Outlook: Supplemental Materials
CSFP March Advisory Meeting Video Recording of Meeting Potential Ballot Issues presentation- Carol Hedges, CFI Nutrition Panel presentation School Finance: National Perspective, At-Risk Count, & Power Equalization presentation- Justin Silverstein, APA, and Tracie Rainey, CSFP - Overview of Power Equalization
Build a Better Colorado Presentation March 10, 2021 David Sciarra, Executive Director, Education Law Center Justin Silverstein, CEO, Augenblick, Palaich & Associates
CDE's Enrollment change 2020-21 to 2021-22March What We're Reading/Watching: - Building for the future: Weld County school districts using bonds to renovate and add facilities- Chalkbeat Colorado, March 1, 2021
FEBRUARY 2021
CDE's Enrollment change 2020-21 to 2021-22
Building a Better Colorado Presentation February 19, 2021 - - School Finance Principles PowerPoint - Graphs on Colorado Education Spending and Revenues 2008 to 2019 - Education Week Per Pupil Spending Comparison chart 2020 - Percent of General Fund appropriated for K-12 Education
SB21-053- Supplemental Adjustment for 2020-21 School Year Bill Text
SB21-053 Supplemental Adjustment for 2020-21 School Year Fiscal Note
How School Finance Works
CSFP's February Advisory Meeting: Video recording of meeting PERA Presentation by Ron Baker, Executive Director Overview of Potential Tax Reforms- Carol Hedges, Executive Director of the Colorado Fiscal Institute - Tax Year 2020 Income Tax Limits and Range of EITC CSFP Supplemental workbooks: - Potential Supplemental Model 2.11.21 District level - Estimated Budget Stabilization Factor Calculation - 2021 Midyear bill funds outside the formula- COVID Mitigation- Legislative Council - 2021 Midyear bill School Finance Formula Portion- Legislative Council
At-a-Glance: 2020-21 Colorado Public School Student EnrollmentFebruary What We're Reading/Watching: - As Colorado House and Senate reconvene, leaders pledge funds for K-12, higher education- Chalkbeat Colorado, February 16, 2021
JANUARY 2021
Supplemental Budget Requests FY2020-21, Department of Education- January 2021
Comparison of HB20-1418, December CDE Funding Worksheet, and Governor's Supplemental Request Workbook Supplemental Request Analysis- Amount of reduction by school district
University of Colorado at Denver's Education Policy Cohort Presentation booklet- CSFP's K-12 School Finance Packet- School finance discussion on January 19, 2021
CSFP’s January 2021 VIRTUAL Advisory Meeting: Video recording of meeting Growing Forward: Population & Economic Trends in Colorado - Elizabeth Garner, State Demography Office, Department of Local Affairs, January 2021 December 2020 Forecast- Kate Watkins, Legislative Council Staff
COVID Assistance Information from CDE and the Governor's Office - ESSER II - GEER II
CDE Allocation of Proposition EE dollars to Rural Schools - January 2021
CASB Conversations Webinar: Budgeting the Next Round of Federal Stimulus Dollars - Slides - Recording
A Look at School District Enrollment 2020-21
Mesa County Valley School District 51 Presentation to the School Board- January 5, 2021January What We’re Reading/Watching: - A guide to how Amendment 23, "the budget stabilization factor" and "the negative factor shape education spending in Colorado- The Colorado Sun, January 27, 2021 - Colorado teacher salaries rank below the national average. The recession is likely to keep them there. - The Colorado Sun, January 26, 2021
School finance related COVID Articles
- Internet Connectivity Across Colorado- Institute of Education Science
- Colorado's $30.3 billion coronavirus-sickened state budget explained in 10 numbers- The Colorado Sun, May 29, 2020
- Where Did Colorado Lawmakers Find $3.5 Billion To Patch The State Budget? Schools, Veterans, Seniors, Medicaid And More- Colorado Public Radio, May 22, 2020
- Colorado's K-12 budget- Does COVID-19 make the unpalatable possible?- Chalkbeat, May 21, 2020
- Colorado schools will see almost $1 billion in new federal dollars- Chalkbeat, May 18, 2020
- PRESS RELEASE: State receives nearly $121 million in federal relief for Colorado school districts- Colorado Department of Education
- Budget writers will have to cut $3.3 billion from general fund, new numbers show- Colorado Politics, May 12, 2020
- Colorado faces $6.8 billion coronavirus hit to state budget in coming years, new forecasts predict- Colorado Sun, May 12, 2020
- The Grim Business Of State Budgets Cuts Under Coronavirus Has Begun- Colorado Public Radio, May 11, 2020
- Colorado legislature delays its return date until late May to allow more time to balance budget- Colorado Sun, May 9, 2020
- Colorado School Districts Look To Trim Millions, Meaning Less Pay, Possibly Fewer Schools And Fewer Schooldays- Colorado Public Radio, May 6, 2020