Welcome

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.

ESSER I information now available! 
Click here to see each district's information. For Communication Strategies, go here.
ESSER I Key Takeaways Handout
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood Public Rulemaking Hearing-  September 29, 2022
 Materials here.

Early Childhood Leadership Commission Townhall on October 11 at 5:30 pm.
September Economic and Revenue Forecast - September 22, 2022

• Legislative Council Economic & Revenue Forecast Report
• Legislative Council Presentation Slides
• Legislative Council Consumer Price Index Forecast
• OSPB Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Report
• OSPB Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Presentation Slides
• OSPB Colorado Outlook Supplemental Materials
"Colorado legislature faces inflationary budget crunch as risk of recession grows" - Jesse Paul, Colorado Sun, September 22, 2022
Colorado School Finance Project Conference:  Investment in Action - September 21, 2022

Morning Remarks with Tracie Rainey presentation
Keynote Speaker Carol Hedges - "It's time for Audacity"
Keynote Speaker David Flaherty -  "Telling Your School District’s Story: Rebuilding Confidence and Trust Among Parents & Non-Parents"
Morning Session with Tracie Rainey and Susan Meek  - "Proactively Telling Your Story"
ESSER I Key Takeaways Handout
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance - August 30, 2022
• ESSER COVID Recovery Funding for Education Update from CDE
• Preliminary List of State Grant Programs
• 2022-23 BEST Applications & Approved Projects

At-Risk Working Group (HB22-1202) 
Website here
• At-Risk Workgroup Funding 101 - August 8, 2022
• Workgroup Meeting #1 - August 15, 2022
• Workgroup Meeting #2 & District Estimates - September 12, 2022
CSFP School Finance Discussion with DBO - August 29, 2022
CSFP Staffing Survey Results - August 23, 2022
The Colorado School Finance Project sent out a survey to school districts asking for more information on unfilled positions. We want to thank the districts who responded to the survey. This information is invaluable as there have been many stories in the media about teacher and staffing shortages across the nation and Colorado. 

These are the results from the survey showing that districts are struggling to hire staff for this school year. In these results, we have also included information from a recent study on national teacher wages.

Rural Schools Distributions per HB20‐1427  - August 22, 2022
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance - August 16, 2022
•  Interim School Finance Presentation
•  Funding for District Cost of Living 
•  Cost of Living State Comparison
•  2021 Cost of Living Memo
•  SB22-202 Fiscal Note
•  HB22-1390 Year Comparison by District
•  Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement
2022-23 Budget Stabilization Factor by School District
September What We're Reading
"COVID relief money helps Colorado schools pay for math and reading curriculum" - Ann Schimke, Chalkbeat, Sept 21, 2022

AUGUST 2022 
August What We're Reading:
- "What it takes to put a measure on the ballot" - Max Lubbers, CPR —  August 5, 2022
- "A ‘National Teacher Shortage’? New Research Reveals Vastly Different Realities Between States & Regions" - Marianna McMurdock, The 74 — August 17, 2022
- "Colorado teachers earn 36% less than other college-educated workers, the worst gap in the country" - Erica Breunlin, Colorado Sun — August 22, 2022 (references This Report by Economic Policy Institute)
JULY 2022
CSFP at BOCES Conference - "Building Trust While Meeting ESSER Requirements – Help Is Here" Presentation - July 11, 2022 CASE Conference Presentations - July 2022 ESSER World Cafe: Time to Share and Learn with Other Districts - July 27, 2022 What Resources Are Available to Help With ESSER Requirements? - July 27, 2022 Technical Assistance on Explaining the Impact of Your ESSER Investments - July 27, 2022 The Whirlwind of School Finance - July 28, 2022
JUNE 2022
CSFP ESSER Grant Presentation at CEA Conference (lunch session) - June 7, 2022 CSFP ESSER Grant Presentation at CEA Conference (afternoon session) - June 7, 2022 CSFP to East Central BOCES: Learning and Transparency Technical Assistance Program Grant - June 1, 2022 June What We're Reading: - Colorado Public Education Opinion Survey Part 2 - June 8, 2022 - "The Interesting Effects 4-Day Weeks May Have on School Climate" - Sarah D. Sparks, Education Week  — June 30, 2022 June 2022 Economic Forecast CSFP School Funding Presentation - June 29, 2022
MAY 2022
Great Education Board and CSFP: Legislative Re-cap and impacts on: K-12 Funding - May 19, 2022 CASB and CSFP: Legislative Re-cap and impacts on: K-12 Funding - May 18, 2022 May Advisory Meeting (May 13, 2022) - Recording of the meeting Initiative 63 - fact sheet and slides Colorado Department of Labor and Employment - Ryan Gedney Fiscal Impact on potential ballot/legislative measures - Chris Stiffler, CFI Universal Pre-school - funding discussion CSFP Presentation to CASBO — May 5, 2022 May What We're Reading: “Everybody has a second job”: Low pay leaves rural Colorado teachers struggling. Colorado’s teacher salaries are among the lowest in the nation"- Daliah Singer, The Colorado Sun, May 19, 2022 Colorado Public Education Opinion Survey Part 1 - May 26, 2022
APRIL 2022
Snapshot of Impacts on School Finance 2022-23- April 6, 2022 CSFP Presentation to the Cotopaxi School Board — April 27, 2022 April Advisory Meeting (April 22, 2022) - Recording of the meeting Forecast Update- Kate Watkins and Marc Carey Universal Preschool Update Ballot Initiative update CSFP ESSER Grant Presentation FY 22-23 ESSA Preliminary Allocations CSFP Presentation at the Western Slope Advisory Meeting — April 21, 2022 ESSER Presentation at the Western Slope Advisory Meeting — April 21, 2022 ESSER Grant Presentation at the Northern Superintendents Meeting — April 21, 2022 ESSER Grant Presentation at the Southern Superintendents Conference — April 14, 2022 ESSER Grant Presentation at the Colorado BOCES Quarterly Meeting — April 11, 2022 ESSER Grant One-page flyer for School Districts and BOCES Colorado School Finance Project's Impacts on School Finance Bubble Graphic 2022-23- updated on April 14, 2022
MARCH 2022
School Finance memo from Joint Budget Committee Staff- Craig Harper, March 18, 2022 2021-22 Budget Stabilization Factor by School District March 2022 Forecast Legislative Council Staff Economic & Revenue Forecast Report 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 March Advisory Meeting - Recording of meeting - CSFP Transparency Grant slides - Early Childhood Education presentation - Bob Palaich, Augenblick, Palaich & Associates - PERA Update slides - Ron Baker, PERA of Colorado CASB Conversations Webinar- School Finance 101, Part 1 [Need to be CASB member to access] SOS School Finance 101 Presentations March 1-2, 2022: - Gunnison School District- school finance background- Tracie Rainey, CSFP - Take Action Slides- Lisa Weil and Cody Ostenson, Great Education Colorado and Great Schools Thriving Communities - 2022 School Funding Ballot Initiative Training information- Lisa Weil and Cody Ostenson, Great Education and Great Schools Thriving Communities March What We're Reading:
FEBRUARY 2022
Colorado Association of School Executives Winter Conference February 2022 - Tips on how to work with your school board- Tracie Rainey, CSFP and Glenn McClain, Platte Valley School District - What Now with School Finance? - Tracie Rainey, CSFP DRAFT 2022-23 Funding Workbook- Based on JBC Recommendations- Colorado Department of Education, February 2022 Presentation to Colorado BOCES Association Winter Quarterly Meeting- February 15, 2022 February CSFP Advisory Meeting - Recording of meeting - School Finance Project 2022- Office of the State Demographer's presentation - Issues in the Design of Early Childhood Systems: Informal Dialogue with CSFP- Bob Palaich - ADA Conversation Starters - How are states funding school districts in the wake of changing enrollments caused by COVID-19? (blog post) - How states count students to determine funding: A call for change (blog post) - Not Making the Grade - Issue Paper: Using Average Daily Attendance as a Basis for Distributing State School Revenue Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2021-22 including an overall summary and detail by school district Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2021-22 Summary Tax Effort and Fiscal Capacity 2021-22 by Assessed Value and type of Mill – includes pie chart and detail by school district Total Assessed Value 2021-22 Assessed Value per Pupil 2021-22 Total Program Mills 2021-22 (mills each district levies as part of the school finance act) Mill Levy Overrides 2021-22 (voter-approved) Percent of Colorado's General Fund Appropriation Allocated to Education 2006 to 2002 chart
JANUARY 2022
Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance January 27, 2022 - At-risk Bill Draft Fiscal Note - Special Education Bill Draft Fiscal Note - MLO State Match Bill Draft Fiscal Note - DID NOT VOTE ON and WILL NOT BE MOVING FORWARD - State Land Trust Bill Draft Fiscal Note January 14, 2022 CSFP Advisory Meeting - Recording of Meeting - CSFP Interim Committee and Legislative Update - Universal Preschool Recommendations Final Report CSFP Presentation to Alamosa School District- January 13, 2022 Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance- January 10, 2022 meeting - Colorado At-Risk Study Final Report Presentation- Urban Institute - Bill Drafts: Special Education bill & State Match for Mill Levy Override - School Finance Simulation Tool- Anna Gerstle, Legislative Council Staff - School Finance Update- Craig Harper, JBC Staff

January/December What We're Reading:

- Colorado's 2022 legislative session began Wednesday. Here's your guide to get involved.- Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun, January 12, 2022 - Funding, school ratings, workforce: Education issues we're watching in 2022- Jason Gonzales and Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat, January 7, 2022
DECEMBER 2021
December 2021 Forecast Legislative Council staff Economic & Revenue Forecast Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee - K-12 Enrollment Forecast (slides 34-39) - Assessed Valuation Forecast (slides 40-45) - School Finance Outlook (slides 46-50) Consumer Price Index Forecast Governor's Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) Colorado Economic and Fiscal Outlook Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee The Colorado Outlook: Supplemental Materials CSFP State Profile Report- 2021 (2019-20 audited data) 2021 State Profile Overview (1-page overview) 2021 State Profile Charts & Highlights (2 pages) 2021 State Profile Report (7 pages) includes a historical look at: - Enrollment in K-12: Enrollment, Special Education, Free & Reduced Lunch, Emergent Bilinguals (English Language Learners according to CDE), and gifted students - Teachers: Number of teachers, teachers per 1,000 students, average salary (comparing CO and National) - Per Student Current Spending and Revenue - Relationship between state/local revenue for K-12 and personal income Colorado Department of Education presentation to the Joint Budget Committee Questions, Comments, and Slides CASB Annual Convention- December 2-4, 2021 - Colorado K-12 Funding, School Finance- New Board Member Training booklet - Colorado K-12 Funding: New Board Member Orientation presentation - Mill Levy Correction presentation - Tracie Rainey and Glenn Gustafson
NOVEMBER 2021
2021 Certified Election Results- as of 11.29.21 Most Recent Voter Approved Mill Levy Override (MLO) Results- November 2021 November CSFP Advisory Meeting - Video recording of meeting - Nutrition Services presentation- Jessica Gould, Littleton Public Schools - Education Funding sheet with Governor's proposed budget changes ADDITIONAL RESOURCES : - Mill Levy Correction information from CDE 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 MILL LEVY CORRECTION INFORMATION- Tax Credits and "De-brucing" or "De-TABORing" PEBC Catalyst Presentation- November 12, 2021 Governor's Budget Proposal 2022-23 - FY2022-23 Budget K-12 one-pager - Full proposal - Shortened proposal with attachments - FY2022-23 budget rollout presentations Money Matters: Tell Your Story ESSER funding documents November What We're Reading: - Large 27J district bond passes amid mixed success of school tax measures- Ann Schimke and Melanie Asmar, Chalkbeat, November 3, 2021
OCTOBER 2021
CSFP Western Slope Advisory Meeting Presentation- October 21, 2021 Budget Stabilization chart 2017 to Present for all School Districts 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 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 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 What We're Reading:

– How Staff Shortages Are Crushing Schools– Mark Lieberman, Education Week [will need to sign-in for access]

- The latest Nobel Prize winner: Researcher who helped show money matters for schools- Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat, October 13, 2021
SEPTEMBER 2021
ELECTIONS PAGE 2021DRAFT 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 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 chart July What We’re Reading: – 4-day school weeks: Education innovation or detriment? Evidence suggests instructional time makes the difference- Brookings Institute, July 12, 2021