Welcome

• 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

                                                                                                ELECTIONS PAGE 2020

DRAFT of 2020 School District Elections-  Elections: Bond, BEST, Mill Levy Override (MLO), Operational MLO, and Transportation MLO.  Information posted as of 10/12/2020.
2020 State Ballot Information Booklet (the Blue Book)- Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly

Amendment B resources:
  - The Gallagher Amendment- Legislative Council Staff, July 30, 2020
  - Amendment B explained: What repealing the Gallagher Amendment would mean for Colorado and your property taxes- The Colorado Sun, September 29, 2020
  - Gallagher's Effect on Tax Rates Over Time graph
  - Amendment B: Repeal Gallagher Amendment, Explained- Colorado Public Radio, October 12, 2020

Proposition 116 Tax Calculator- created by Colorado Fiscal Institute
 - CFI Prop 116 Tax Calculator - Google Spreadsheet
 - CFI Prop 116 Tax Calculator- Excel format

Internet Connectivity Across Colorado- Institute of Education Sciences

Estes Park School Board Presentation- Tracie Rainey, October 13, 2020

Teacher Salary Comparison by 24/7 Wall St.- October 12, 2020

CSFP’s October 2020 VIRTUAL Advisory Meeting:

Video Recording of meeting
September 2020 Forecast & the Blue Book Process- Kate Watkins, Legislative Council Staff
October Count Slide- Justin Silverstein, APA and Tracie Rainey
Gallagher Amendment: Impacts on Schools & Local Services and Why Now is the Time to Repeal It- Senator Chris Hansen
Be a Public Education Voter resources- Great Education Colorado

Education Funding and Taxation Policy Presentation to Great Schools Thriving Communities- Justin Silverstein, APA and Tracie Rainey, October 7, 2020

Average Teacher Salary Comparison Chart using Business.org data

CDE Memo: Student October Count Data Respondents/Audit Contacts- September 25, 2020

Average Teacher Salary Comparison Chart using Business.org data

Colorado Joint Education Committees' Meeting agenda and presentations- September 23, 2020 - Agenda - Overview and Statewide Snapshot from CDE - Managing COVID-10 Symptoms and Exposure - Colorado Charter School Institute - PTA and Parents on Reopening Schools - Addressing Barriers to Remote and In-Person Learning - Canon City Schools- How We Opened - North Routt Community Charter School - The Pinnacle Charter School - Budget and Funding Impacts from CDE - Colorado's Public Charter Schools and COVID - Overview of Possible Special Education Funsing Scenarios - Audio from meeting

Beginning in May 2020, the CSFP collected district budget cut realities from school districts and monitored media reports, as well. Our findings are below:
District Reported Budget Conversations 
Budget Cuts from Media Sources
Trends in district cuts 2020-21

CSFP Presentation to the Public Education and Business Coalition, September 21, 2020
- PowerPoint Presentation in orginal format
- PowerPoint Presentation created for grayscale printed

                                                                                                ELECTIONS PAGE 2020
DRAFT of 2020 School District Elections-  Elections: Bond, BEST, Mill Levy Override (MLO), Operational MLO, and Transportation MLO.  Information posted as of 9/21/2020.
2020 State Ballot Information Booklet (the Blue Book)- Legislative Council of the Colorado General Assembly
The Gallagher Amendment- Legislative Council Staff, July 30, 2020

• Colorado Legislative Council staff
  • Economic & Revenue Forecast
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Consumer Price Index
• Office of State Planning and Budget
  • State of Colorado: Economic and Fiscal Outlook
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Supplemental Materials to OSPB Forecast

• Video Recording of meeting
• Colorado Department of Education Guidance on Learning Pods
• Colorado Department of Education CARES Act Fact Sheet, August 2020
• Colorado State Board of Education Rules for Administration of Public Schools Finance Act 1994- September 10, 2020
• Follow-up from Colorado Department of Education- Commissioner Anthes' responses and resources
• Colorado PERA presentation- Jeff Sprole and Michael Steppat, Colorado PERA
  • Colorado PERA: Investment Stewardship Report 2020
• Ballot Issues with Fiscal Implication for Education– Lisa Weil and Betsy Bevis, Great Education

CSFP Student Count and Funding Charts (2019-20 data):
- Emergent bilingual students (English language learners, according to CDE)
- Gifted and Talented
- Students experiencing homelessness
- Special Education
- Students eligible for free and reduced lunch

2020 Quality Counts Grading of State Spending Per Pupil (pp) on Education- 

For the second year in a row, Colorado received an F on Education Week's Quality Counts spending matrix.

• Teacher pay penalty dips but persists in 2019– Economic Policy Institute with the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics, September 17, 2020
• Amendment B explained: What repealing the Gallagher Amendment would mean for Colorado and your property taxes– The Colorado Sun, September 29, 2020
• Colorado’s substitute teacher shortage, worsened by coronavirus, could force some schools to close. Again.– The Colorado Sun, September 28, 2020
• Amendment B puts spotlight on Gallagher’s mixed legacy of budget cuts, tax relief, and inequality in Colorado– The Colorado Sun, September 15, 2020
• Opinion: Prop 116 would only worsen the severe lack of school funding in Colorado– The Colorado Sun, September 10, 2020
• Schooling during COVID creates some labor challenges for Garfield County schools– Post Independent, September 7, 2020
• Could some of Colorado’s urban districts catch onto a four-day week?– Denver Post, September 7, 2020
• Colorado school reopening updates: School districts can continue serving free meals to all students– Chalkbeat, September 1, 2020
• YouTube report from TheDenverChannel.com

Update on free lunch from the Federal Government
- Colorado school reopening updates: School districts can continue serving free meals to all students- Chalkbeat, September 1, 2020
- Press Release: USDA Extends Free Meals for Kids Through December 31, 2020- USDA, Food and Nutrition Services, August 31, 2020

Four-Day Week Information:
- Map of Four-Day Week School Districts in Colorado, August 2020
- School Districts with four-day weeks in Colorado 2001-2021 chart
- Four Day School Week Manual 2020-21- Colorado Department of Education
- Research paper: Are All Four-Day School Weeks Created Equal? A National Assessment of Four-Day School Week Policy Adoption and Implementation - Oregon State University, June 2020

Creede School District Presentation- CSFP, August 7, 2020

Colorado School Finance Project's School Finance and Education Reform Timeline 2019-20 to 1982

Beginning in May 2020, the CSFP collected district budget cut realities from school districts.  
District Reported Budget Conversations
Budget Cuts from Media Sources
Trends in district cuts 2020-21

Learn about Initiative 271- Fair Tax Colorado Information- Click here What does Initiative 271 mean for your district? Colorado Association of School Board

Want to know what happened in the 2020 Legislative Session?- Click here

Mill Levy/Local Revenue Resources- Click Here

• Video Recording of meeting
• Economic & Revenue Forecast for CSFP– Kate Watkins, Legislative Council Staff
•  Initiative 271 Update– Lisa Weil and Betsy Bevis, Great Education and FairTax Colorado
•  Legislative Wrap-up– Tracie Rainey and Justin Silverstein, Colorado School Finance Project

CSFP Presentation– Upper Rio Grande/Del Norte Board of Education, June 23, 2020

• Colorado Legislative Council staff
  • Economic & Revenue Forecast
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Consumer Price Index
• Office of State Planning and Budget
  • State of Colorado: Economic and Fiscal Outlook
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Supplemental Materials to OSPB Forecast

School Districts' Mill Levies at time of "de-brucing"

2008-2021 Budget Stabilization Factor Graph passed by by HB20-1418)

This chart compares state per-pupil spending to the U.S. average per-pupil spending.
UPDATED: Education Week Per Pupil Spending Comparison

• HB20-1418 Public School Finance bill
• HB20-1418 Public School Finance Fiscal Note
• HB20-1418 Public School Finance Fiscal Note Amended (6/7/2020)

CSFP School Finance Act PRELIMINARY Modeling- Five percent from COL factor and rest from Budget Stabilization Factor

June What We're Reading:

• Colorado lawmakers made billions in cuts to finish the budget. Now Gov. Polis may need to make even more.-The Colorado Sun, June 18, 2020
• Students of Color And The Vulnerable Await Fallout Of Colorado Coronvirus-Induced School Budget Cuts- Colorado Public Radion, June 8, 2020
• Amid school funding cuts, Colorado bill lays foundation for future fiscal reform- Chalkbeat, June 5, 2020

• Repeal Property Tax Assessment Rates Bill Text
• Repeal Property Tax Assessment Rates Fiscal Note
• Colorado schools could be $490 million short next year. Lawmakers call for repealing Gallagher tax limit.- Chalkbeat, May 28, 2020

Twitter Feed for @cosfp May 2020: District Concerns by Region

Douglas County School Board Presentation- CSFP, 5.26.2020

• Approved Uses for CARES $s
• Coronavirus Relief Fund Allocations(Excel spreadsheet)

• General Fund Overview (5/22/2020)
• General Fund Overview (5/20/2020)
• General Fund Overview (5/19/2020)
• JBC Staff Memo: Additional School Finance Balancing Options (Outside of the Long Bill)
• JBC Staff Memo: Revised Long Bill Recommendations for School Finance (OSPB Forecast)

UPDATED: 2008-2021 Budget Stabilization Factor: Looking at Potential Consequences in 2020-21

•  Recording of meeting
•  Video
•   Colorado Department of Education- Dr. Katy Anthes and Jennifer Okes
  • Education Stabilization Fund Program (ESSER) Preliminary Funding Allocations
  • Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Stakeholder Survey
  •  Initiative 271 Update- Lisa Weil and Betsy Bevis, Great Education and FairTax Colorado
  • Office of State Budget and Planning Budget Update- Luke Teater, OSPB
  • Emergency Tax Presentation- Carol Hedges, Colorado Fiscal Institute
  • Letter to Lawmakers and Governor- signed by multiple community supporters

• Colorado Legislative Council staff
  • Economic & Revenue Forecast
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Consumer Price Index
• Office of State Planning and Budget
  • State of Colorado: Economic and Fiscal Outlook
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Supplemental Materials to OSPB Forecast
  • Economic Forecast Shows COVID-19’s Significant Impact on Colorado Economy
• JoAnn Groff, Property Tax Administrator
• Presentation documents 
• Excel file for RAR impact on school districts- pulled from presentation documents

• Interactive District Snapshot Tool (Google Sheets)
• Interactive District Snapshot Tool (Excel workbook)
• Interactive Percentage Cut Tool (Google Sheets)
• Interactive Percentage Cut Tool (Excel workbook)
• Budget Stabilization Factor by District Total Program - Pre-BSF, Current BSF, Additional 5% in BSF
• Budget Stabilization Factor by District Total Program - Additional 10% in BSF and Additional 15% in BSF
• Attachment E: BSF by District- Percent when hitting base

• Memorandum: Addendum to Department of Education Budget Balancing Packet (05/06/2020)
• Staff Budget Balancing FY2019-20 & FY2020-21 Packet(4/23/2020)

School Finance in Colorado Workbook 2020- Legislative Council Staff

Colorado School Districts Look To Trim Millions, Meaning Less Pay, Possibly Fewer Schools And Fewer Schooldays- Colorado Public Radio, May 6, 2020

-  Initiative 271- Vision 2020 Information  -

• Initiative 271 Tax Calculator - provided by CSFP
• Polling results notice- Keating Research, May 20, 2020
• Polling results- Keating Research, May 20, 2020
• Initiative 271 Tax Changes- Colorado School Finance Project, April 2020
• Chart of State Rankings per $1000 of personal income- Colorado School Finance Project, April 2020

Friday, May 8 @ 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, May 12 @ 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday, May 13 @ 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 14 @ 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, May 19 @ 12:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20 @ 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 21 @ 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, May 27 @ 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 28 @ 5:00 p.m.

Friday, May 29 @ 10:00 a.m.

• Budget woes causing headaches for school districts- The Pueblo Chieftan, May 4, 2020
• Schools Face Nightmare Scenario After Coronavirus Crisis- U.S. News & World Report, May 1, 2020
• Colorado School Districts Look To Trim Millions, Meaning Less Pay, Possibly Fewer Schools And Fewer Schooldays- Colorado Public Radio, May 6, 2020

CSFP's April 2020 VIRTUAL Advisory Meeting:

• Recording of meeting
• COVID Update- Colorado Department of Education
• Office of State Budget and Planning Budget Update
• Initiative 271 Explained- Vision 2020 and FairTax Colorado

CASB Conversations: Budgeting During a State Fiscal Crisis

• Presentation
• Podcast audio

• Budget Stabilization Factor as a Percent: Looking at Potential Consequences in 2020-21
• 2008-2021 Budget Stabilization Factor: Looking at Potential Consequences in 2020-21

Colorado Education Grant Dollars 2016-present

Comparison of Colorado Average Per-Pupil Spending and U.S. Average Per-Pupil Spending 2007-2017

****COVID-19 UPDATES and INFORMATION****

• Colorado lawmakers are looking at how to close a $3 billion budget shortfall. Here's the roadmap.- Colorado Sun, April 27, 2020
• COVID-19 State Budget Shortfalls Could Be Largest on Record- Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, April 14, 2020
• Colorado's Government Braces For Up To 3 Years of Cuts- Colorado Public Radio, April 7, 2020
• Joint Budget Committee Plan of Action Letter- April 9, 2020
• Colorado Governments Look At Cuts As COVID-19 Burns Budgets- Colorado Public Radio, April 7, 2020
• Colorado Supreme Court rules legislature can extend its lawmaking term after coronavirus pause- Colorado Sun, April 1, 2020
• Colorado Supreme Court Response to Interrogatory on House Joint Resolution 20-1006- April 1, 2020

• The Impact of the COVID-19 Recession on Teaching Positions- Learning Policy Institute, April 30, 2020
• An Emergency Tax: TABOR to the Rescue?- Colorado Fiscal Institute, April 29, 2020
• COVID-19 and School Funding: What to Expect and What You Can Do- Learning Policy Institute, April 22, 2020
• States Need Significantly More Fiscal Relief to Slow the Emerging Deep Recession- Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, April 14, 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, 202

-  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:

• Tuesday 3/24 5:00-6:00pm: Register
• Wednesday 3/25 8:00am Register

Press Release: JBC Action Postponed Until April 7 at Earliest- March 20, 2020

• Colorado Legislative Council staff
  • Economic & Revenue Forecast
  • Presentation to the Joint Budget Committee
  • Cost-of-Living Report
  • Consumer Price Index Forecast
  • Staff Comeback - FY 2020-21 Long Bill Recommendations for School Finance
• Office of State Planning and Budget
  • The Colorado Outlook: Economic and Fiscal Outlook

• - 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?

• 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

• 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

• 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

Supplemental Budget Requests FY2019-20, Department of Education- January 2020 

• Adjustments to Total Program Funding for 2019-20 School Year HB20-1260 (bill text)-
• HB20-1260 (fiscalnote)
• Memo from JBC re:Supplemental Comeback for FY2019-20

Colorado Student Enrollment At-a-Glance 2019-20

• 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 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

• 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