DENVER — Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Governor Jared Polis are negotiating an alternative school funding plan after the governor's proposal faced backlash.
Colorado faces a$1 billion budget shortfall, forcing lawmakers to cut spending.
"We have had to go back to the drawing board and see if we can find a path forward to fund our schools, protect those investments we've made in a way that will also match the budget constraints we're facing," said McCluskie. "None of us could have predicted that we would see a $600 million increase in Medicaid funding. We didn't know then about a $350 million ballot initiative that passed and now has put tremendous pressure on our budget."
Polis proposed using a single-year student count to determine per-pupil funding for a district. The current method uses a 5-year average of student enrollment, intended to smooth over any sudden declines or increases in enrollment.
Polis has said the new method will help the state fund an accurate amount of students instead of empty seats. However, educators worry a formula change could hurt schools that are already severely underfunded.
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Education leaders predicted that the education algorithm change would cut $150 million in funding. However, a spokesperson for Polis previously told Denver7, "the Governor’s budget actually increases education funding by $138 million in a rough budget year and average per-pupil spending by an additional $388."
Following backlash by education leaders, McClucksie drafted a proposal that creates a more gradual transition to a single-year student count and would cut $50 million instead of $150 million from school funding. According to McCluskie, all 178 Colorado school districts will either receive new money or maintain current funding levels under the new proposal.
"I'm really excited that we may have found a path forward now that is inclusive and honors the spirit of the deal we made last year in protecting those investments," the House Speaker said. "Again, schools this year, with my proposal, will get what they received this year in funding or more, just not as much more as we'd hoped to be able to deliver for 25-26 [school year]."
Polis's office released a statement on the proposal, saying in part, "His responsible budget proposal aims to fund students based on where they are learning, not through an arbitrary multi-year average. The House Speaker and Governor’s offices are engaged in conversations with districts to identify a path forward that addresses some concerns of districts while also moving away from the fundamental inaccuracy of Colorado’s current averaging, and negotiations are ongoing .”
Finding the extra money will be a challenge, McCluskie said.
"We are looking at capping some grant programs. We're looking at suspending some grant programs for a year and repurposing those dollars to help fund our schools," said McCluskie. "We're looking at tightening our belts in other parts of our state budget, just so that we can protect our schools."
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