On Mar. 20, teachers from across Colorado came together at the state Capitol in protest of continuous budget cuts to the education department by the state government. Organized by the Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, the protest drew approximately 2,000 educators, causing statewide school shutdowns for the day.
So, what sparked this demonstration? Colorado teachers are protesting as a warning to Governor Jared Polis and legislators, urging them not to once again cut education funding in order to fill the state’s budget hole, which is a whopping $1.2 billion this year. The message of these educators is clear: “Stop using money for K-12 schools to balance the state budget.”
Colorado public schools have been continuously underfunded, largely due to the “Budget Stabilization Factor,” which allows for legislators to divert money from schools in order to fulfill other state budget “priorities.” As a result, Colorado schools have lost roughly $10 billion in funding over the past 14 years. Last year, Governor Polis and state legislators promised to stop the diversion of funds from public schools through this practice.
To support this commitment, Colorado lawmakers have developed a new school funding formula that is designed to allocate an additional $500 million toward K-12 public education over a six-year period, starting the next fiscal year.
However, due to the budget deficit, the legislature is now considering targeting K-12 schools once again to cover this hole, compromising their original promise.
According to Polis, the original billion-dollar deficit comes from a multitude of different factors, such as “slowing economic growth, rising Medicaid costs and restrictions on the amount of revenue Colorado can raise and spend due to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.” To help balance the budget, Polis suggested reducing state spending, cutting Medicaid provider payments, imposing hiring freezes and changing the way the state determines funding for schools.
Currently, Colorado uses a five-year rolling average of student enrollment to determine a school’s funding. Polis has proposed implementing a single-year student count to help cover increases in funding, which is the approach used by most states. This change would mean that schools receive funding based on their current enrollment.
Although this seems like a logical plan, it has raised skepticism and concern within Colorado’s education community. Many school districts are facing declining enrollment, and with a single-year student count, these districts and schools would have to rapidly adjust to a sudden budget reduction. Some schools could lose over 30% of their budget within a year if this plan is implemented, leading to major impacts on their ability to operate efficiently.
This has caused a lot of tension between the government and the Colorado school districts. From the perspective of the governor and legislators, there does not seem to be an alternative option if these schools want to see increased funding in the long run. However, educators are not satisfied with this response and will continue to protest until they are assured their funding will not be cut again due to the state’s spending habits. These Colorado educators are putting their foot down; they refuse to stand idly while their department continuously receives the short end of the stick.