Colorado General Assembly
Five-year-old Julian has autism and a prescription for ABA therapy. But Denver Public Schools has denied his family’s request for an outside provider to work with him in the classroom.
With some reluctance, Colorado lawmakers reached a deal to cut revenue in order to stave off two ballot measures that could drastically cut K-12 aid.
Colorado education groups will watch whether lawmakers structure property tax cuts to avoid impacts on K-12 and higher education.
One theme that emerged at Thursday’s Youth Advisory Council hearing was students’ concern about climate change.
Among metro area districts, the gap has grown 52% in the last 10 years.
Colorado lawmakers are stepping up scrutiny of concurrent enrollment programs amid concerns about costs and murky data on outcomes.
Advocates say there are about 45 outdoor preschool programs in Colorado.
Education was a big issue in 2024, with a school funding formula rewrite dominating the last weeks of the legislative session.
The immediate financial impact on districts' budgets, especially for rural schools the formula is designed to help, would likely be a mixed bag, superintendents say.
Districts enrolled a total of 8,085 newcomer students after the October count and through Feb. 29.
The funding formula rewrite cleared a major vote in the House after bill sponsors introduced numerous amendments.
The bill sponsor cited too much last-minute pushback from defenders of seclusion.
The Colorado Education Association says it’s concerned about whether there’s enough sustainable funding for the new formula, but indicated that it’s open to further talks.
“I work in school nutrition to feed kids, not trash cans,” a dietitian testified at a legislative hearing last week.
The charter school bill that sponsors said was about accountability failed after hours of testimony Thursday.
Changing how Colorado funds schools has bedeviled legislators for years, but they hope the new proposal will represent a breakthrough.
The new tax credit would help about 45% of Colorado families
Colorado’s budget bill finally puts an end to the budget stabilization factor. It also includes more for K-12 and higher education.
In a recent Colorado teachers union survey, 32% of respondents said they had experienced physical abuse by a student in the past two years.
One proposes to improve accountability, though critics call it harmful. The other would open up a source of construction funds.