Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Negative Factor

What 'underfunded' means

Colorado
April 26, 2018

What you need to know to follow the money debate behind the teacher walkouts

What do people mean when they say Colorado schools are underfunded?

Still walking

Colorado
April 17, 2018

Colorado teachers plan more walkouts, and Jeffco canceled classes one day next week

The announcements come after hundreds of teachers marched at the Capitol Monday to protect their retirement benefits and call for more school funding.

priorities

Colorado
April 16, 2018

With school finance act, Colorado lawmakers try to pass the hot potato of teacher pay to local districts

The school finance act puts more money into K-12 education than Colorado has spent at any point since the Great Recession.

Race to the Bottom

Colorado
April 5, 2018

Colorado teachers can claim an unwelcome distinction: most underpaid in the nation (or close to it)

Teachers and policy makers have started to make connections between low pay here and labor unrest elsewhere.

Windfall

Colorado
March 23, 2018

Colorado schools are getting a major bump in the state’s 2018-19 budget

“We believe this is the most significant reduction in what used to be called the negative factor since it was born."

In the money

Colorado
March 23, 2018

Here’s how Colorado schools would spend an extra $100 million (or more) from the state

Legislators on the Joint Budget Committee unanimously decided this week to set aside $100 million to “buy down” the budget stabilization factor.

pocket change

Colorado
March 7, 2018

Why Colorado lawmakers are fighting over a ‘rounding error’ in school funding

Republicans and Democrats can't agree on what to do with the extra money that comes from having fewer students.

money-back guarantee

Colorado
January 30, 2018

Higher property values mean Colorado is getting a refund on K-12 education

Colorado is getting back $104 million that the state planned to spend on schools because local property taxes generated a lot more money than anyone anticipated.
Colorado
November 12, 2014

Denver court rejects state’s request to toss negative factor lawsuit

Attorney General John Suthers formally asked for dismissal of the lawsuit in August. In his request, he claimed, in part, the plaintiffs didn't have standing. Denver District Court Judge Herbert Stern disagreed.