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2010-11 District Budget Conversations
1) media reported-updated 7/2/10
2) reported by districts to CSFP as of 7/7/10.

Timelines: School Finance Timeline 1980 - 2011 and School Finance Related Events

ELPA and GT data has moved to Facts and Trends tab.

Colorado School Finance Project (CSFP): Fifteen years of research and analysis of school finance.

July 2010: US Census data from 1991-92 through 2007-08 charting Colorado and US Average Per Pupil Spending, Revenue and rankings over time.

June 2010: Added new tab on the top of the page, Facts and Trends: K- 12 funding.

Presentation by APA and CSFP on the First Interim Report on the Analysis of the Costs of Colorado's Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K).

Making Tough Budget Decisions Powerpoint handout and Colorado K-12 Funding, A Crisis for Kids brochure created by Colorado Springs D-11 school district.

April 2010: Augenblick, Palaich & Associates (APA) and CSFP presented the first of three reports to estimate the costs associated with Colorado's Achievement Plan for kids (SB08-212), commonly referred to as CAP4K to the State Board of Education in mid April. The full report is here and the presentation is here. The first report focuses on the planning phase for 1) school readiness, 2) new content standards and 3) Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR).

March 2010: The Statewide Financial Assistance Priority Assessment (authorized by 2008 state legislature) documents the condition and the educational adequacy of all the schools in Colorado. The assessment indicates a need of $17.9 billion for Tier 1 buildings for 2010-2018 and will assist the Capital Construction Assistance Board (CCAB) in prioritizing grant applications for Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) awards.

Information from the Declining Enrollment Study Report by the Pacey Economic Group, commissioned by CDE.

Presentation on school finance to the League of Women Voters as part of a School Finance Panel Discussion along with Aurora Public Schools, Cherry Creek School District, and Littleton Public Schools. Click here for the Colorado School Finance Project's School Finance Timeline.

February 2010: FY 2007 map of the United States created by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) illustrating average state funding for K-12.

Link to The Bell Policy Center's preliminary analysis of Proposition 101, Amendment 61 and a summary of Amendment 60. Link to The Bell's county-by-county impact of Proposition 101.

Link to Children's Voices for information on the Lobato v State of Colorado school funding litigation.

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How does Colorado rank in
K-12 spending?
Colorado spends $1,919 less per pupil than the national average. In 2003 Colorado spent $551 less than the national average. As Colorado has invested in education, other states have invested more.
Neighboring states and the amount they spend more per pupil than Colorado:

• Kansas $2,285
• Montana $3,786
• Nebraska $3,265
• New Mexico $1,452
• Wyoming $7,748
  

Source: Ed. Week, Quality Counts 2010, data for 2007-08.