Welcome to December,

I hope you had a relaxing Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a joyful holiday season ahead. Thank you for all you do to support Colorado’s students, families, and educators—it makes a meaningful difference every day.

With the 2025 Legislative Session fast approaching, we’re excited to share three critical updates that will shape our advocacy efforts in the months ahead. Your insight and involvement will be instrumental as we tackle the challenges and opportunities facing our schools.

Please take a moment to review the updates below.

2025 Policy Agenda:

As we gear up for the start of the legislative session, we are putting the finishing touches on our 2025 policy agenda—and we want to hear from you. 

While we’ve gathered valuable input from both our Government Affairs Committee and Member Council, your voice is essential to shaping our advocacy priorities.

Your perspectives play a pivotal role in ensuring our efforts reflect the real needs and aspirations of Colorado’s students, teachers, and communities. Please take a moment to review our agenda and email us your thoughts: What resonates? What’s missing?

Your feedback will help us refine and strengthen our agenda before we present it to our board for final approval later this month. Comments and reactions can be sent to [email protected].

Additionally, we’d like to invite you to a Friday webinar on our Policy Agenda scheduled for December 13, 2024, at 12:30 PM (MT). Please join us then for a members-only take on what we have in store—you must log in to our website to see the register button. 

Governor’s Budget: 

On November 1st, the Governor released his budget proposal for the next fiscal year. Due to a combination of factors—including multiple property tax cuts, higher-than-expected Medicaid costs, and falling inflation limiting state spending under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights—Colorado is facing a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. Despite this difficult fiscal reality, Governor Polis’ proposed budget does much to try and protect K-12 funding in general and charter funding in particular..

Key K-12 highlights from the Governor’s budget include:

• Per-pupil funding increase (statewide average): From $11,448 to $11,747 (2.6%). See here for a district-by-district breakdown.
• Extension in the implementation of the new funding formula: Extended to a seven-year timeline instead of the original six called for under last year’s HB1448.
• District funding based on current enrollment: Districts will be funded based on current student enrollment rather than the greater of a four-year average. 
• Increase for CSI Mill Levy Equalization: $1.7 million in additional funding.

In this constrained budgetary environment, our advocacy team will remain laser-focused on protecting charter school funding equity—an issue we anticipate will once again face significant challenges this session.

While the Governor’s proposal is certainly given close consideration throughout the process, it’s the General Assembly that is ultimately responsible for passing the final budget later this spring. We’ll keep you updated as the budget progresses and will continue to fight for the resources our schools and students deserve.

Waitlist Survey: 

The League is committed to championing the needs of charter schools at the Capitol and beyond. To strengthen our advocacy efforts, we need an accurate picture of how many charter schools currently maintain waitlists. Please take a few minutes to answer this very brief survey about the current number of students on a waitlist at your charter school. 

Sincerely,

The League’s Policy and Advocacy Team