Governor's Budget Contains Good News For Charter Schools

Governor's Budget Contains Good News For Charter Schools

SPECIAL UPDATE FROM THE LEAGUE

On Wednesday, November 1, Governor Polis released his proposed budget for next school year, and it contains good news for our schools and students.

Specifically, it calls for a 6.6% increase to per-pupil funding for next school year, and it fully funds the CSI Equalization Fund that we’ve been advocating strongly for since 2017.

While this is still just a proposal, there are good reasons to be optimistic that it will come to fruition through the legislative process this spring:

1. The proposed 6.6% increase to PPR matches what it takes to fully buydown the so-called Budget Stabilization factor. This complete buydown has been a stated priority for this year of both Governor Polis and bipartisan legislative leaders. It would translate into an average statewide funding increase of $705 per student, from $10,613 this year to $11,317 next year.
2. The League – working closely with partners and legislative allies – was able to secure a statutory commitment last year to fully fund the CSI Equalization Fund heading into next year. So the Governor’s commitment to do that in his budget is something that is already backed up in law, which would make it significantly harder to undo.

For these reasons, we’re hopeful that these recommendations should ultimately be adopted by the legislature this spring, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated throughout the process should your voice and advocacy be needed.

In the meantime, click here for a complete rundown of all education-related priorities Governor Polis is proposing via his budget, and THANK YOU for your ongoing support to help us arrive at this point. It’s another important step forward for our schools and our students.