Senate Joint Resolution 25-021
Page 1, Line 101Concerning a commitment to pursuing full and fair funding
Page 1, Line 102of public schools.
Page 1, Line 1WHEREAS, Public education is the bedrock of our democracy,
Page 1, Line 2fundamental to individual opportunity, the underpinning of thriving
Page 1, Line 3communities, and the key to Colorado's economic prosperity and future; and
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Page 1, Line 5WHEREAS, Wise and adequate investment in Colorado's schools
Page 1, Line 6is essential to maintaining and improving the competitiveness of Colorado and its students; and
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Page 1, Line 8WHEREAS, The funds invested in Colorado's public schools have
Page 1, Line 9a return on investment that has long been recognized among the nation's
Page 1, Line 10highest; and
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Page 2, Line 2WHEREAS, Increasing rates of high school graduation, industry
Page 2, Line 3certifications, and associates degrees demonstrate the effectiveness of Colorado's investment in public schools; and
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Page 2, Line 5WHEREAS, Research demonstrates that increased funding for
Page 2, Line 6schools results in long-term gains in graduation rates and lifetime wages, prevents crime, and lowers incarceration costs; and
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Page 2, Line 8WHEREAS, Educators and support staff in every school district
Page 2, Line 9and school across Colorado make invaluable contributions to their
Page 2, Line 10schools, districts, and communities by dedicating their time, talents, and
Page 2, Line 11out-of-pocket funds to their students, despite Colorado having the largest "teacher pay penalty" in the nation; and
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Page 2, Line 13WHEREAS, A study published in March 2022 in SAGE Open
Page 2, Line 14found that when public school teachers are paid more, students perform better, leading to improved academic outcomes; and
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Page 2, Line 16WHEREAS, Colorado is currently funding schools at a level that
Page 2, Line 17approximates the state's 1989 per-pupil spending adjusted for inflation,
Page 2, Line 18which does not account for the cost increases experienced by school
Page 2, Line 19districts for health care, energy use, and PERA contributions or for the
Page 2, Line 20additional demands on schools that have arisen in the past three decades
Page 2, Line 21for such developments as standards-based education, rapid advances in
Page 2, Line 22technology and career technical education, and behavioral health challenges related to COVID, trauma, and social media; and
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Page 2, Line 24WHEREAS, In 2023, the general assembly took concrete steps to
Page 2, Line 25investigate and address the need for additional school funding resources
Page 2, Line 26in light of changes made by the passage of Senate Bill 23-287, the School
Page 2, Line 27Finance Act, which created a School Finance Task Force to make
Page 2, Line 28recommendations for beneficial changes to the school finance formula
Page 2, Line 29and commissioned two "adequacy studies" to assess what resources and
Page 2, Line 30additional funding would be necessary to ensure that all Colorado
Page 2, Line 31students can reach the standards and requirements set by the state of Colorado; and
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Page 2, Line 33WHEREAS, The general assembly passed a supplemental
Page 2, Line 34appropriations bill in 2024, dedicating $3 million to the adequacy studies
Page 2, Line 35to ensure that they are conducted to the highest standards of rigor,
Page 2, Line 36research, and data analysis -- of which, Colorado spent $2 million; and
Page 3, Line 1WHEREAS, In 2024, the School Finance Task Force issued a
Page 3, Line 2report to the general assembly with recommendations for the legislature
Page 3, Line 3to make changes to the school finance formula to improve the equity and
Page 3, Line 4adequacy of school funding -- some of which were incorporated in House
Page 3, Line 5Bill 24-1448 -- and suggested that the legislature "should annually revisit
Page 3, Line 6and update the base and need weights" and that "[u]pdates should reflect the results of the adequacy studies when they have been published"; and
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Page 3, Line 8WHEREAS, In January 2025, the legislature received the reports
Page 3, Line 9and recommendations of the two commissioned studies: "Equity and
Page 3, Line 10Adequacy of Colorado School Funding - A Cost-Modeling Approach" by
Page 3, Line 11the American Institute for Research (AIR) and "Colorado Input-Based
Page 3, Line 12Financial Adequacy Study Report," by Augenblick, Pailaich and Associates, Inc (APA); and
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Page 3, Line 14WHEREAS, Both studies found that Colorado's teachers' salaries
Page 3, Line 15are too low, and the tax system that supports schools is inequitable and inadequate; and
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Page 3, Line 17WHEREAS, The AIR study recommends that the Colorado
Page 3, Line 18legislature commit to set funding levels commensurate with Colorado's
Page 3, Line 19education goals, increase funding weights for at-risk students so more resources are based on student need, raise teacher pay and hire more
Page 3, Line 20teachers, reduce inequity in local taxes, and adjust salaries to account for regional differences in cost of living; and
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Page 3, Line 22WHEREAS, The APA study recommends that the state provide a
Page 3, Line 23funding base of $12,346 per student, that small districts should continue
Page 3, Line 24to receive extra funding, and that the state should provide funding to equalize mill levy override funding across districts; and
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Page 3, Line 26WHEREAS, According to the study by APA, adequate funding
Page 3, Line 27would be $3.5 billion higher than the current level, and $3.1 billion higher
Page 3, Line 28than the House Bill 24-1448 formula would be when fully implemented; and
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Page 3, Line 30WHEREAS, Were Colorado funding our schools fully and fairly
Page 3, Line 31as defined by the adequacy studies, every student would have the
Page 3, Line 32individual attention they need from teachers, counselors, health
Page 3, Line 33professionals, tutors, and support staff to succeed and thrive; every
Page 3, Line 34teacher would have a reasonable workload, professional development and
Page 3, Line 35coaching, and a salary that would allow them to live where they work;
Page 4, Line 1and every community would enjoy the benefit of vibrant public schools, a high-quality workforce, and an engaged citizenry; and
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Page 4, Line 3WHEREAS, The sustainability and adequacy of public school
Page 4, Line 4funding in Colorado is currently threatened by Colorado's fiscal
Page 4, Line 5constraints, the depletion of the state education fund, and the potential of
Page 4, Line 6federal funding cuts to education, Medicaid, school nutrition, human services, and other critical programs; and
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Page 4, Line 8WHEREAS, The general assembly has both the opportunity and
Page 4, Line 9the responsibility to turn the adequacy study data into a multi-year,
Page 4, Line 10structured plan -- Colorado's Blueprint for Student Success -- to create a
Page 4, Line 11Colorado where every child has access to great teachers, individual
Page 4, Line 12attention, support services, appropriate technology, and a broad, high-quality education so they can thrive; and
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Page 4, Line 14WHEREAS, Failing to make progress towards the implementation
Page 4, Line 15of the adequacy study recommendations would result in a waste of the
Page 4, Line 16funds used to commission these high-quality studies, as well as break
Page 4, Line 17trust with the students who rely on adults to solve difficult problems that will fundamentally impact their lives; now, therefore,
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Page 4, Line 19Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
That we, the members of the General Assembly:
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Page 4, Line 22(1) Reaffirm the critical importance of public education and the fair and full funding thereof; and
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Page 4, Line 24(2) Declare that it is the intent of the Colorado Senate to honor the
Page 4, Line 25$2 million investment in the adequacy studies made by the taxpayers of
Page 4, Line 26Colorado by taking concrete steps to gain an understanding of the
Page 4, Line 27findings and recommendations of the studies, choose which study's
Page 4, Line 28methodology and recommendations to follow, and develop a multi-year
Page 4, Line 29implementation plan, including revenue triggers, to phase in the recommendations.
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Page 4, Line 31Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent
Page 4, Line 32to Governor Jared Polis, Senate President James Coleman, Senate
Page 4, Line 33Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, Senate Minority Leader Paul
Page 5, Line 1Lundeen, House Speaker Julie McCluskie, House Majority Leader Monica Duran, and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese.