[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6478703,"mediaKeyId","5708397-1212a9132a6d19993e7f1539e8d16235","parentId",5708397,"title","Adams County to apply for COSI Achieve, continue support for existing scholarship cohorts","audioSeconds",3007,"startMs",80000,"endMs",3087000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5708397-1212a9132a6d19993e7f1539e8d16235&start=80&end=3087","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5708397-1212a9132a6d19993e7f1539e8d16235/thumbnail_80000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6478703/Adams-County/Colorado/Adams-County-to-apply-for-COSI-Achieve-continue-support-for-existing-scholarship-cohorts","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6478703-b10d30743712d2b51fbac86bde6d9736/orig.mp4?Expires=1770581577&Signature=I2AyYYlqF7FEraDIqD650AyNXcVcBM6fpLv-8Ft-aUom~7tHgbFJ9qnIB~MyS1F5SIeNL2UtvibMb5Czpg41ag818LxEnpbp0g67PLmPsoxcptdOB7ICMOVrCu26jAkhmKCLLsxeD7vJaIHuw9m5MY1SO4w4VL0E4~iOrlOCCTeJMMUMSahL6TDowirIJtLrl8VNuxxLQTcOl2S7ZY6rq4lmVqgjqDIJf5tu0FBqmmuB-qRWGNDxt3rs6AP9PoJ2oNugQXNmE~osNk7zuUHfqOpl9fi8HaSurpFrDhaa7~rnNQNagAMOeyh~N43KhqOMM-uclfkU4pWoQR~ylFNfCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Adams County","date","2025-09-03T15:55:19Z","article","Lindsey Melki, chief of staff for Adams County, told commissioners the county will apply for the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) Achieve grant, proceed with disbursement of a previously awarded Launch grant and apply for the Matching Student Scholarship (MSS) to support the remaining cohorts already enrolled.

The request follows a staff presentation on changes to COSI’s grant structure and how those changes would affect Adams County’s decade-old scholarship program. Lisha Frandina, executive director of the Adams County Education Consortium, told the commission that state changes are reducing direct county matches and moving COSI funding to nonprofits through a competitive process.

Frandina said, “we were putting in around 500,000 a year, and the state was matching another 500,000.” She also told the board the county has “a fund balance of $930,000” and that the scholarship fund “is bringing in about $450,000 a year.” Staff said those balances and revenue will be used to maintain current cohort commitments while the county applies for the new grant opportunities.

Why it matters: commissioners repeatedly described the county scholarship as a targeted effort reaching mainly first-generation and low-income students and emphasized that shrinking state matches would reduce award size or the number of recipients unless the county increases its match. Several commissioners urged a short-term approach to preserve existing cohorts and a longer-term review of whether marijuana sales tax revenue remains the best source to fund the program.

Discussion and staff recommendation

Frandina summarized program changes and recommended splitting county investment across three COSI program buckets — the existing MSS for current cohorts, Achieve, and Launch — so the county can continue awarding some funds annually despite the state’s proposed four-year cycle for the new grant model. She said the new COSI model will make awards less frequent (available every four years) and emphasize targeted workforce or in-demand majors.

Commissioners pressed staff for details on eligibility, residency and school-of-attendance rules. Frandina said eligibility must be need-based and go to students who “live in Adams County or go to school in Adams County,” and that funds must pay tuition at public postsecondary institutions (including eligible charter schools and community colleges). She explained the county had historically funded four-year cohort commitments and that the county’s approach had included wraparound supports that improved student persistence.

Several commissioners emphasized competing priorities in the county budget. Commissioner Julie said she was “wrestling” with whether providing scholarships is an appropriate county role, noting other needs such as after-school care and social services. Commissioner Steve and others described the scholarships as a targeted, high-impact program that has historically doubled the state completion rate for participants and supported first-generation students.

Numbers discussed

- County contribution historically: about $500,000 per year (staff reported this as the county contribution that was matched by the state).
- State match historically: about $500,000 per year (as reported by staff).
- Fund balance reported by staff: $930,000 (to cover current cohort obligations).
- Annual fund revenue reported by staff: roughly $450,000 per year.
- Typical scholarship award cited from past cycles: about $3,000 per student per year; staff said the new model may average about $1,500 per student per year if the county preserves the same budget under reduced state matching.
- COSI Achieve application deadline noted by staff: September 1 (staff said the Achieve application has that deadline).

Formal action taken

At the end of the presentation, county staff stated the immediate plan and commissioners gave consensus direction rather than a recorded roll-call vote. Staff said, “we are gonna apply for Achieve. Yes. We're gonna move forward with disbursement of launch, and we're gonna apply for MSS as well because that is our referral,” and commissioners indicated agreement to pursue those steps and to form a short-term working group to study long-term strategy.

What was not decided

Commissioners did not change the legal restriction on how marijuana sales tax may be used; several commissioners asked staff to confirm the 2014 ballot authorization’s limits and to return with options that fit those constraints. Commissioners also deferred a final decision on the county’s long-term match level (which would determine whether scholarship amounts remain near $3,000 or fall to roughly $1,500). Several asked for more analysis on residency rules, charter-school inclusion and the balance between wraparound services and direct awards.

Next steps

Staff will submit applications for Achieve and MSS, disburse the previously awarded Launch grant to the Adams County Education Consortium, and convene a working group to return to the board with options for long-term use of the county’s marijuana sales tax for education purposes. Staff said final award amounts will depend on the state’s COSI decisions and that the county can adjust spending after awards are announced.

Ending

Commissioners agreed to continue short-term support for students currently enrolled in scholarship cohorts and to study whether and how the county should alter the scholarship program going forward, while staff pursues the three grant opportunities and returns with detailed budget options.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Commissioners Study Session - Aug. 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Lindsey Melki, chief of staff for Adams County, told commissioners the county will apply for the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) Achieve grant, proceed with disbursement of a previously awarded Launch grant and apply for the Matching Student Scholarship (MSS) to support the remaining cohorts already enrolled.","taxTitle","Adams County, Colorado","taxId",4150,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6478699,"Adams County names Eric Francis as poet laureate; staff to return with 2026 budget request",635,3165000,3800000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5708397-1212a9132a6d19993e7f1539e8d16235&start=3165&end=3800","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5708397-1212a9132a6d19993e7f1539e8d16235/thumbnail_3165000.jpg","/articles/6478699/Adams-County/Colorado/Adams-County-names-Eric-Francis-as-poet-laureate-staff-to-return-with-2026-budget-request","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6478699-dd9bf75250d5a9cc81679a12117b4611/orig.mp4?Expires=1770581577&Signature=QtbafE8uV8FyawA6WGq-ZZQ3QGArNqGeHhnOjCn~Iz5eL6N~XTVan6f4krFevGj6h8MkDfkUnlxqIM8TCJ0A0L4EQbgUnOulT1JG3XhH6K17qljQ4aX2KwKB75PvhwygHVur-VGkWnfrBsWz2~mIUYZX961oxwnP5zxiy0OOS1PyrpgeGkFjUBYwciET5nUd7JpJwHGK6uDSSwq1gW9QtrwsmbEKbIzURq0AO2mLYnN2jAEOCMp-deLJOkKbwm1oGV~FM2yxfmUcVu2vmPBpdBy99vhOW2Jepg-SxSJ4vvCHy73dHDgqjxsokN3cbMLdgLml83~UBn~7fAiDHQxNJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Adams County cultural affairs staff presented the board with the selection of Eric Francis as the county’s next poet laureate and described plans to build a two-year residency with community programming across the county.

County staff said the selection panel was unanimous and praised Francis’s writing, performance and community ties. The presenter told commissioners the team plans a welcome event on Tuesday, Sept. 30, followed by public programming beginning in early 2026 and running through 2027. The presenter said the county will release a press announcement in early to mid-September to publicize the residency.

Why it matters: commissioners framed the laureate program as a small-civic-arts investment that can amplify other community events and asked staff to formalize the program and request stable budget authority so the residency does not depend on ad-hoc funding.

Details and budget discussion

Staff said Adams County’s share of the artist stipend is roughly $40,000 of a $50,000 total stipend contributed by partner organizations and county funds; the full program costs for events, an anthology and residency-related expenses could be higher. In the meeting staff described a two-year residency that spans 2025–27 and said the county’s annual contribution would likely be “south of $50,000” per year in Adams County general fund support for program activities and the anthology printing.

Commissioners asked whether the program will be a recurring line item in the county budget. Staff said they submitted a budget request for 2026 and will return with specific figures for the artist stipend, event costs and anthology printing. Commissioner discussion emphasized the value of making the program sustainable and documenting how percentage-for-the-arts funds and SCFD allocations are used across different county funds.

Formal action and next steps

There was no roll-call vote recorded. Commissioners agreed that staff should return with a specific 2026 budget request for the poet laureate residency and that the commissioners would consider formalizing the program as a recurring line item to ensure sustainability. Staff said they will provide the board with the program bylaws and budget breakdown in the coming weeks and will present the budget during the county’s normal budget process.

Ending

County staff will return with a formal 2026 budget request and program details, and the poet laureate residency will proceed to planning and community outreach pending budget approval.","County cultural staff presented the selection of Eric Francis as Adams County Poet Laureate and commissioners asked staff to formalize the residency with a budget request for 2026; commissioners discussed funding sources and program sustainability.","actionData","errors"]

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Adams County to apply for COSI Achieve, continue support for existing scholarship cohorts

Adams County names Eric Francis as poet laureate; staff to return with 2026 budget request