Greeley-Evans School District 6 and state legislators discuss school finance, unfunded mandates and local control

GREELEY, Colo. — Members of the Greeley‑Evans School District 6 Board of Education met with state legislators Wednesday in a work session to press for continued school‑finance support and to flag the local cost of recent and proposed state laws.

The board and district staff told visiting lawmakers that the district serves roughly 23,124 students and has substantially higher shares of students categorized as at‑risk and multilingual learners than the statewide average, making the new at‑risk funding formula especially important to District 6. District legal counsel Nate Fall called out three priorities the board wants addressed at the Capitol: unfunded mandates, a return to local control and continued implementation of the at‑risk school‑finance formula.

Why it matters: District leaders said recent state laws and compliance deadlines require significant staff time and systems changes and can divert money and personnel away from classroom needs. Board members and staff urged legislators to ask, before passing new requirements, who will do the work and whether districts have the resources to comply.

District officials described several concrete strains. Fall said the district must now provide an identified justice‑engaged point of contact to coordinate education for youth involved with juvenile justice, a role currently…