JBC deadlocks on motion to pause Colorado's new K‑12 funding formula

The Joint Budget Committee on March 24 deadlocked 3‑3 on a proposal to declare that the statutory trigger to pause implementation of House Bill 1448 had been met, a vote that would have kept the state on the prior K‑12 funding formula. The motion, moved by the committee’s vice chair, failed on a tie; Bridges, Taggart and Sarita were recorded as objecting.

The question before the committee was narrowly procedural but consequential: did current revenue conditions meet the statutory criteria that would pause the switch to the new school finance formula enacted as House Bill 1448? The committee heard staff and legal summaries before members debated whether a simple majority vote to notify legislative leaders and the education commissioner should be taken.

Ms. Ewell, a legislative staff member, summarized the statute’s mechanics for members: "The legislation says that, basically, in the event that the joint budget committee finds that 1 of the conditions to pause the formula occurred, the joint budget committee shall promptly notify the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, the minority leaders of the house of representatives in the senate, the education committees of the house and the senate, and the commissioner of the department of education that the condition was met, and therefore, the total program should be calculated pursuant to the old formula." She also clarified the committee’s voting threshold and the legal significance of a split vote.

Several committee members said the letter of the statute points to pausing the formula, while others urged attention to legislative intent and to pending changes elsewhere. Senator Kirk Meyer and Secretary Kumar both said they believed the trigger had been met under current revenue information; Secretary Kumar warned that ignoring staff and Legislative Council Service advice would be “reckless.” Representative Taggart argued the new formula addresses long‑standing inequities for his district and said he could not support taking it off the table.

Madam vice chair framed the procedural effect plainly during debate: "So just to be clear, a yes vote means that the trigger has been tripped, and that means that the new formula does not go into effect." After the mover asked for objections, the motion failed on a 3‑3 vote and the committee proceeded with other figure‑setting work.

Why this matters: Whether the trigger is declared determines which calculation — the newly passed formula or the prior law — controls the long‑bill school finance numbers. Committee members repeatedly noted that the School Finance Act still can change appropriations and formula details; the JBC vote only determines which statutory formula governs initial calculations and the set of figures sent forward to the long bill.

The committee did not adopt formal legislative text to change the statute; rather, it voted on a motion to determine whether the condition in statute had been met. Because the motion failed, staff proceeded with figure‑setting on the assumption that the new formula would go into effect unless and until the School Finance Act or another legislative action says otherwise.

The committee’s decision does not end the issue: the School Finance Act and the long bill remain the arenas where funding and offsets will be finalized, and members signaled both that further changes are expected and that bipartisanship is being explored to address sustainability concerns.