Adams 12 board hears budget warning as state school‑finance uncertainty looms; adopts resolution for adequate funding

Superintendent Chris Godowsky told the Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education on Feb. 26 that personnel decisions and a precarious state budget picture are the district’s immediate priorities as officials plan next year’s school budgets.

The board received a budget update from Gina Lanier and district finance staff that laid out multiple scenarios tied to proposed state changes, such as House Bill 1448 and changes to pupil‑count averaging. After the presentation the board unanimously adopted a resolution calling for adequate and equitable state funding for Colorado public education.

Why it matters: district leaders warned that declining enrollment and several possible legislative outcomes could cut district revenue by millions of dollars next year and force difficult choices for staffing, classroom supports and programs. The board’s resolution repeats findings from state adequacy studies showing a multi‑billion dollar shortfall statewide and urges lawmakers to act to preserve K‑12 funding.

Godowsky opened the update by emphasizing personnel and staffing stability as the district’s top concern, saying at one point, "It's not because of the federal government," in reference to public confusion about the source of near‑term funding risks. Finance director Gina Lanier and staff then reviewed scenarios the district has modeled if the state implements or pauses HB 1448 and if averaging windows are shortened.

Lanier said the district’s current total program revenue (excluding Charter School Institute schools inside district boundaries) is roughly $390.5 million and that the funded pupil count used in state formulas was 34,082. She presented several modeled outcomes: modest gains under a fully funded 1994 School Finance Act or HB 1448 as written, and declines if averaging is shortened. In one example, three‑year averaging could reduce funded pupil count by about 1,300 students year‑over‑year and push the district into a larger funding loss.

Lanier highlighted placeholders used in planning: a 2.5% compensation placeholder of about $10 million; an estimated $1.7 million rise in substitute‑teacher costs; and a possible double‑digit increase in health‑insurance premiums that could add roughly $2 million. The district also used about $9.9 million of one‑time funds in the current year that will need sustainable replacements in the operating budget. After listing those items, Lanier said the combined pressure left a potential funding gap on the order of tens of millions of dollars; in one slide the staff summarized an illustrative funding gap approaching $30 million under certain scenarios.

Board members pressed staff for clarity about assumptions and timing. Lanier said a key date is the state economic forecast due March 17 and that legislative action could continue through the session’s end May 7. She noted the district is monitoring triggers tied to HB 1448 and that some technical accounting changes at the state level could affect whether 1448 is paused or implemented.

The board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution supporting adequacy in Colorado public education funding. Directors recorded their votes in the meeting: Director Assad Lucas — aye; Director Battistelli — aye; Director Goldstein — aye; Director Marsh Holshin — aye.

Votes at a glance (other items on the Feb. 26 consent/regular agenda): - Northglenn High School ADA RFP (RFP 25-017) — approved (see separate article). - Prospect Ridge Academy kindergarten readiness waiver request (Colorado Revised Statute 22‑7‑10,142(a)) — approved as part of consent. - Monitoring report acknowledgement (Policy 2.4 financial condition and activities, period 7/1/2024–12/31/2024) — acknowledged/accepted. - Minutes of 02/05/2025 regular meeting, work‑study, and 02/10/2025 special meeting — approved. - Personnel actions (resignations, terminations, transfers, employment, leaves) — approved.

Board members and staff said the district will continue to refine scenarios and update schools and the community as state decisions and the March economic forecast provide more clarity. Lanier noted the district is planning for multiple contingencies to reduce the risk of abrupt mid‑year program cuts.

Ending: The board’s resolution places Adams 12 alongside other districts calling for use of the state education fund and other measures to blunt proposed cuts. District staff said they will update the board at future meetings as state revenue forecasts and legislation clarify next year’s funding.