District 11 lobbyist outlines school finance gains, local-control wins after 2025 session

Amy Atwood, Atwood Public Affairs contract lobbyist with Colorado Springs School District No. 11, told the school board the 2025 Colorado legislative session ended May 7 after 120 days. "The legislative session came to a close after 120 days, which is constitutional. It finished on May 7," Atwood said, and she summarized outcomes that the district tracked.

Atwood told the board that lawmakers introduced roughly 733 bills and that hundreds advanced despite a projected $1.3 billion shortfall going into the session. "We went in in the red with $1,300,000,000," she said, but the joint budget committee and legislature used reallocations rather than broad cuts to protect many core programs including K–12 funding.

Atwood said the session produced an automatic sweep into the school finance act — referred to in the briefing materials as the "Kids Matter" sweep of about $230 million — intended to cover the budget stabilization factor and to help backfill the new school finance formula's multi‑year cost. She also said the new school finance formula will require an additional $250–$500 million over the next seven years and that the state is exploring additional revenue measures for K–12.

Atwood credited local district engagement during negotiations: "Mike and doctor Comfort's engagement throughout that process ensured that what we were being told was good for d 11 actually was good for d 11," she told the board. She said the district’s early action on declining enrollment helped position the district well in the debate.

On program-specific items, Atwood reported that preschool remained funded and that Healthy Schools for All (a statewide meals initiative) is funded through December, pending a ballot question that would allow the state to keep excess revenues; if voters approve, the program could be fully funded for the full school year. She said the state added money to Medicaid, K–12, early childhood and other programs despite the earlier shortfall.

Atwood warned of continuing uncertainty: reallocations used to balance the 2025–26 budget may not hold for 2026–27 and the legislature and joint budget committee will be monitoring structural options and potential voter-approved revenue measures in the coming months.

She also flagged policy work outside the budget: the board was told to expect a likely special session after Labor Day on implementation of a 2024 artificial intelligence bill that has a January 1, 2026 implementation date. Atwood said there might be other special-session needs depending on federal actions affecting Medicaid or other funds.

Board members asked follow-up questions about preschool funding, the status of dyslexia-screening requirements and Healthy Schools for All funding. Atwood said preschool is "fully funded" this year, but that the program draws on general fund revenues and long-term funding depends on broader state budget choices. On dyslexia screening, she said rulemaking is expected and the district hopes commonly used screeners such as DIBELS will qualify; she said the statutory implementation timeline gives districts time to comply and that the board will be kept informed.

Why it matters: the state budget and the new school finance formula will shape District 11’s revenues and planning decisions for multiple years. Board members asked staff to monitor rules, ballot activity and special-session developments and to report back if specific program funding changes would affect district operations.

The report and Atwood’s end-of-session memo were posted to BoardDocs and board members were encouraged to direct any further questions to the superintendent’s office.