State law trims Ascent funding; Poudre School District approves concurrent‑enrollment MOUs for 2025–26

The Poudre School District Board of Education approved expenditures in excess of $250,000 to renew concurrent‑enrollment and dual‑enrollment MOUs with postsecondary partners for the 2025–26 school year and beyond.

School administrators told the board the biggest change students and families will face next year involves the Ascent program. Ascent (Accelerating Students Through Enrollment) funds a fifth year of college‑level coursework for recent high‑school graduates at Front Range or Aims Community College. For 2025–26 the state reduced per‑student Ascent funding from $9,188 to $7,104. The board approved the MOUs 6‑0.

District staff briefed directors on SB25‑315, a legislative package to consolidate and streamline funding for postsecondary and workforce‑readiness (PWR) programs. The law directs funding toward supports students can complete before graduating (the “big three”): an industry certification, 12 postsecondary credits, or work‑based learning. State leaders said the intent is to expand access to PWR opportunities while reallocating resources that previously funded the fifth‑year Ascent model.

District presenters said the reduced Ascent allocation will fully fund enrolled Ascent students for 2025–26 but will lower district general‑fund spending by about $700,000 next year. Beginning in 2026, Ascent as a standalone grant will be discontinued and its funds consolidated into broader PWR funding streams. PSD staff said the district is well positioned to support the transition because nearly half of high‑school students already earn some college credit through concurrent/dual enrollment and the district has work‑based learning coordinators in buildings.

Board members asked about participation rates and comparative standings. District staff said roughly 4,000 students (about 41%) earned concurrent enrollment credits last year and that PSD ranks in the top five in Colorado for percentage of students earning college credit; Poudre High School was previously ranked fourth in the state for participation. Directors urged staff to continue outreach and to help families navigate financial aid tools such as FAFSA and Colorado Promise.