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District 49 lobbyist: new school finance formula set to take effect in 2025-26; K‑12 funding likely flat
Summary
Amy Atwood, the district’s contract lobbyist, told the District 49 board the Joint Budget Committee voted to implement a new school finance formula for the 2025–26 budget and that the committee has prioritized protecting K‑12 funding amid a tight state budget.
Amy Atwood, the district’s contract lobbyist, briefed the El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board of Education on March session developments and the state budget, saying the Joint Budget Committee decided to implement a new school finance funding formula beginning in the 2025–26 budget year.
Atwood said the committee delayed introducing the full state budget by about a week because of the number of cuts and decisions the committee faced and that the budget is expected to be introduced the following Monday. “The good news is that today, the joint budget committee made the decision that the new school finance funding formula would go into place and start implementation next year in the 2025‑26 budget,” Atwood said.
Why it matters: the formula decision establishes the baseline for how much money K‑12 districts will receive next school year. Atwood told the board that, based on the committee’s action, there is not currently an expectation of a large cut to K‑12 funding; funding is likely to be flat or possibly slightly increased. She added the committee has prioritized protecting K‑12 in a year when the state began “over a billion dollars in the red.”
Atwood summarized session timing and volume: lawmakers have about six weeks left in the 120‑day session, which hard‑stops on May 7. Because of tight finances, legislation overall is down this year; Atwood said K‑12 bills are running at roughly 30% of a typical year.
Bills of note she flagged to the board: - House Bill 1278: an educator accountability bill that bundles about 30 recommendations from an accountability task force. Atwood said amendments clarified the task force’s intent but that the bill’s full package would cost “over $5,000,000 to implement,” so major cost items are likely to be stripped or delayed. - House Bill 1210: establishes a task force to review and streamline K‑12 data reporting requirements. Atwood said districts report the burden is “crushing,” that reports duplicate each other, and the task force would audit reporting to identify items that could be eliminated.
On enrollment and PPR: Atwood said districts with declining enrollment could see funding protections via a four‑year averaging mechanism that prevents immediate cuts to per‑pupil revenue in the short term.
Board follow‑up: Directors asked for the district’s legislative tracker link; Atwood said she would re‑send the tracker and encouraged the board to read the latest bill versions because many measures change during session.
Ending note: Atwood closed by offering ongoing support: “Please know, you can always email me, call me or text me if you hear of something, and I can always chase it down,” she told board members.
