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Lobbyist warns D49 to plan for flat state K‑12 funding as Medicaid and program cuts loom
Summary
District lobbyist Amy Attwood told the board the 2026 Colorado legislative session faces another roughly $1 billion shortfall and that education is again at risk of cuts; she urged planners to assume a flat budget and highlighted March 20 revenue forecast and late‑March long bill timing.
Amy Attwood, the district’s contract lobbyist, told the El Paso County Colorado School District 49 Board the 2026 Colorado legislative session has left education exposed to potential cuts after budget adjustments left another funding gap of roughly $1 billion statewide.
"We are facing cuts," Attwood said, adding that board planners should “plan on being held flat” — meaning the district should assume no inflationary increase for the next school year. She said the Joint Budget Committee had earlier signaled education might be protected but that new projections require the committee to find another roughly $150 million, putting education back on the table.
Attwood identified two near‑term milestones that will clarify the state picture: the March 20 revenue forecast and the likely long‑bill introduction in late March. "We won't have real clarity until after the March revenue forecast," she said.
She also explained how changes to Medicaid — including potential reductions in services or provider rates — could affect schools. Because some school services (nursing, OT, speech and related services) can be billed to Medicaid under state rules, reductions in rates or services could indirectly reduce reimbursements that support school programs. Attwood warned that program-specific funding streams such as the READ Act, homeschool funding and other outside‑formula programs have been put on the table this session.
Board members asked specifics about how Medicaid adjustments might intersect with school reimbursements; Attwood said life‑and‑safety health services are likeliest to be protected while other services and provider rates are on the table. She cautioned that cuts could reduce available providers in rural areas and affect access.
The lobbyist suggested the board adopt conservative budgeting assumptions in the near term and promised to keep the district updated as the revenue forecast and bill language evolve.
