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Presenter urges local action on statewide 'Get It Done' K–12 funding campaign
Summary
A Great Education Colorado representative told the Moffat School District No. 2 board the state’s schools face a multi-billion-dollar adequacy gap and outlined local steps—building a team, passing a resolution, and contacting legislators—to press for reform in 2026.
Kristen Wnuck, Public Affairs Coordinator at Great Education Colorado, told the Moffat School District No. 2 board on Nov. 3 that Colorado’s K–12 system faces a large adequacy gap and urged local action to press the legislature for funding reform.
Wnuck said the campaign's assessments place the statewide annual underfunding at between "$3.5-$41 billion per year" and that Colorado is roughly $1,600 below the national average in per-pupil funding; she stated Colorado per-pupil funding is near 1989 levels and highlighted a high teacher wage penalty. "Path to Success" is the campaign blueprint she said organizers hope to use with the legislature in 2026.
The presentation identified challenges to closing the gap including federal funding cuts, a roughly $1 billion state revenue decrease attributed in the presentation to recent tax changes, and limits imposed by TABOR. Wnuck recommended three local next steps for Moffat: build a local team, pass a resolution demanding implementation of adequacy-study recommendations, and connect with legislators through story-sharing and school tours.
Board members pressed on next-step details: Tina Eastman emphasized helping students choose career paths and asked how local programs could support that; A. Davis asked whether elective classes could be expanded and whether the district could hire additional teachers to staff them. Board members noted the district is below adequacy and cannot meet those requests without additional state funding.
The board did not take a formal vote on a local resolution during the work session; Wnuck’s recommendations were presented for future local action and outreach.
