Colorado School Finance: Untangling the Knot
A tangled knot
What do systems of linear equations and Colorado Public School Finance have in common? When experts try to explain them, our eyes tend to glaze over and we develop a sharp, painful ache behind our right eye. Or maybe that’s just me.
That said, there’s no argument that Colorado Public School Funding/financing is extremely difficult to understand. Arguably, it is intentionally difficult. If we, as citizens, can’t understand how public school funding works, it’s easier to manipulate our impressions and deflect blame. Colorado School Finance affects us all—retirees, single young men, parents with children—all of us. So, it would be beneficial if we collectively understood a system that impacts us all.
I want to be part of the solution. So over the next few blog posts, I’m going to translate the language of Colorado School Finance into one that we can hopefully all understand and appreciate—okay, well, maybe not appreciate—but at least understand. And to understand is to make wise choices as a citizenry.
To understand Colorado public school funding, We begin with a baseline funding level, ie, a projection of how much minimum funding will be provided per student in Colorado. This year, 2026, it is set at $8,691.80. From here, adjustments are made to the baseline amount according to numerous factors—particularly after the passage of the most recent Finance Bill. That number may adjust up or down depending on factors like:
How many extended high school students does the district have?
How many online students does a district have?
How many at risk students does a district have?
How many English language learners/Special Education/Gifted and Talented students does the district have?
Is the district rural? What’s the cost of living?
And more
As I said before, all of the districts start with the same per pupil “cup” of funding, ie, the baseline per pupil funding:
Three cups representing three school districts all have an amount labeled $8691.80
After that, the cups receive adjustments based on those previously described factors:
School District A: Rural
$25,000
School District B: Suburban
$15,000
School District C: Town
$12,000
Before you have a knee jerk reaction to the $25,000 amount, please note that School District A is extremely small. It could likely have 100 students. That means the funding need is $25,000.
Let’s pause here for this week. Next week, we’ll look how those cups are filled.
Eventually, I’ll direct you to the Colorado Department of Education’s (CDE) website to check out where your district stands. But don’t do it just yet. Here’s why: You will not find a short, simple amount on the CDE around what your district’s per pupil need is. You will only find a report on the aggregate or whole amount. To me, this is a bit of a bait and a switch in that we are first given per pupil amounts. Then, we are given an aggregate amount. It makes our job of understanding our district’s need more difficult. To reiterate, you can find total amounts of what the district will get, but it is not given to you in a per pupil amount of what the district needs.
Want to Know More?
Check out Total Funding Fact Sheet from CDE on the School Finance formulas.
And if you want that total (aggregate) amount for what districts receive to meet needs, you can go to
Go with the flow
Davey boy
There's a lot of bittersweet and a lot of fear in this picture. David started 6th grade today. He's going to a brand new school where he doesn't know anyone. He's scared, and it shows. And he has every right to be scared! He's a 6th grader who's much smaller compared to other sixth graders. He's on an IEP. And an ALP. He's not a big fan of noise, commotion, and new things, yet he's going into a new school full of noise, commotion, and new things. The only thing that will turn that reservation into confidence is a successful first day.
I asked him to repeat this mantra to himself all day: "Just go with the flow."
Go with the flow, Davey boy.
And here's to all those kids who are starting their first days in new places, bravely facing the unknown.
It Takes a Village
It takes a village to raise a child. What can Adams 12 do to help provide that village?
There’s a famous African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child.
My parents and siblings came to visit recently, reminding me of what a lucky child I was. My parents always made education a priority. As a result, they have three children with a combined 3 bachelors degrees, two masters and one doctoral degree (me). It helped that we also had an extensive extended family who were willing to step in and help out.
I think about parents and guardians in Adams 12 where rents and mortgages keep going up. Parents and guardians need to work longer and/or odd hours as a result. Sometimes they are lucky like I was and have an extensive extended family to help support their children. Childcare, too, is very expensive and hard for some families to afford. For those who aren’t so lucky, I ask myself what we can do as a community in Adams 12 to be that extended family—to be that village.
Adams 12 is already doing some great things in this regard. They have brought back middle school sports, and BASE provides a good before and after school space for our elementary kids.
One of my priorities as a director on the Board of Education will be to continue to push for robust before and after school activities that provide opportunities for kids to get homework support as well as develop skills and hobbies. We have a shared responsibility to care for kids in our district from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I embrace that shared responsibility.