WHEREAS the State of Colorado has implemented multiple educational reforms to make sure every child has access to a great teacher and an outstanding principal, but has not changed the formula for funding public education in nearly 20 years, and
WHEREAS eight of the thirty-four Western Slope school districts are funded at levels below the state average. These districts are: Gunnison, Steamboat Springs, Moffat, Rifle, Mesa Valley, Montezuma, Delta and Montrose, and
WHEREAS it was the intent of Colorado voters with the passage of Amendment 23 to reverse the budget cuts to school districts imposed during the 1990s by requiring K-12 funding to increase by inflation plus 1 percent every year from 2001 to 2011, and by at least the rate of inflation every year after 2011, and
WHEREAS the implementation of Senate Bill 11-230 also known as the “Negative Factor”, which has offset the increases of Amendment 23 and has reduced K-12 educational funding overall leaving school districts, particularly those with low assessed valuations, small populations, tight budgets and fixed operating costs, with very few options to respond to changing fiscal dynamics.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that CLUB 20:
- Encourages and supports Colorado’s policymakers in the work of identifying solutions to the chronic funding dilemmas imposed by conflicting tax policies and the myriad of statutory and constitutional conflicts that currently exist in our state, including, but not limited to TABOR, Amendment 23, and Gallagher, and.
- Believes that education-funding levels should be evaluated to ensure that adequate resources are available and the most effective education models are used to achieve K-12 education goals in a globally-competitive education system.
Adopted 9/11/2015