An end to Colorado’s notorious BS Factor (Negative Factor) is not an end to underfunding

For years, schools have relied on fundraisers for essential funding. Think of students going door to door selling magazines or baked goods or soliciting donations for PTOS.

Last week, we took steps to make that a thing of the past. The state Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 188, the School Finance Act, and ended the Budget Stabilization (BS) Factor. We celebrated this achievement because schools have too long operated with less than the required funding established by Amendment 23. It should be celebrated and promoted!

In an impressive display of unity that’s all too rare these days, the School Finance Act sailed through the Senate Education Committee and won unanimous bipartisan approval from the entire state Senate because it increases per pupil funding, increases funds for special education and establishes a reliable investment in our rural schools.

This remarkable consensus signals a shared commitment across party lines to turn the page on Colorado’s education funding struggles.

Ending the BS Factor means an end to writing an IOU to all school districts, but we are still funding to an arbitrary level set by Amendment 23.

Colorado is funding schools based on a number, not a need. We must be clear, we are not fully funding our schools based on the needs of our students.

Colorado’s school funding is still in the nation’s bottom third. We have continuing high rates of teacher vacancies, high student-to-counselor ratios and lack of support services, and many educators are hovering near poverty. We must do better.

We need to first understand the actual costs to educate each student, urban or rural, and the legislature has invested in an adequacy study to do just that. We look forward to understanding the results of the study before we consider substantial changes to how we fund schools in the future.

We encourage districts to take this opportunity of new funding to invest in teacher salaries, reduce class sizes, hire counselors, invest in reading and math specialists, and keep supportive services in the schools to provide equitable access to all students who need them.

We also commit to working on additional investments in the years to come so that we can understand what fully funding our schools means and can make good on the promise to fully fund education. This is an important state and local partnership.

We need to continue to grow and support it because educating our children is one of the most valuable things we can do.

This year’s School Finance Act is more than numbers on a page; it’s a promise to our children that their futures are worth our collective effort and agreement.

It sets a strong foundation for what we can accomplish with continued commitment and cooperation.

“Colorado is funding schools based on a number, not a need. We must be clear, we are not fully funding our schools based on the needs of our students.”

— Colorado state Senators Janice Marchman and Chris Kolker