The Steamboat Springs School Board has written a resolution that was sent to Governor Polis today. Members of the Colorado State Legislature will be receiving it Wednesday.
It states that Colorado is at the bottom of the country in education spending and per pupil funding. School districts are struggling to attract and retain teachers, and that includes in the Steamboat Springs School District. Other factors are a rise in housing costs and cost of living. The local Board of Education wants the governor and state legislators to address the ongoing funding shortfalls and to end the crisis in education.
They add that elected officials have balanced the state budget on the backs of Colorado students which has created a $10 billion deficit in public education funding, which is known as the Budget Stabilization Factor. The local school board wants that money paid back.
Here is the resolution.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-2
RESOLUTION NUMBER 2022-03-02
A Resolution of the Board of Education of the
Steamboat Springs School District RE-2
in Support of Sustainable and Equitable Funding of Colorado Public Education
WHEREAS, the Steamboat Springs School District RE-2 Board of Education believes that sustainable and equitable state funding is critical to student success in the 21st century; and
WHEREAS, Colorado students have lost out on $9,752,970,086 in state funding over the last thirteen years since the creation of the budget stabilization factor; and
WHEREAS, the Colorado General Assembly borrowed $571 million, short-changing public education by over half a billion dollars this year alone; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature’s decision to continue to siphon funds away from students across the state with no plan to repay this debt, given Amendment 23 requirements, inflation, local cost of living, and student enrollment changes, results in less funding per year for total program funding than when the budget stabilization factor was created in 2010; and
WHEREAS, the Steamboat Springs School District is owed $28,827,748 in total as a result of the budget stabilization factor, and this year alone is owed $1,889,756; and
WHEREAS, according to the most recent data in Education Week, Colorado’s per-pupil funding of public education ranks 43rd when adjusted for regional cost differences and 45th based on the percentage of the state’s wealth spent on education; and
WHEREAS, as of 2019, Colorado was $2,158 below the national average for per pupil spending or 16%, leading to deficient conditions, large class sizes, outdated textbooks, and understaffing in schools; and
WHEREAS, research confirms that the number one school-related factor for student achievement is high quality teachers; and
WHEREAS, Colorado ranks 49th out of all 50 states and Washington, DC for competitive teacher pay according to Business.org; and
WHEREAS, prior to the COVID pandemic, Colorado was already experiencing an educator shortage, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic and continued inadequate funding. Mountain resort communities are further burdened by increased cost of living and housing shortages for educators; and
WHEREAS, the COVID pandemic amplified equity gaps and created further strain on resources including academic, mental, and behavioral supports; and
WHEREAS, the Steamboat Springs School District RE-2 Board of Education affirms that full funding of public education and reimbursement of the unpaid debts to Colorado school districts caused by the budget stabilization factor is a matter of urgent statewide concern in order to support the teachers and staff that are the lifeblood of student success in Colorado; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Steamboat Springs School District Board of Education appeals to the Governor and Legislature of the State of Colorado to eliminate the budget stabilization factor by 2023, to repay the $9,752,970,086 owed to public schools, and to commit to fully restore sustainable and equitable education funding in all future budgets for students.
Date: March 28, 2022
By: Katy Lee
President, Board of Education
Attest:
Lara Craig
Secretary, Board of Education