Residential Assessment Rate and the Gallagher Amendment
A video presentation about Colorado property taxes and the Gallagher Amendment. It is anticipated that the residential assessment rate will be reduced for the first time in 14 years, impacting homeowners and the tax base of every local taxing jurisdiction in the state.
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Impact of Final Residential Assessment Rate Study on Local Share
The final Residential Assessment Rate Study released by the Division of Property Taxation on April 17, 2017 estimates a residential assessment rate of 7.20 percent for 2017 and 2018. The General Assembly must pass a bill before this rate becomes law. Compared with the baseline forecast which...
The Impact of Tax Increment Financing on School Finance
Public K-12 eduction in Colorado is financed in part by local governments and in part by state government. The school finance formula establishes a statewide total funding level. The difference between this amount and the local share determines the state’s obligation to school finance. The...
Credit Transfer at Institutions of Higher Education
Approximately one-third of new students entering Colorado’s public four-year institutions of higher education are transfer students from another school. This issue brief provides an overview of credit transfers between public institutions of higher education in Colorado, including the...
State Education Fund Report (2018)
Pursuant to Section 22-55-104 C.R.S., Legislative Council Staff, in consultation with the State Auditor, the State Treasurer, the Department of Education, the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, and the Joint Budget Committee, is required to conduct a review of the model used to forecast...
Summary of Higher Education Legislation (2017)
During the 2017 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to transfer of credit at institutions of higher education, free speech on college campuses, technical colleges, tuition assistance, dual enrollment, and postsecondary and workforce readiness.
2017 Cost of Living Study - Pacey Economics (2018)
2017 Colorado School District Cost of Living Analysis
Cost of Living Study Memo with Table (2018)
Legislative Council Staff conducts a study of the cost of living in each school district every two years to update the cost-of-living factors used in the state's school finance funding formula as required by state law. The first study was conducted in 1993, and a study has been...
Summary of 2018 School Finance Bill HB18-1379
Introduced House Bill 18-1379
Financing of Public Schools for Fiscal Year 2017-18
Senate Bill 17-296 amends the Public School Finance Act of 1994 to provide funding for school districts in FY 2017-18. The bill was signed by the Governor on June 2, 2017, and became effective on that date. Senate Bill 17-254, the "Long Bill," appropriates most of the state aid distributed to...
University of Colorado, Boulder, Two-Year Projection of Cash Need
Financing Public Schools FY 2018-2019
House Bill 18-1379 amends the Public School Finance Act of 1994 to provide funding for school districts in FY 2018‑19. The bill was signed by the Governor on May 24, 2018, and became effective on that date. House Bill 18-1322, the "Long Bill," appropriates most of the state aid distributed to...
School Finance and the Constitution
The financing of K-12 public education in Colorado over the past three decades has been affected by three constitutional amendments: the Gallagher Amendment, the TABOR Amendment, and Amendment 23. Combined with the results of key court cases, these amendments have created a complex educational...
Early Childhood and School Readiness Final Report
The Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission was created pursuant to Section 26-6.5-203, Colorado Revised Statutes. The purpose of this commission is to study issues related to early childhood and school readiness in order to improve the state’s early childhood policies.
2018 School Start Time Interim Study Committee Final Report
Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the School Start Time Interim Study Committee.
Interim Committee on School Finance Final Report
The Legislative Interim Committee on School Finance was created to study issues related to school funding and to consider alternative school finance funding formulas during the 2017 and 2018 interims.
Summary of K-12 Education Legislation (2019)
During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) education in Colorado. Specifically, the legislature considered bills pertaining to early childhood education, school safety, workforce readiness programs in schools...
Summary of School Finance Legislation (2019)
During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to public school funding in Colorado. Specifically, the legislature considered bills pertaining to kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) school funding, tax credits and deductions, grant programs, school...
Impact of Final Residential Assessment Rate on Local Share
Early Childhood and School Readiness Commission 2018 Final Report
Final report to the General Assembly of the Early Childhood and School Readiness Legislative Commission. The purpose of this commission is to study issues related to early childhood and school readiness in order to improve the state’s early childhood policies.
The Colorado READ Act (19-13)
Reading competency is pivotal to the academic development of Colorado’s students. State law targets the early elementary grades as the essential time and location for developing the reading skills necessary for successful academic achievement in later grades. This issue brief provides...
Financing Public Schools FY 2019-20
Three bills that were enacted during the 2019 legislative session significantly affected the financing of public schools in Colorado:
- Senate Bill 19-246 amended the Public School Finance Act of 1994 to provide funding for school districts in FY 2019-20. The bill was signed by