We have now passed our upcoming fiscal year’s state budget and I am proud to report that it is balanced, bipartisan, responsible and sets forth great news and developments for our region and the entire state of Colorado.
The Constitution requires the legislature to do only two tasks every year: pass a balanced budget and pass the school finance act to fund our K-12 public schools. Of course, we end up working on many other pieces of important legislation that help with issues like affordability, protecting our water and environment, and addressing dozens of other crucial issues, but the budget and the school finance act are critical.
I have spent the last several weeks advocating for Western Slope priorities as we debated the state’s budget. This year’s budget has been tighter than most, and we have worked hard to center smart and constituent-focused priorities. I believe that the budget serves all of us in Senate District 8 and in the entire state of Colorado well. Here are some of the big highlights:
Fully funding education
After 14 years, the state of Colorado has fully eliminated the Budget Stabilization Factor, also known as the BS Factor. The BS factor has been used to withhold an estimated $10 billion from schools since it was first introduced over 15 years ago but with this year’s budget, we have zeroed-out the remaining debt and are fully funding schools for the first time since the Great Recession.
However, eliminating the BS factor is only the beginning of our commitment to support teachers and students. This budget is fully funding education to levels set in 1989, without accounting for inflation. We have so much more work to do and I look forward to continued efforts to provide young Coloradans and their educators the funding they need to thrive in the coming years.
Rural schools support and special education funding
The Senate also just unanimously passed SB24-188, the bipartisan School Finance Act, which will provide targeted and consistent funding for our rural school districts. Rural districts have received one-time grant funding from the state several times, but this year, we advocated for and finally created a permanent source of additional funding for our rural districts. SB24-188 will allocate between $30 and $35 million per year to rural districts, meaning that every rural district will receive a minimum of $100,000 in additional funding that they can use to increase teacher pay, better equip classrooms, and much more. In addition, the budget allocated $34.7 million for students with disabilities, which will finally fully fund special education.
Affordable housing and property taxes
Affordable housing, particularly in our mountain communities, has been one of my top priorities throughout my time at the Capitol. In addition to other efforts supporting affordable housing this legislative session, including the recently signed SB24-002, the state budget provides more than $42 million for a variety of affordable housing efforts.
In addition, the Property Tax Commission has finalized ten recommendations to address the growing burden of property taxes for homeowners in Colorado. I look forward to seeing which of these recommendations turn into policies for the legislature’s consideration before the end of the session on May 8, and supporting those I believe will truly benefit hard-working Coloradans, lower property tax bills, and properly fund crucial local services like fire departments and paramedics, hospitals, schools, libraries, and much more.
Water
Protecting and preserving Colorado’s water resources is essential to preparing for a drier future. I am proud to be sponsoring HB24-1435, which dedicates more than $55 million to fund needed water projects and the Colorado Water Plan. Funded projects will include drought planning and mitigation efforts, helping the Colorado River District secure the Shoshone water rights to preserve crucial water flow on the Western Slope, and dozens of important water infrastructure improvements across the state. We continue to fund our state’s water future at historic levels, in part thanks to an influx of tax revenue from sports betting, and we must continue this momentum.
And so much more…
Our balanced state budget, $40.6 billion in total, supports dozens of key agencies and programs. We’ve made investments to pay our healthcare providers more, and support our rural communities with more resources for mental health, economic development, and agriculture industry support.
In the end, this budget reflects a balanced, bipartisan, common-sense approach to Colorado’s future. Our future is found in every classroom and in the Colorado River. Our future is right here in Senate District 8, and I am grateful that this year’s budget will help make that future brighter.
As always, you can contact me directly at SenatorDylanRoberts@gmail.com or 970-846-3054.
Dylan Roberts is the State Senator for Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit Counties.