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State Funding Formula Analysis & Development

Colorado Public School Finance Task Force

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Partner

Colorado Department of Education & Dillinger Research and Applied Data

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Goals

Assist and facilitate the Colorado Public School Finance Task Force in examining and crafting recommendations for making the state’s school finance formula simpler, more equitable, and student-centered

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Results

Task Force fulfilled its charge and the Project co-authored the Task Force’s report, which included 18 recommendations for a more equitable, student-centered funding system for Colorado

Chuck Carpenter
Chuck Carpenter

CFO, Denver Public Schools

"The School + State Finance Project provided us with data analysis and visualizations that were uncommon in their quality and clarity. The team's ability to synthesize complex information and present their findings with expertise and confidence is among the best I have seen. I recommend the team we worked with at School + State Finance Project without reservation."

For many years, Colorado lawmakers have considered updating the school finance formula to align this system to the state’s goal of providing “a thorough and uniform system of free public schools.” In 2023, the Colorado General Assembly appointed a bipartisan Public School Finance Task Force to examine and make recommendations concerning making the school finance formula simpler, less regressive, and more adequate, understandable, transparent, equitable, and student-centered.

Due to the complexity of understanding and implementing changes to school funding systems, the Colorado Department of Education and Dillinger Research and Applied Data turned to the School and State Finance Project to provide technical assistance to the Task Force and aid in facilitating the group to help it meet its goals.

Our collaborative efforts aimed to address the complexities of Colorado's school finance system and develop recommendations to improve the state's funding formula. Throughout this process, the Project diligently analyzed existing funding structures, engaged with stakeholders passionate about improving how schools are funded, and developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to foster a more equitable, transparent, and student-centered approach to school funding.

Diagram from the Colorado Public School Finance Task Force showing a proposed funding model.

School and State Finance Project staff began by establishing a foundational understanding of the existing school finance formula — identifying its strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement — and ultimately, communicating these findings to Task Force members through presentations, scenarios, workbooks, and reading materials.

By developing a base level of knowledge of how school funding formulas work, Task Force members were equipped to fulfill their responsibility of setting parameters for an adequacy study to determine the resources needed for students to reach desired education outcomes. This process also provided Task Force members an opportunity to voice their concerns with the existing formula, and develop proposals for modeling.

The Project provided clarity to Task Force members on the impact of the proposed recommendations on students, school districts, and the state by modeling these impacts and disaggregating the impacts by district demographics, including district size, level of need, wealth, sparsity, and remoteness. In doing so, Task Force members were able to tailor recommendations and identify policy adjustments to achieve the Task Force’s overall mission.

Our collective efforts resulted in 18 data-driven final recommendations that were tailored to address the unique needs of Colorado's students, schools, and communities.

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