Colorado lawmakers made significant changes in 2024 to improve K-12 education, aligning with key initiatives outlined in Gov. Jared Polis’ State of the State address. These efforts aimed to not only increase student funding, but also to provide fairer financial support for charter schools and enhance education pathways to in-demand careers.
Colorado’s funding formula was updated for the first time in about 30 years to provide more resources to disadvantaged students and increase charter school funding.
Rep. Julie McCluskie’s HB 1448 followed a framework recommended by a 17-member task force, while also including compromises. Gov. Polis signed the legislation, making the new formula official. The revised funding formula provides for $500 million in new spending over six years and increases funding for students with greater learning needs, such as those living in poverty, learning English or those with disabilities. The measure sends an additional $84 million to school districts next year.
“It transforms a formula that was about systems into a formula that is about students,” said Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a sponsor of the bill.
Colorado Strengthened Pathways to Higher Education and Workforce Readiness
Gov. Polis signed several bills to strengthen students’ pathways to college and the workforce. The new laws guarantee students’ course credits transfer among higher education institutions; create a tax credit that will make higher education and technical training more affordable for students; authorize a return-on-investment (ROI) analysis of Colorado’s college and career pathways and more.
- Sen. Janet Buckner’s SB 164 guarantees certain course transfer credits between community colleges, local district colleges and area technical colleges. The measure also requires a higher education institution to issue a decision regarding the acceptance or denial of transfer credits within 30 days after the student is admitted to the institution and establishes an appeals process if an institution wrongfully denies a student’s transfer credit.
- Rep. McCluskie’s HB 1364 authorizes the Colorado Department of Education to study the cost of giving K-12 students opportunities to obtain college credits, industry credentials and work-based learning experiences, as well as the effects of consolidating certain postsecondary and workforce readiness programs. The report, which is due to the legislature by December 1, must include recommendations for implementation in the 2025-26 state budget year.
- Sen. James Coleman’s SB 143 requires the Department of Higher Education to collaborate with agencies, educational institutions, international organizations, industry associations and other stakeholders to integrate quality non-degree credentials into the state’s education and workforce systems, including its stackable credential pathways and apprenticeship programs. The department must make its recommendations on or before July 31, 2025.
- Sen. Jessie Danielson’s SB 104 requires the state apprenticeship agency to align the high school career and technical education system with the registered apprenticeship system, specifically for programs and occupations related to infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, education and health care. These are high-demand careers that will need additional workers.
- House Bill 1340 creates a tax credit for students enrolled in college or technical training. The income tax credit would cover tuition and fees, funding at least two years of in-state college or technical school training for students whose families make less than $90,000 a year. Students would have to enroll within two years of graduating from high school and maintain at least six credit hours of coursework and a 2.5 grade point average. This measure is an effort to address declining postsecondary enrollment by making it more affordable for families.
Colorado Increased Financial Support for Charter Schools
Charter schools authorized by the state’s Charter School Institute can now ask to share in some of the proceeds of local voter-approved tax increases when the schools need funding for construction or building renovation projects.
Gov. Polis signed HB 1154 in May, and the law took effect in August. The law is designed to provide fairer funding for charter schools and expand the availability of quality public school seats for students.
A bill that would have significantly changed how Colorado charter schools operate and made it easier for local districts to shut schools down was successfully defeated by state lawmakers. Rep. Lorena Garcia’s HB 1363 failed to pass its first committee. The bill would have reduced public school choice by allowing local boards to impose a moratorium on creation of new charter schools and to revoke or not renew existing charter schools in districts with declining or projected-to-decline enrollment.
Colorado Improved Special Education, Online Learning and Teacher Policies
Lawmakers also approved measures dealing with special education, online education and teacher recruitment.
- Gov. Polis signed Sen. Chris Kolker’s SB 69 into law, creating a training program to inform special education advocates and parents about individualized education program laws. However, Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer’s SB 122, which would have established education scholarship accounts (ESAs) to empower families to customize learning for their students with special needs, failed to pass its first committee. This issue will likely come up again in future sessions.
- Sen. Paul Lundeen’s SB 70 allows online schools to offer remote state assessments to students who attend an online education program and appropriates $440,000 to implement the provisions.
- Finally, Gov. Polis signed Rep. Karen McCormick’s HB 1087, which requires the Department of Education to provide an additional pathway to obtain a teaching endorsement in special education. Teachers will have an alternative way to get endorsed to teach special education, a field with persistent shortages. Instead of completing a college program, teachers can participate in a new induction program. This will help address teacher shortages and quickly get new instructors into the classroom.
Colorado lawmakers broke with decades of outdated funding models and enacted policies designed to prioritize students’ individual needs while strengthening career readiness. State leaders have laid the groundwork for a more dynamic and responsive education system—one that prepares students for both academic success and the evolving workforce.
Solution Areas:
College & Career Pathways, Education Funding, Private Education Choice, Public Education Choice, Teachers & Leaders
Topics:
Charter Schools, Education Scholarship Accounts
