2012: Marijuana Tax Revenues

With the voters’ adoption of the use of RECREATIONAL marijuana, K-12 education receives a portion of recreational (a.k.a. retail) marijuana tax revenues in three forms: $40 million of the 15% Excise Tax on retail marijuana is dedicated to the BEST program to help with...

2010: Negative Factor

With the drop in state revenue as a result of the “Great Recession” of 2008-2010, and Amendment 23’s requirement that state funding for K-12 continue to grow at the rate of student enrollment plus inflation, the legislature chose to reinterpret Amendment 23’s funding...

2008: Better Schools Today

The legislature created the BEST competitive grant program to provide school districts with matching funds for the construction of new schools as well as general construction and renovation of existing school facilities.   BEST is funded through multiple revenue...

2007: Mill Levy Stabilization Act

Intended to stabilize school district mill levies and slow the erosion of local property tax revenues, the “Mill Levy Stabilization Act” caps local district mill levies at no more than 27 mills and freezes mill levies for districts with mill levies of 27 mills or...

2000: Amendment 23

  In response to TABOR’s erosion of the state’s revenue base and increasing K-12 costs, Colorado voters adopt “Amendment 23” to the state constitution which required the state to fund K-12 at a minimum amount every year, regardless of economic conditions:...

1994: School Finance Act of 1994

Because of the adverse impact which the TABOR Amendment and its interaction with the Gallagher Amendment was having on school funding, and because the legislature never fully funded the 1988 School Finance Act, the legislature made another attempt to address K-12...