DENVER \u2013 Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law the first update in a generation to the way Colorado funds its public schools.<\/p>\n
The new system promises full-day kindergarten, a longer school year for some students, greater authority for principals and more state aid for school districts in poor towns.<\/p>\n
But it all depends on voter approval of a $1.1 billion tax hike this November.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bill really positions Colorado to be the national leader in terms of school reform and effectiveness,\u201d Hickenlooper said shortly before signing Senate Bill 213 at the Capitol on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The new system will allow taxpayers to see exactly how schools are spending their money, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to talk about reform, but I think this system\u2019s one that\u2019s going to start demonstrating outcomes,\u201d Hickenlooper said.<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s Legislature has been at the forefront of education reform for several years, passing graduation standards, tying teachers\u2019 job protections to their students\u2019 performance, and calling for kids to repeat third grade unless they can read. But most of those efforts lacked the funding to fully implement them.<\/p>\n
Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, contrived SB 213 after two years of negotiations with education experts and business leaders.<\/p>\n
Even so, his bill still ran into choppy waters at its first hearing, when the three superintendents from La Plata County\u2019s school districts journeyed to Denver to oppose it.<\/p>\n
The original bill would have required high-wealth districts to ask voters for a property tax increase. La Plata\u2019s districts fell into the high-wealth category because of the county\u2019s natural gas production.<\/p>\n
Johnston amended the bill to increase floor funding for all schools, and he singled out Durango School District 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger for thanks at Tuesday\u2019s ceremony.<\/p>\n
If the bill takes effect, all but 12 of the state\u2019s school districts will see an increase in funding. Montezuma-Cortez schools stand to gain the most in the Four Corners, with an additional $1,257 per student, according to Johnston\u2019s figures. Durango 9-R would get $554 extra per student, and Bayfield $211.<\/p>\n
But for some school districts, the increase is a pittance. Ignacio schools stand to gain just $53 year per student.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all a moot point unless a coalition of business and education groups can get voters to accept a $1 billion income tax increase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge ahead of us will be convincing all of the people of Colorado, by November, to share in this vision,\u201d said Rep. Millie Hamner, D-Frisco, Johnston\u2019s fellow sponsor.<\/p>\n
The Colorado Forum, a business group, has filed about two dozen ballot initiatives. They either seek a rise in Colorado\u2019s 4.63 percent flat income tax, or a new graduated system where higher earners pay a higher tax rate.<\/p>\n
The group and its allies in the education community will pick one initiative soon, said Gail Klapper, director of the Colorado Forum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should probably have a single title ready to have signatures in the next week or so,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Supporters will need to gather at least 86,105 signatures from registered Colorado voters to get their question on the ballot.<\/p>\n
The effort already has opposition, in the form of a campaign committee called Coloradans Against Unions Using Kids As Pawns.<\/p>\n
\u201cSB 213 is a redistribution scheme plagued with earmarks that would result in the largest tax increase in Colorado history \u2013 while doing nothing to reform our schools,\u201d said Kristina Cook, the committee\u2019s chairwoman, in a press release.<\/p>\n
Hickenlooper pledged Tuesday to campaign for the tax increase once the sponsors pick a single initiative.<\/p>\n