The Adequacy Studies are Out. Now What?

Adequacy Study Blog post Jan 7

BLOG POST: The Adequacy Studies are Out. Now What?

It’s the most important news in school funding in a decade: On January 3, the Legislature received reports from two state-commissioned studies outlining the resources Colorado public schools need if we want every student to thrive.  (You can find the two studies on the Colorado School Finance Project website and read summaries of the reports from Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Sun, and Chalkbeat.)

Great Ed and our supporters have worked for 20 years to reach this milestone. So what do these studies tell us, and what comes next? Here are our big-picture takeaways.

Big Picture Takeaways

  1. Great education is happening all over Colorado, despite our chronic underfunding, thanks to the dedication of educators, staff, parents, students, and community members.  The studies explains why no schools or districts in Colorado are able to provide all the resources, support, and individual attention necessary to meet the needs of all students.
  1. It is possible to define what “fully” and “fair” funding of schools means.  After decades of school funding austerity policy, it has become difficult to imagine what additional resources could and should do for our students.  The APA report makes it concrete and clear: class sizes would be smaller, there would be instructional coaches, tutors, counselors, a nurse, a librarian/media specialist, class electives, appropriate technology, and afterschool programs in every school.
  1. The two studies used different scientific methodologies and came up with strikingly similar recommendations, including:
    1. Addressing the needs of all students requires significantly increased investment (35%+) in both the base and in resources for students with special needs (“factors”). 
    2. Pay teachers more – and pay more teachers, counselors, and support professionals.  As summarized in the AIR report: Teachers are one of the most important resources in driving student outcomes, but Colorado’s teachers are poorly paid and inequitably distributed.”
  1. What’s Next? The Colorado Blueprint for Student Success. These two reports answer a lot of questions – but there are still policy decisions to be made. Which recommendations should be used? Over how many years should it be implemented? How will it be funded? Answering those questions will take deliberation, analysis, modeling, and thought that just aren’t possible during the current legislative session. That’s why we are asking for a Legislative Interim Committee that can develop the Blueprint to serve as the basis for legislation in the 2026 legislative session.
  1. Now we know. There’s no excuse for delay. For decades, public education advocates have been asked questions like: “When is enough enough?” Now we have the answer. The only remaining question is, will the legislature step up and Get It Done?

Next step: Your Advocacy. The release of the adequacy studies is a huge and exciting milestone on the path to fully-funded schools, but it won’t help students if it sits on a shelf. Our job this year is to make sure every legislator learns what the studies’ recommendations mean for their local school districts and get them to commit to a legislative plan to turn the studies into actions. We hope you’ll explore our new and evolving  “Get It Done” webpage, where you can learn about the ways you can join the Get It Done team, build your advocacy skills, and make fully-funded schools a reality in Colorado! 

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