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SB26-023 • 2026

School Finance Act

The bill: Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2026-27 budget year by $217.30 to account for inflation; Sets a new statewide base per pupil funding amount for the 2026-27 budget year

Budget Education Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Sen. B. Kirkmeyer, Sen. C. Kolker, Rep. E. Hamrick
Last action
2026-04-20
Official status
Senate Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how additional funds will be distributed among different types of schools.

School Finance Act

The bill increases funding per student in Colorado's public schools for the 2026-27 budget year to account for inflation and sets a new base per pupil funding amount.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the statewide base per pupil funding by $217.30 for the 2026-27 budget year to cover rising costs due to inflation.
  • Sets the new statewide base per pupil funding at $8,909.10 for the 2026-27 budget year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public school students and their families
  • School districts and charter schools in Colorado

Terms To Know

Base per pupil funding
The basic amount of money given by the state to each public school student.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how additional funds will be distributed among different types of schools.
  • Future adjustments to total program funding may depend on actual figures rather than projections, which could change the budget mid-year.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.002

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment changes the rules for how sustain funding is distributed among different categories in Colorado's education system, adjusting percentages for postsecondary credit attainment, industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning.

  • Changes the percentage of total sustain funding allocated to work-based learning from 35% to 37% for the 2026-27 budget year.
  • Specifies that the state board will determine percentages for postsecondary credit attainment, industry-recognized credentials, and work-based learning starting in the 2027-28 budget year, with a fixed 3% allocation for administrative costs.
  • The exact rules governing eligibility requirements and limits on sustain funding are not fully detailed in this amendment text.
L.003

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment changes the criteria for school transformation grants issued after July 1, 2026, to align with new strategies described in other sections of Colorado Revised Statutes.

  • For grants given on or after July 1, 2026, schools must now follow new rigorous redesign strategies outlined in Sections 22-11-209 and 22-11-210.
  • The exact nature of the new strategies described in Sections 22-11-209 and 22-11-210 is not provided, so their specific requirements are unclear.
L.004

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment removes a specific provision related to financial assistance for rural and small rural school districts that was set to expire in July 2026.

  • Removes subsection (IX) of section 22-54-117, which provides unusual financial support to rural or small rural school districts due to delays in filing audit reports.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on the impact this removal will have on affected school districts after July 2026.
L.005

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment allows retired school employees in certain positions to return to work without losing their benefits if there is a critical shortage of qualified staff and the employee has specific skills that would benefit the district.

  • Allows assistant superintendents, vice principals or assistant principals, teachers, bus drivers, food service cooks, nurses, and paraprofessionals who retire early to return to work without losing their benefits if there is a critical shortage of qualified staff in their positions.
  • The amendment text includes multiple instances where words are capitalized or repeated incorrectly (e.g., 'AN ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT'), which may cause confusion and requires clarification from the official source.
L.007

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment changes how a district's total program funding is calculated for the 2026-27 budget year, ensuring that districts receive at least as much funding as they did in the previous year or an amount based on specific calculations.

  • Modifies the calculation of a school district's total program funding for the 2026-27 budget year to ensure it is not less than what was determined for the 2024-25 budget year.
  • Specifies that if a district’s new calculation under section 22-54-103.5 is lower than another specific calculation, then the funding will be based on the higher of the previous year's amount or an alternative calculation.
  • The exact impact and details of sections 22-54-103.5 and 22-54-104 are not provided, making it hard to fully explain how these calculations work in practice.
L.009

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment changes specific dollar amounts in the bill related to school funding.

  • Reduces the statewide base per pupil funding increase for the 2026-27 budget year from $217.30 to $208.60.
  • Decreases the total statewide base per pupil funding amount for the 2026-27 budget year.
  • The exact impact on overall school finance is not detailed in this amendment text.
L.010

SEN Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment removes certain subsections of the Colorado Revised Statutes related to school funding and replaces them with a repeal effective July 1, 2026.

  • Removes specific subsections (6)(a), (6)(b), and (6)(d) from Section 22-44-105 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.
  • The amendment text does not specify what content was in the removed subsections, so it is unclear exactly which parts of the law are being repealed.
  • It is unknown how this repeal will affect existing school funding provisions or other related sections of the statute.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-20 Senate

    Senate Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations

  2. 2026-01-14 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Education

Official Summary Text

The bill:
Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2026-27 budget year by $217.30 to account for inflation;
Sets a new statewide base per pupil funding amount for the 2026-27 budget year at $8,909.10; and
Sets the total program funding for the 2026-27 budget year at $10,209,589,888.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0004.02 Jacob Baus x2173 SENATE BILL 26-023
Senate Committees House Committees
Education
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING THE FINANCING OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.101
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill:
! Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the
2026-27 budget year by $217.30 to account for inflation;
! Sets a new statewide base per pupil funding amount for the
2026-27 budget year at $8,909.10; and
! Sets the total program funding for the 2026-27 budget year
at $10,209,589,888.
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Kolker and Kirkmeyer,
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Hamrick,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-54-103.5, add2
(3)(b) and (14)(b) as follows:3
22-54-103.5. District total program - rules - legislative4
declaration - repeal.5
(3) Statewide base per pupil funding.6
(b) (I) FOR THE 2026-27 BUDGET YEAR, THE STATEWIDE BASE PER7
PUPIL FUNDING IS EIGHT THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED NINE DOLLARS AND8
TEN CENTS ($8,909.10), WHICH IS AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO EIGHT THOUSAND9
SIX HUNDRED NINETY -ONE DOLLARS AND EIGHTY CENTS ($8,691.80),10
SUPPLEMENTED BY TWO HUNDRED SEVENTEEN DOLLARS AND THIRTY11
CENTS ($217.30) TO ACCOUNT FOR INFLATION.12
(II) THIS SUBSECTION (3)(b) IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2032.13
(14) Total program funding.14
(b) (I) F OR THE 2026-27 BUDGET YEAR , THE DEPARTMENT OF15
EDUCATION AND THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHALL16
DETERMINE, BASED ON BUDGET PROJECTIONS , THE AMOUNT TO ENSURE17
THAT FOR THE 2026-27 BUDGET YEAR , THE SUM OF TOTAL PROGRAM18
FUNDING FOR ALL DISTRICTS , INCLUDING FUNDING FOR INSTITUTE19
CHARTER SCHOOLS, IS AT LEAST TEN BILLION TWO HUNDRED NINE MILLION20
FIVE HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED EIGHTY -EIGHT21
DOLLARS ($10,209,589,888); EXCEPT THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF22
EDUCATION AND THE STAFF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHALL MAKE23
MID-YEAR REVISIONS TO REPLACE PROJECTIONS WITH ACTUAL FIGURES ,24
INCLUDING ACTUAL PUPIL ENROLLMENT , ASSESSED VALUATIONS , AND25
SPECIFIC OWNERSHIP TAX REVENUE FROM THE PRIOR YEAR TO DETERMINE26
SB26-023-2-
ANY NECESSARY CHANGES IN THE AMOUNT TO MAINTAIN TOTAL PROGRAM1
FUNDING FOR THE APPLICABLE BUDGET YEAR.2
(II) T HIS SUBSECTION (14)(b) IS REPEALED, EFFECTIVE JULY 1,3
2032.4
SECTION 2. Safety clause. The general assembly finds,5
determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate6
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or for appropriations for7
the support and maintenance of the departments of the state and state8
institutions.9
SB26-023-3-