1. School Finance CASBO Leanne Emm, Associate Commissioner
School Finance & Operations Division
April 2016

2. Agenda Rulemaking Hearing – June 8
Total Program & Constitutional Constraints
Other Legislation
BEST Program 2

3. Rulemaking Update
Operation, Maintenance and Inspection of School Transportation Vehicles (1 CCR and 1 CCR )
Consolidating and updating rules
Rulemaking hearing scheduled for June 8 at 1:00 in Pueblo
Administration of the Healthy Beverages Policy (1 CCR )
Revising to reflect USDA regulations
Notice of rulemaking to be requested during upcoming SBE meeting
Administration of the Public School Transportation Fund (1 CCR )
Working with FPP Subcommittee on proposed updates, including changing the capital outlay from $1000 to $5000
Proposed changes to be presented at upcoming FPP meeting

4. Total Program Funding
The vast majority of money for schools comes through the Public School Finance Act of 1994 Total Program Funding = Local Funding + State Funding This formula attempts to equalize funding to districts across the state. Local Funding always applied first.
School districts within the state of Colorado receive the majority of their funding through the Public School Finance Act of 1994 as amended. The sources of revenue to fund the School Finance Act are made up of state and local funding. These two revenue streams make up “Total Program Funding” which is the total amount of funding received by districts for general operating expenditures.
The School Finance Act formula attempts to equalize funding to districts across the state. This ensures that districts with lower property tax values have an equal ability to “. . . provide for the establishment and maintenance of a thorough and uniform system of free public schools throughout the state” as stated in Colorado’s constitution. Without this equalization, districts with higher property tax bases would be able to outpace districts with lower property tax values in the ability to provide funding for schools.
There are other sources of revenue that become available to school districts and we will touch on these in a later slide.

5. The School Finance Act is funded with a combination of State General Fund; local funds including property tax and specific ownership tax and other state funds which include the State Education Fund and the Public School Fund.

6. Local Share Funding Sources
Local Funding
Property Taxes – mill levies
Specific Ownership Taxes – vehicle registration fees
This funding provides approximately 36% of total program funding statewide
The percentage split in specific districts varies
The second piece of Total Program Funding comes from local sources of funds. These local sources include property taxes and specific ownership taxes or vehicle registration fees. In a district with a higher property tax valuation, total program funding is provided with larger amounts of property tax than state funds. The opposite occurs in districts with lower valuations of property taxes.

7. Illustration of Two Districts

8. State Share State Public School Fund General Fund State Education Fund
11/22/2018
State Share
State Public School Fund
General Fund
State Education Fund
Public School Fund
State Share to Districts

9. 11/22/2018
Gallagher Amendment
Intended to set the ratio of property taxes raised from both residential vs. business properties
Split – 45% residential vs. 55% business – statewide
Residential assessment rate – resets every two years potentially
7.96% since 2003 (1985 – 21%)
Under TABOR, this rate cannot rise without a vote of the people
Has had the impact of lower property taxes contributing to School Funding – the Total Program
State share for K-12 education has increased to 65% from 44% while the local share has decreased from 56% to 35%

10. TABOR Amendment - 1992 Impact of the TABOR amendment on school finance
Sets limits on the amounts of revenues that can be collected and retained by state and local governments including schools districts
Limits local property tax revenue growth
Requires voter approval for an increase in mill levies, or assessment rates
Most districts have received voter approval to retain excess revenues – the State has not
When revenues exceed the limit, refunds must be given

11. TABOR Amendment
Between 1994 and 2006, school district mill levies were decreasing since assessed values were increasing at a rate greater than what TABOR allowed – inflation plus student growth
This continued to cause the state portion of school funding to increase putting even greater pressure on the state budget
Senate Bill froze mill levies for districts at the levels
Total program mill levies cannot go higher than 27 mills – some districts may have levies lower than this

12. Amendment
Requires base per pupil funding to increase by inflation each year in addition to categorical funding
Categorical fund is provided for programs such as exceptional students, transportation and English language learners
An additional one percent was included for 10 years to attempt to make up losses in funding in prior years
The State Education Fund was created which transfers one-third of one percent of federal taxable income from the State’s General Fund
Creates additional pressures on the state budget with these requirements

13. State Perspective
The following slides were provided by the Office of State Planning and Budgeting
They are not updated with the most current revenue forecast, however still give an illustration of the issues facing the state

14. From Office of State Planning & Budgeting
A TABOR Simile
From Office of State Planning & Budgeting
TABOR Limit
Talk about refunding cash funds in terms of both Constitutional and practical limitations.
General Fund
Income and Sales taxes
Cash Funds
Fees
TABOR Refund

15. Total Program Funding Formula
Total Program Funding equals: =(funded pupil count x formula per pupil funding) + at-risk funding + online & ASCENT funding After Total Program is calculated, the Negative Factor is Applied

16. Base Per Pupil Funding 2015-16 Base Funding - $6,292.39 2016-17
Increase of $171.39
Inflation of 2.8%
Base Funding - $6,367.90
Increase of $75.51
Inflation of 1.2%

17. Formula Per Pupil Funding - Factors
Base per pupil funding is adjusted by factors
Cost of Living
Personnel & Non-personnel costs
Size of district
Determine At-Risk Funding, On-line and ASCENT Funding
Once Total Program is determined, the negative factor is applied
– 11.83% - with supplemental
Once the base funding has been set, the base has factors applied. These factors determine the per pupil funding amount by district and each district is different.
Cost of living – factor that attempts to reflect the differences between districts for the cost of housing, goods and services. Aspen has a higher cost of living factor than a small rural district.
Personnel costs factor – based on enrollment and incorporates cost of living for personnel.
Size factor – driven by enrollment and attempts to reflect purchasing power within districts. Small districts have greater size factor adjustments.
At-risk funding – based on the numbers of students qualifying for free lunches
On-Line funding – based on the number of students enrolled in an online program within the district. There are various rules that make a student eligible to be counted.
Once these factors are applied to the base, a total per pupil funding amount is determined for district. This amount is then multiplied by the districts funded pupil count to arrive at total program funding.

18. Assumptions FY2016-17 Long Bill Plus HB16-1422
Every year, the School Finance Act is a piece of legislation that is brought forward to fund schools in the next budget year
Fund growth and inflation
Keep negative factor same as $830 million
Also requires this to remain the same in
Adjusts the size factor
2,293 – 3,500 – was 4,023
3,500 – 5,000 – new category
Over 5,000 was 4,023 – flat rate

19. Assumptions FY2016-17 Long Bill Plus HB16-1422
Other Provisions
For those districts that do not repay categorical funds, the Commissioner shall withhold this from any other state funds
Contingency Reserve Fund expansion for those districts that may “fall off the cliff” from absorbing the full negative factor in a year
Creates ability for districts whose mill levies decrease as a result of increasing assessed values to retain the mill levy and deposit the revenues into a reserve fund for help with the “cliff effect”
For those districts that are heavily reliant on local share of property taxes
BEST provisions on allowable grants

20. State of Colorado Total Program Funding
*Subject to Legislative Approval

21. State vs. Local Share Increases
Fiscal Year
Fund Growth and Inflation
Local Funding
State Funding
Actual State Funding Increase
$184.17
$(118.33)
$302.50 $
$302.88
$17.72
$285.16 $
$221.85
$20.58
$201.26 $
$282.41
$44.00
$238.41 $
with Supplemental
$256.65
$276.95
$(20.31) $
Estimated
$156.22
$21.00
$135.22
???
In millions

22. 11/22/2018
Mill Levy Overrides
Voter approved override - revenues cannot exceed greater of 25% of its Total Program or $200,000 (30% for small rural) – 118 districts
Special Building and Technology Fund levy up to ten mills for not longer than three years - land, buildings, facilities, security, technology – 1 district
Full-day Kindergarten Fund levy for excess full-day kindergarten program costs – 2 districts
Transportation Fund levy a mill to generate revenues to pay for excess transportation costs – 8 districts

24. Categorical Program Revenue
Funding provided for specific programs that serve particular groups of students or student needs
English Language Proficiency Act (ELPA)
Gifted and Talented Education
Special Education
Transportation
Vocational Education
Small attendance centers
These sources of revenue do not cover the full cost of these programs. Districts spent over $1.4 billion on these programs. The state estimate of the “gap in funding” in was over $900 million statewide.
Districts also receive funding from the state for specific programs that serve particular groups of students or student needs.

25. 2013-14 Estimated Categorical Gap

26. Other Legislation HB16-1354 – Debt Free Schools Act
Ability for districts to pass mill levy for capital construction and maintenance without borrowing money
HB – Data Privacy Bill
SB – Increases the cap on BEST
SB & SB – Charter School Bills
Draft Bill – Study School Finance??
Joint House and Senate Education Committees and Joint Budget Committee have been learning about school finance

27. FPP Meeting May 6 & June 24 Jeffco Swink Mesa Valley (Grand Junction)
Durango
Centennial BOCES (Greeley)
San Luis Valley BOCES (Alamosa)
Pikes Peak BOCES (Colorado Springs)
Steamboat Springs (new)
East Central BOCES (new)

28. School Finance Questions CASB