DENVER – Today, Governor Polis and Democrat legislators plan to stand on the west steps of the state capitol and take credit for the Republican-led effort to fully fund Colorado’s K-12 public education.

Facts matter. For the past five years, the Colorado Senate Republicans have run bills and budget amendments to fully fund Colorado’s education system and to finally pay off the Budget Stabilization Factor. 

Last year, after long and strenuous negotiation, the Senate Republicans succeeded. 

During an Education Committee meeting last April, Senator Lundeen succeeded in amending the 2023 School Finance Act. The amendment, L.005, statutorily requires the full funding of the state’s public education to constitutional levels.

In the 2022 and prior legislative sessions, the Democrats fought against multiple Republican attempts to pay off the B.S. Factor, including:

• SB 22-039
• Amendment J.087 to the 2022-23 Long Bill. 

Republicans will continue to prioritize education funding before Democrat pet political projects. To do so they will bring back efforts to run the school finance act before the state budget, commonly referred to as the long bill. “We must fund K-12 education first. Pet political projects must get in line behind the school children of Colorado,” said Lundeen.

Senators Paul Lundeen and Barbara Kirkmeyer will be available to members of the media on the west steps of the Capitol at 12:15pm, today, February 29th.