HJR 1028

                                                                      2026
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1028
BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Hamrick and Goldstein, Bacon, Boesenecker,
Brown, Camacho, Carter, Duran, Froelich, Gilchrist, Jackson, Joseph, Lieder,
Lindsay, Lukens, Martinez, Mauro, McCormick, Nguyen, Paschal, Phillips,
Rydin, Sirota, Smith, Stewart K., Story, Titone, Velasco, Zokaie, McCluskie;
also SENATOR(S) Kolker, Amabile, Ball, Benavidez, Bridges, Cutter,
Danielson, Daugherty, Exum, Gonzales J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Lindstedt,
Marchman, Mullica, Roberts, Snyder, Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman, Coleman.
  CONCERNING A COMMITMENT TO PURSUE FULL AND FAIR
FUNDING OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
   WHEREAS, Public education is the bedrock of our democracy,
fondamental to individual opportunity, the underpinning of thriving
communities, and the key to Colorado's economic prosperity and future;
and
   WHEREAS, Maintaining and improving the competitiveness of
Colorado and its students requires wise and adequate investment in
Colorado's public schools; and
   WHEREAS, The return on investment of money invested in
Colorado's public schools has long been recognized as among the nation's
highest; and
    WHEREAS, Increasing high school graduation rates, industry
certifications, and completed associate's degrees in Colorado exemplify
the effectiveness of Colorado's investment in public schools; and
   WHEREAS, Research shows that increased public school funding
results in long-term gains in graduation rates and lifetime wages, prevents
crime, and lowers incarceration costs; and
   WHEREAS, Public school educators and support staff across
Colorado make invaluable contributions to their schools, districts, and
communities by dedicating their time, talents, and out-of-pocket money
to their students, despite Colorado having the largest "teacher pay
penalty" in the nation; and
    WHEREAS, A 2022 study published in SAGE Open found that when
public school teachers receive higher pay, students perform better, leading
to improved academic outcomes; and
    WHEREAS, Colorado currently funds schools at a level that
approximates the state's 1989 per-pupil spending, adjusted for inflation,
which does not account for the cost increases school districts face for
health care, energy use, and PERA contributions nor for the additional
financial demands placed on schools in the past three decades for
standards-based education, rapid advances in technology and career
technical education, and behavioral health challenges related to COVID,
trauma, and social media; and
    WHEREAS, In 2023, the general assembly took concrete steps to
investigate and address the need for additional school funding resources
in light of changes made by the passage of Senate Bill 23-287, which
created a Public School Finance Task Force to recommend beneficial
changes to the school finance formula and commissioned two "adequacy
studies" to assess the amount of additional resources and funding needed
to ensure all Colorado students can reach the standards and requirements
set by the state; and
    WHEREAS, The general assembly passed a supplemental
appropriations bill in 2024, dedicating $3 million to the adequacy studies
to ensure they were conducted with the highest standards of rigor,
research, and data analysis-of which, Colorado spent $2 million; and
    WHEREAS, In 2024, the Public School Finance Task Force issued a
report to the general assembly with recommendations to adjust the school
finance fonnula to improve the equity and adequacy of school
funding-some of which were incorporated in House Bill 24-1448 - and
suggested that the legislature "annually revisit and update the base and
need weights" and that "[u]pdates should reflect the results of the
adequacy studies when they have been published"; and
PAGE 2-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1028
    WHEREAS, In January 2025, the legislature received the reports and
recommendations of the two commissioned studies: "Equity and
Adequacy of Colorado School Funding: A Cost-Modeling Approach" by
the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and "Colorado Input-Based
Financial Adequacy Study Report," by Augenblick, Palaich and
Associates, Inc. (APA); and
   WHEREAS, Both studies found that Colorado teacher salaries are too
low, and the tax system that supports schools is inequitable and
inadequate; and
    WHEREAS, The AIR study recommends that the Colorado legislature
commit to set funding levels commensurate with Colorado's education
goals, increase funding weights for at-risk students to base more
resources on student needs, raise teacher pay, hire more teachers, reduce
inequity in local taxes, and adjust salaries to account for regional
differences in cost of living; and
   WHEREAS, The APA study recommends that the state provide a
funding base of $12,346 per student, that small districts continue to
receive extra funding, and that the state provide funding to equalize mill
levy override funding across districts; and
    WHEREAS, According to the AP A study, adequate funding would be
$3 .5 billion higher than the current level and $3 .1 billion higher than the
school funding formula, when fully implemented, created in House Bill
24-1448; and
    WHEREAS, Were Colorado funding our schools fully and fairly, as
defined by the adequacy studies, every student would have the individual
attention they need from teachers, counselors, health professionals, tutors,
and support staff to succeed and thrive; every teacher would receive a
reasonable workload, professional development and coaching, and a
salary that would allow them to live where they work; and every
community would enjoy the benefit of vibrant public schools, a
high-quality workforce, and an engaged citizenry; and
   WHEREAS, Colorado's fiscal constraints, the depletion of the state
education fund, and the potential of federal funding cuts to education,
Medicaid, school nutrition, human services, and other critical programs
PAGE 3-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1028
threaten the sustainability and adequacy of public school funding in
Colorado; and
   WHEREAS, The general assembly has both the opportunity and the
responsibility to turn the adequacy study data into a structured, multi-year
plan - Colorado's Blueprint for Student Success - to create a Colorado
where every child has access to great teachers, individual attention,
support services, appropriate technology, and a broad, high-quality
education so they can thrive; and
    WHEREAS, Failing to make progress toward implementing the
adequacy study recommendations would waste the funds used to
commission these high-quality studies and break trust with the students
who rely on adults to solve difficult problems that fundamentally impact
their lives; now, therefore,
  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth
General Assembly ofthe State ofColorado, the Senate concurring herein:
   That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly:
   (1) Reaffirm the critical importance of public education and the fair
and full funding thereof; and
    (2) Declare that it is the intent of the Colorado House of
Representatives to honor the $2 million investment in the adequacy
studies made by the taxpayers of Colorado by taking concrete steps to
gain an understanding of the findings and recommendations of the
studies, choose which study's methodology and recommendations to
follow, and develop a multi-year implementation plan, including revenue
triggers, to phase in the recommendations.
PAGE 4-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1028
   Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
Governor Jared Polis, House Speaker Julie McCluskie, House Majority
Leader Monica Duran, House Minority Leader Jarvis Caldwell, Senate
President James Coleman, Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez, and
Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
                                               z:-e~
                                             James Rashad Coleman Sr.
                                                     PRESIDENT OF
OF REPRESENTATIVES  THE SENATE
Vanessa Reilly  ~
CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
                                                      Esther van Mourik
                                                      SECRETARY OF
OF REPRESENTATIVES  THE SENATE
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