Latest news with #Kirkmeyer
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
An 11th-hour amendment creates a new education fund in Colorado with millions of dollars more for K-12 schools
An 11th-hour amendment creates a new education fund in Colorado with millions of dollars more for K- An 11th-hour amendment creates a new education fund in Colorado with millions of dollars more for K- An 11th-hour amendment creates a new education fund in Colorado with millions of dollars more for K- With a week left in the legislative session, a hearing to finalize school funding took an unexpected turn. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a new education fund Thursday at the State Capitol that will include $233 million more for K-12 schools. The money will come from income taxes -- the same as the State Education Fund, which is not impacted. The change affects next year's budget and will mean less money for other expenditures. State Senators Barb Kirkmeyer (R-Col) and Chris Kolker (D-Col) CBS State senators Barb Kirkmeyer (R-Col) and Chris Kolker (D-Col) say it's all about priorities. "Sen. Kolker and I put down a marker that said we are going to fund education first," Kirkmeyer told CBS Colorado. For years, she and Kolker have listened to colleagues claim school funding is a top priority. They say it's time to walk the talk. "Education is the one thing in our constitution that provides a permanent source of funding," Kolker told CBS Colorado. "We just haven't fulfilled that promise." Funding for K-12 schools should be growing by inflation every year, but for 15 years, lawmakers shortchanged it by billions of dollars. Last year, they finally met their constitutional obligation, while also passing a new School Finance Act that promised even more money. A year later, Kirkmeyer says, they're already backpedaling, "We can't keep going down this path," she said. She and Kolker decided to blow things up. They brought an amendment to the School Finance Act during an Appropriations Committee hearing. It creates a brand-new education fund. "We named it the Kids Matter Trust Fund for a reason -- because kids do matter and so does their education," said Kirkmeyer, who dared her colleagues to oppose it. "If you can't agree to this, it tells me you don't think we should be funding education first." She says the $233 million can only be spent on per pupil funding and programs like special education. "We are done with the time when we don't fund education, and we balance the budget on the backs of students," Kirkmeyer said. Kolker says the new fund will be embedded in the State Education Fund, which he says will be insolvent within a few years without additional money. "My message to kids, parents, teachers, schools, everyone involved in public education is, 'We see you, hear you,'" Kolker said. "All of us want to increase funding for education. Everyone down here wants to do that. We have to find the right methods to do that, and we believe we have." Kolker and Kirkmeyer say they didn't intend to blindside anyone with the amendment to the School Finance Act. They had a bill drafted that would have set up the fund, but were told it was too late in the session to introduce it, so they found a different avenue. Both say they are confident the amendment will stick when the bill goes to the Senate floor.
CBS News
26-03-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado budget writers approve changes to free school lunches, food banks, and multi-modal projects
The Colorado state budget is starting to take shape as budget writers finalize $1.2 billion in cuts. Those cuts include $1 million to food banks, $72 million to multi-modal projects, and the elimination of the Disordered Eating Prevention program, Kidney Disease Task Force and school mental health screenings. "It is excruciating, it's painful, it's hard choices," said Senator Jeff Bridges, Chair of the Joint Budget Committee, which is still determining funding for K-12 education and Medicaid. While Governor Polis's budget request called for using a one-year student headcount instead of a 4-year average to determine per-pupil funding for K-12 schools, Bridges said that won't happen. "We're not eliminating averaging. Not next year," he asserted. He said the committee has set aside $150 million more for K-12 right now and, depending on whether lawmakers decide to implement the new School Finance Act, that could climb to $250 million. "Funding for schools will absolutely increase. How that increases and by how much that increases, that is up for debate," said Bridges. Funding for Medicaid is also up for debate. The Governor's budget request called for keeping provider rates flat. Senator Barb Kirkmeyer, who also sits on the Joint Budget Committee, wants an inflationary increase. "I'm really disappointed we waited until the last day. Here we are, trying to close out budget, and they're talking about cutting Medicaid. Because, when we don't increase the Medicaid provider rate, it's effectively cutting Medicaid by 2.4%." Kirkmeyer has identified other cuts instead, including $16 million in unspent funds in the Behavioral Health Administration, $10.5 million from the Multimodal Opportunity Fund, $28.4 million from a universal preschool reserve fund, and $9 million from a fund in the legislative branch that is being used for office renovations and new furniture. "Furniture? Because that's more important than families?" Kirkmeyer said. "We have to pick priorities here." So do voters. A program that funds free school lunches for all K-12 school kids is $42 million over budget. The committee voted to spend $8 million to keep the program going through December. Then it would be available only in schools where 25% of students qualify for federal assistance programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and free and reduced lunch unless two ballot measures pass in November. The measures would provide additional money for the program by limiting the tax deductions that high-income earners can claim. "Making sure kids can learn means making sure they're not hungry," said Bridges. "This is a core of how we make sure that all the other dollars we invest in education are going to good use. If voters say yes to both, Healthy School Meals for All will continue. If they say no, then Healthy School Meals will change." New revenue forecasts released last week show Colorado's economy is growing, but unemployment is creeping up and consumer spending is slowing, increasing the risk of a recession. Economists have said much depends on what happens at the federal level where Congress is considering cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicaid. If that happens, the legislature will likely have to come back for a special session.
CBS News
08-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Democratic lawmakers in Colorado defend plan to spend millions of dollars on new furniture
A hearing at the Colorado State Capitol turned heated Friday as lawmakers debated a plan by legislative leadership to spend millions of dollars on new furniture and office renovations in the midst of a budget crisis. Legislative leadership has budgeted $4 million for furniture and another $6 million for office renovations. State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, who sits on the Joint Budget Committee, wasn't having it. "You want new furniture, wait for it," the Republican told colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Kirkmeyer says she's worried about how to fund programs for low-income families, children with disabilities and kids who are neglected and abused, not new furniture for lawmakers. "I'm thinking that's a 'nice to have' when I am sitting there in front of a bunch early intervention people who can't get the funding that they need for providers to fund children with severe disabilities and provide services to them," she said. The furniture is part of a $10 million renovation aimed at moving the offices of all lawmakers into the capitol -- half of them are housed in nearby buildings -- and moving legislative staff into a building across the street. Senate President James Coleman says if they wait to buy the furniture, it will cost even more. "These updates were approved through the normal legislative process, planned well in advance and part of responsible long-term stewardship of government facilities," Coleman said. Money for the renovations comes from a little-known fund in the legislative branch where leadership rolls over unspent general fund allocations. About $23 million has gone into it since 2020. Kirkmeyer introduced an amendment to sweep all but $500,000 back into the general fund. Democrats killed it, so she brought another amendment to take back $3.5 million. "The fact is that we didn't need $5.5 million last year, and the year before that $6.2 million and the year before that $4.7 million, I'm thinking $3.5 (million) is not a big, huge cut that you couldn't deal with," she said. It too failed, but Democrats on the committee said they'd think about it. Kirkmeyer had a message for them. "So I would ask everyone: check in. Where are your values? Where are your priorities? Is it with these kids that are neglected and abused? Is it with these low-income families that we're trying to get child care for. Is it for children with severe disabilities? Or is it for furniture?" Kirkmeyer said. The rollover cash fund is controlled by six people - the Speaker, President of the Senate and majority and minority leaders in both chambers. They all voted for the furniture and renovations. The Legislative Branch is also asking for an increase of about $700,000 in its overall budget despite not spending all the money it receives now, and even as budget writers ask every department to make cuts. Kirkmeyer plans to bring her amendments back when they debate the legislature's budget on the floor, along with another amendment to stop leadership from rolling over unspent general fund money in the future. She says money for any renovations should be coming from the "Capitol Renovation Fund."
CBS News
26-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
As Colorado budget shortfall grows, a state senator questions $4 million in spending on new furniture
The hole in the Colorado state budget is getting bigger. The latest figures show a shortfall of about $1.2 billion, and the state's chief economist says the reserve -- or rainy-day fund -- will run out of money by 2029 if nothing changes. "The message is we are on an unsustainable path with our budget if we don't change our spending habits," said State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, who is one of six lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee. The Republican says lawmakers have simply overspent, pointing out the state has added more than 7,000 full time employees and 17 new state offices in the last six years alone. But the biggest budget driver is Medicaid. It makes up a third of the general fund and has ballooned by nearly $600 million in the last year. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing says the increase is due largely to utilization by older Coloradans and people with disabilities, who make up only 9% of the Medicaid population but account for 50% of the costs. Colorado has the second fastest growing population of people over age 65 -- they outnumber those under 18 -- and long-term care is covered by Medicaid, not Medicare. State Sen. Jeff Bridges -- chair of the budget committee -- says the state is generating enough revenue to cover expenses but lawmakers can't tap all the money. He says the problem isn't spending, rather it's the Taxpayer Bill of Rights -- or TABOR -- which caps how much the state can spend to the growth in population plus inflation. "Inflation is the price of dishwashers and washing machines and that's not what we buy as state. We pay wages. We invest in health care and those costs grow way faster," the Democrat said. Bridges says the budget committee is also limited in where it can trim expenditures. In addition to Medicaid, K-12 education accounts for another third of the general fund while the other 40% is divided among higher education, human services, corrections and judicial. "Where are we going to cut? Show me where all these savings are because there's not a billion dollars worth of savings to be had in this budget," he said. As the budget writers search for where to cut, Kirkmeyer found a surprise in the legislature's own budget -- about $20 million in unspent general fund allocations from previous years. The money has been deposited in a cash fund used primarily for renovations at the capitol. There are nearly a thousand cash funds in various departments throughout the state. Kirkmeyer says the budget committee needs a full accounting of those funds. "So what we need to do is sunset the cash funds. Fund them for a half year and tell each of those departments to come back to us and say what's in those cash funds, what are those cash funds used for? What's the fund balance? How much are we spending and where did it come from. Is it fee generated revenue? Did we transfer general fund into there?" Kirkmeyer said. The legislature's cash fund was approved by lawmakers more than a decade ago. State House Speaker Julie McCluskie says they are planning to return more than $4 million from the cash fund to the general fund. She says the legislature's executive committee -- made up of leadership from both parties -- decides how to spend the money and it's also cutting the legislature's overall budget by 5%, including eliminating all interim committees this year. Kirkmeyer says she'd like to see all $20 million in the cash fund returned. But McCluskie says they need the money to move lawmakers' offices into the capitol. Many are in other buildings right now that she says aren't as easily accessible to the public. They are also moving about 200 legislative staff from the capitol to another building that she says needs big renovations, including an estimated $4 million in furniture alone. Meanwhile, Kirkmeyer says, Gov. Jared Polis is proposing cutting child welfare funding by $3 million. "It's clear to me they have a crisis of priorities. They value furniture over neglected and abused kids," she said.
CBS News
11-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado lawmakers trying to make it easier for parents to sign their kids up for preschool
An effort to make it easier for parents to sign their kids up for preschool is ongoing at the Colorado State Capitol. Right now, only certain providers called Local Coordinating Organization have access to the state's online enrollment system. LCOs essentially act as a go-between if a parent has problems with that application. Under a new bill by state Sen. Barb Kirk Meyer, all providers would have access to that system so parents can work with their preschool directly. Kirkmeyer, a member the Joint Budget Committee and a Republican from Weld County, is also pressing the Department of Early Childhood on its spending. "I have challenged them to tell me why. Why when we had the Colorado preschool program, which was just for public schools, why that cost us $128 million. And two, three years later, we are spending $350 million on this program, and we didn't more than double the number of children that are in full-day preschool. What the heck is going on over there?" she said. Lawmakers are also hoping to make child care more affordable for parents. A separate bill would limit wait lists and application fees to $25 and require child care centers to apply those fees to the first month of child care if a family's application is indeed accepted. The bill will get its first hearing before the Senate Business and Labor Committee on Wednesday.
