Press Release- Mar 13, 2007
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TUESDAY, MAR. 13, 2007
Contact:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370
GOV. RITTER UNVEILS COLORADO CHILDREN¿S AMENDMENT
Plan calls for full-day kindergarten, new pre-school slots and financial support for local school districts around Colorado
Gov. Bill Ritter and state Sen. Sue Windels today announced plans for the Colorado Children's Amendment of 2007, an $84 million annual commitment to pre-school programs, full-day kindergarten and local school districts.
The proposal also will keep the State Education Fund from becoming insolvent in fiscal 2011-12 as currently projected. The plan will be included in an amendment to the school finance bill co-sponsored by Sen. Windels, D-Arvada, and Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder. The bill is currently scheduled to be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.
"Investing in our children is one of the most important things we as government leaders can do," Gov. Ritter said. "The Colorado Children's Amendment of 2007 puts an exclamation point on our commitment to Colorado's children and Colorado's future. This plan creates opportunities that will help Colorado's children succeed in school and in their careers.
"It also sends a signal to the rest of the country and the entire world that we're serious about getting ahead and staying competitive," the governor added.
Sen. Windels, a former pre-school and kindergarten teacher, said she is excited at the prospect of advancing early childhood education opportunities for Colorado kids.
"I know from personal experience how valuable quality pre-school and kindergarten can be for a child's learning experience," Sen. Windels said. "This is one of the most ground-breaking educational proposals to come along in a very long time."
The Colorado Children's Amendment will provide:
1) $65 million for full-day kindergarten. Funds would be made available by stabilizing local support for K-12 education by fixing a technical flaw in the School Finance Act. The flaw has effectively "re-Bruced" the 174 local school districts that have "de-Bruced."
Research shows that high quality early childhood education, including full-day kindergarten, helps children develop emotionally, academically and physically. The result is improved academic performance, including, ultimately, improved retention and graduation from high school.
"As I said in my State of the Speech two months ago, one of my goals is to cut Colorado¿s high school drop-out rate in half within the next 10 years," Gov. Ritter said. "This proposal brings us closer to achieving that goal."
Ritter's proposal to stabilize local support for K-12 education also serves the dual purpose of preventing the State Education Fund from becoming insolvent in fiscal 2011-12. Based on current projections, the fund will suffer a negative cash balance of $100 million in fiscal 2011-12.
Under this plan, the State Education Fund's balance will remain above $192.5 million in future years.
2) $12.6 million to eliminate a 4,000-slot waiting list for the Colorado Pre-School Program. This would occur over two years, and funds would be made available from the State Education Fund.
3) $6.3 million for 11 local school districts now at the state education funding floor. Funds would come from the State Education Fund.
Those districts/counties are:
1) Widefield/El Paso
2) Cheyenne Mtn./El Paso
3) Falcon/El Paso
4) Canon City/Fremont
5) Poudre/Larimer
6) Thompson/Larimer
7) Mesa Valley/Mesa
8) Moffat/Moffat
9) Pueblo Rural/Pueblo
10) Windsor/Weld
11) Johnstown/Weld
"By elevating the funding floor for these districts, we make the School Finance Act more equitable, and we ensure that all Colorado children receive a fairer share of state support," Ritter said.
The governor said the Colorado Children's Amendment also will protect the state's General Fund.
"Without a comprehensive plan such as this amendment, the state's General Fund - which also pays for higher education, health care and human services - would be forced to subsidize the State Ed Fund, and that would have harmed those other services," Ritter said.