CEA and AFT March on the Capitol

Come join us on the west steps of the State Capitol on March 19, 2020 at 8am to stand up to tell Colorado elected officials that enough is enough. Make school funding a priority NOW!

Over the past decade, the total percentage of the state budget dedicated to school funding has steadily decreased, while the budget stabilization factor has increased, more unfunded mandates have been put on the shoulders of educators, and Colorado’s educator shortage has reached crisis levels.

This year, we are saying that enough is enough. It is time for our elected officials to prioritize investment in our students, educators, and schools. Specifically, we are fighting for:

- Securing Livable Wages for Educators: Creating a dedicated pot of money (Educator Pay Raise Fund, SB 20-089) to incentivize increasing educator pay to a living wage, based on the cost of living in the school district, for teachers, SSPs, and Education Support Professionals. If this pot of money is created, it will set up the possibility to establish an ongoing revenue stream through a future ballot issue.

- Eliminating the Budget Stabilization Factor by 2022: It is time for the state to pay off the $572,000,000 debt it owes to public education. The chronic underfunding of our public education is preventing our students from having the schools they deserve. The legislature must make a meaningful payment this year to ensure the BS factor is eliminated by 2022.

- Passing a Statewide Ballot Initiative in 2020 to Raise Education Revenue: In addition to our legislative demands, we are fighting this year to pass a strong statewide ballot initiative that will raise enough revenue to fully fund K12 education by eliminating the BS Factor and fully funding the Educator Pay Raise Fund.