LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

It’s difficult to square Governor Polis’s urgent pleas to Washington seriously when he’s spent the last year undermining his own state’s schools.

While he’s warning of “earthquakes” caused by federal delays, many of us are already feeling the aftershocks of his broken promises here in Colorado. While I appreciate his concern for educational programs, I can’t help but notice the glaring contradiction: The governor is battling for federal funds while simultaneously shortchanging his own state’s schools.

This year, Gov. Polis pulled the rug out from under dozens of Colorado school districts by quietly eliminating enrollment averaging, without any transition plan or phase-in period. This long-standing mechanism helped districts like ours weather fluctuations in student enrollment. Without it, School District 51 alone was staring down a $9 million shortfall. Fortunately, we ended up getting some money from the state, $1.8 million. But we’re not alone. This move has sent ripple effects across the state.

While Polis stood at the podium claiming to be a “responsible steward of taxpayer dollars,” he effectively reintroduced the Budget Stabilization Factor through the back door. And while he celebrates the passage of HB 24-1448, Colorado schools remain $4.1 billion underfunded, with an average $4,600 funding gap per student. District 51 ranks 174th out of 178 districts in per-pupil funding.

The District 51 Board of Education only supported HB 24-1448 because we were explicitly promised a carve-out for hold-harmless protections and averaging. That promise was broken. So, while the governor lobbies Washington for dollars, he left his own schools in a fiscal lurch, all while the state budget has ballooned from $6 billion in 2005 to $32 billion in 2025 – a 433 percent increase, far outpacing the 28 percent growth in population. Our district’s budget has grown just 121 percent in that same time, a fraction of the state’s growth.

If Polis truly wants to prioritize education, he should start at home. It’s disingenuous to point fingers at federal delays while knowingly destabilizing local classrooms. Schools need stability, transparency and fairness – not political sleight of hand.

Gov. Polis, if you want to lead on education, prove it. Restore trust at the state level. Respect local districts.

Our teachers, our students and our taxpayers deserve better.

Andrea Haitz

President, District 51 School Board

Executive Board Member, Colorado Association of School Boards