Superintendents call for more K-12 money

Colorado’s school superintendents say the way the state’s schools are funded needs to change to put more money into classrooms.

Boulder Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Bruce Messinger and Douglas County Schools Superintendent Dr. Liz Fagen talked about the issues facing Colorado’s schools on this week’s Politics Unplugged on Denver7.

Messinger is one of the 167 Colorado superintendents urging lawmakers to change the states “negative factor.” Passed in the wake of an economic downturn in 2010, the superintendents said the “negative factor” is pulling $50 million per year away from K-12 schools state-wide.

“When we are under funded, it affects things like class size and counseling support,” Messinger told the Politics Unplugged hosts. “The landscaping looks very different because of the lack of funding over time.”

Fagen is not part of that group of superintendents because she doesn’t agree with all aspects of their plan.  Still, she said her district could use extra money just as much as the next one.

“Douglas County is penalized because we don’t have a lot of at-risk students percentage wise by the ‘Colorado formula,’ so we are one of the lowest funded districts,” she said.

Superintendents Fagen and Messinger also talked about expanded funding for full-day kindergarten.  You can hear their thoughts in the full interview above.