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Budget Cuts to Impact Both Higher Ed and K-12 Funding

Colorado State Seal
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Colorado State Seal

Cuts to education are likely to dominate Governor John Hickenlooper’s first budget that he’ll propose to the Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday.

Higher Education has been the prime target for budget cuts in recent years. But K-12 education is also vulnerable. $260 million was cut out of this year’s budget alone. But Colorado Statesman Publisher Jody Hope Strogoff says early speculation is that $400 million could be eliminated from next year’s budget.

“And it’s not something; of course, the new Governor wants to do. But there’s a shortfall of 1.1 billion and they can’t make cuts in Medicare or prisons – those things are safeguarded,” Strogoff says.

K-12 funding is one of the state’s largest expenditures in the general fund at almost 46%. Governor Hickenlooper has said that everything is on the table where cuts are concerned. But with only so many areas to cut from - some in the education community fear they will be in the bull’s eye.

Email: brian.larson@kunc.org