How does the “inflation + 1 percent” in Amendment 23 work?
Amendment 23 guarantees K-12 funding by requiring an “inflation + 1″ increase in “base per pupil funding” beginning in 2001 for ten years. The base is run through a complex formula that includes variables such as school district size, local cost-of-living and the number of “at-risk” kids. These variables are called “factors” and they substantially increase average per pupil funding received by school districts. The factors exist to address the increased per pupil costs that result when, for instance, a high percentage of pupils are from at-risk populations or when the necessary costs of running a school and hiring staff are divided among a small student population in a rural district. Each year, the factors increase Colorado’s total school spending by several hundred million dollars. Historically, the Legislature has protected the factors as part of the Amendment 23 mandate. However, it appears that the Legislature will adjust the factors for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 fiscal years, in or
