GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Colorado lawmakers concluded the 2025 legislative session last week, approving several education-related measures — but delivering a disappointing outcome for school district budgets, particularly for rural areas like the Grand Valley.

While K–12 funding will increase in the upcoming fiscal year, the final allocations are less than what school districts were expecting, according to Melanie Asmar, Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Colorado.

“School districts will get more money next year,” Asmar said, “but not as much as they were expecting or as much as was promised.”

Grand Valley Schools Still in Recovery

The funding shortfall is particularly acute for Mesa County Valley School District 51, where recent years have brought school closures, staff layoffs, and program reductions. The modest increase will not be enough to reverse those cuts, and district officials warn more belt-tightening may lie ahead.

In 2024 alone, three schools were shuttered, and teaching positions were cut to close budget gaps. The failure to meet expected funding levels may compound inequities faced by rural and lower-income districts.

Free School Meals Program in Jeopardy

Adding further financial stress is the looming shortfall in funding for the state’s free school meals program, which voters approved via a 2022 ballot initiative. That program, funded through a tax hike on high-income earners, has proven more popular than lawmakers anticipated — and its funds are now projected to run dry by December 2025.

To avoid disruption, the legislature has approved two new ballot measures:

• Proposition A: Would ask voters to approve a new tax increase to sustain the meals program.

• Proposition B: Would allow the state to retain excess tax revenue beyond constitutional limits imposed by TABOR (Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights).

Without passage of either ballot measure this November, the free meals program faces elimination, a move that could significantly affect food-insecure students across the state.

“If those ballot measures don’t pass,” Asmar warned, “the free meals program will most likely be cut.”

Broader Impacts of Budget Uncertainty

While the state touts modest education gains — including expanded literacy supports and early childhood initiatives — educators argue that core funding formulas are still lagging behind inflation and failing to meet the demands of modern classrooms.

Local school boards and superintendents are now preparing for uncertain budget scenarios as they finalize plans for the 2025–26 school year.

Colorado’s education funding struggles mirror a national trend, where districts are grappling with post-COVID learning gaps, staffing shortages, and expiring federal pandemic aid. In places like Grand Junction, the pressure is even greater due to regional cost-of-living increases and limited local tax bases.