If you run a simple search for the number of bills that were strictly labeled as "Education & School Finance" related, there were approximately 92 bills from this session, of which 71 passed and were signed into law (or will be soon). But this doesn't include the significant investments we made through the Long Bill (a.k.a. the Budget). This represents nearly one-quarter of all bills passed this session. 

Bill signing ceremony for full day kindergarten

No doubt, the most significant education bill was HB19-1262 on state funding for full-day kindergarten. We also increased funding for education by $335.9 million ($353/pupil), a $100 million buy down of the budget stabilization factor, and an additional $22 million of ongoing funding for special education students. We also invested $121 million into our higher education system in order to keep tuition flat at our colleges and universities. 

Building off of last year's effort, we passed a number of bills to tackle the teacher shortage in Colorado, including my bill, Senate Bill 19-003 on educator loan forgiveness. We also increased supports for students in a variety of ways, including revamping the READ Act, a pilot program to address dyslexia, a grant program for physical education, a ninth grade success program, a computer science education grant program, and an expansion of concurrent enrollment programs. 

In addition to the direct supports for kids, there were a number of bills that will address out-of-school issues that impact learning, such as increasing access to mental health supports, increasing school safety, limiting suspensions and expulsions for the early grades, increased access to free school lunches, increasing the number of social workers, and a school nurse grant program. 

Bill signing ceremony for HB19-1055 on capital construction funding for schools, including  $30 million for kindergarten implementation

We also passed a number of bills to think more innovatively in how we operate our schools. I was particularly proud of my bill on  community schools. As Chalkbeat colorado noted, "The hope is that schools will qualify for federal grants to develop services that help students and their families with needs outside the classroom, boosting achievement along the way."

For a more in-depth wrap-up on the education bills this session, check out Chalkbeat's article, "Kindergarten, reading, mental health: what Colorado lawmakers did for education in 2019," or the Colorado Sun's article, "A look at how policies passed during Colorado's 2019 legislative session will impact you."

While our last official day of the legislative session was Friday, May 3, I will continue to serve on a number of legislative committees throughout the summer and into the fall of this year. 

Women legislators that passed bills to benefit veterans, including SB19-205 to honor the service of women veterans

The Joint Budget Committee will meet on June 19 to discuss the next quarterly forecast. We will also take a few trips around the state to visit state facilities and programs to help inform our decision-making on the budget. We will also meet later in the fall to receive another quarterly forecast before resuming our normal meeting schedule in October. 

In addition to the JBC, I will be chairing the Statutory Review Committee, and I will continue serving on the School Finance Committee. Both committees will meet periodically during the interim. I will also continue to serve on the CDOT Efficiency and Accountability Committee and the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) during the interim. 

Starting next week, you will receive a monthly newsletter rather than a weekly one, and we will no longer be meeting for 'Coffee With Constituents.' We will continue to meet monthly on the third Saturday for our regular town hall series, but June will be our last 'What's Brewing' event until the new session. 

During the interim you are welcome to leave messages on my capitol phone, although we will be checking messages less frequently. You can also contact me via email for any questions or concerns or bill ideas for next session at [email protected].