DENVER | Echoing his campaign promises and first State of the State address last week, Gov. Jared Polis released an ambitious budget proposal Tuesday that outlines his plan to fund full-day kindergarten, lower healthcare costs and help generate jobs in rural Colorado.
Currently, the state legislature funds just more than half the cost of educating a single kindergarten student, leaving school districts to pay for the other half or leaving families to cover the costs.
Polis recommended that the state legislature appropriates an additional $227 million for the initiative. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the state allocated about $4.5 billion to local school districts.
The budget message essentially keeps former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s plan intact, drawing from state revenues in excess of those predicted to pay for kindergarten expansion and other proposals.
Polis told the Sentinel Tuesday during an editorial board conference that offering full-day kindergarten will give young students a good start to their academic careers, and families a little extra change in their bank accounts each month. The state department of education cites numerous studies showing benefits for young students in kindergarten, including short- and long-term cognitive development.
The Cherry Creek School District, which includes part of Aurora, offers full-day kindergarten at seven schools and half-day kindergarten classes free of charge. The district also offers the other half-day for an annual charge of $3,200, according to documents on the district’s website. The service is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
District spokesperson Abbe Smith said Superintendent Scott Siegfried is excited about Polis’ idea for funding full-day kindergarten, but he has not seen the plan yet and could not weigh in on details.
In Aurora Public Schools, full-day kindergarten is free of charge for parents and offered at all elementary and P-8 schools, said district spokesperson Corey Christiansen.
If approved, Polis’ plan would allow APS and other districts that already offer full-day kindergarten the freedom to use those state funds in other ways, while also freeing up about $100 million more statewide for local school districts to raise teachers’ salaries, Polis said.
Colorado Department of Education spokesperson Jeremy Meyer said that approximately 50,000 Colorado students are enrolled in a full-day kindergarten program, but personal funding is required for over 44,000 of those students.
Polis added that the plan also makes room for over 5,000 preschool students in local school districts, and he’s asking the legislature for an additional $13 million to place about 3,000 more children in preschool.
Finally, the plan would divert $92 million into the state’s $138 million education reserve fund to insulate education spending from cuts during economic recessions.
The plan does not make changes to the state’s formula for funding public education, which includes annual reductions to state spending in order to balance the education budget.
On healthcare reform, Polis told the Sentinel he’s asking for minor budget increases, but hoping for big outcomes. His request calls for $1.2 million for two programs. One would allow the state to import prescription drugs from Canada — which Polis says would drive down the cost for consumers.
Additionally, Polis wants to establish a reinsurance program — which the governor explains as a program that provides insurance for insurance companies.
“Currently there is a gap in the system for Coloradans who earn too much to qualify for premium subsidies through Advanced Premium Tax Credits, but still struggle to afford the high cost of premiums in the private market,” Polis wrote in his request overview.
Reinsurance programs typically work by offering payment plans for high-cost individuals, and therefore keep premiums from rising due to those who require more medical care.
The proposals are all part of the new governor’s bigger plan to help Colorado residents save money on health insurance, a major sticking point for Polis’s campaign and first State of the State address last week where he announced the Office of Saving People Money on Healthcare — the “beating heart of our efforts,” he said. The office will be headed up by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, a former state legislator and four-time cancer survivor.
“Our ultimate objective is to bring universal, high-quality, affordable care to every Colorado family. We know that won’t happen overnight, but the work we will do together in this legislative session will put us on the right path and bring us closer to our goal,” Polis said to legislators last week.
Other parts of Polis’s plan include continuing a $30 million investment pledge from former Gov. John Hickenlooper for “insulating our state from the risk of drought.”
Polis also wants to seed a small business grant program for rural communities with $2 million. Finally, Polis’s budget would add field inspectors to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and give state employees a 3 percent salary increase.
A 3 percent merit pay increase was proposed under the last administration, but this raise would be across the board.
All proposals must first be adopted by the state’s Joint Budget Committee, then the state House and Senate, and ultimately, Polis’ own office.