PUEBLO COUNTY — Pueblo County School District 70 (D70) is facing a more than $2 million budget deficit. The district tells News5 they're considering several options to make up the difference.
Those options include the following:
- decreasing or eliminating district programs
- not filling open positions
- school consolidations or closures
D70 says no final decisions have been made, and the community will be given an opportunity to weigh-in before that happens.
D70 released the following statement regarding the budget deficit:
"Pueblo County School District 70 has long been one of the lowest-funded districts in Colorado. The proposed changes to the state funding formula from the Governor’s office have forced the district to explore all options to reduce expenditures due to declining state revenues and student enrollment projections.
The core challenge remains how District 70 is funded at the state level. While many of our schools are physically located in rural areas, the district as a whole does not receive rural funding. Additionally, the Governor’s plan removes averaging from the formula, which disproportionately impacts districts with declining enrollment—affecting 80% of the state’s 178 K-12 school districts. The new funding formula will further reduce our revenues, magnifying budget challenges.
Had the MLO passed, we would have retained 100% of those local funds in Pueblo, avoided depleting reserves to match the BEST grant, and remained financially stable despite the projected $2.5 million revenue loss tied to the new funding formula and declining enrollment.
No decisions have been made. All preliminary cost-saving measures are being evaluated to identify potential solutions for addressing critical budget challenges and ongoing life-safety needs across the district."
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