Colorado General Assembly
One bill revives part of a proposal vetoed last year. The other is in response to the Evergreen High School shooting.
Colorado lawmakers want to help prospective teachers who have run into legal trouble. A bill under consideration would only require licensure applicants to disclose misdemeanors that happened within the last seven years.
Students Demand Action’s Colorado chapter rallied at the Capitol to support legislation that would make it harder to create illegal guns. The group ramped up its presence at the Capitol after the 2023 East High School shooting.
The Trump administration cut grant funding for Minority-Serving Institutions nationwide. Colorado lawmakers want to help many of those schools attract more students by creating a new designation.
Colorado passed a seal of biliteracy endorsement in 2017. Sponsors of a new bill that gained approval in the House Education Committee would create a new endorsement so students can prove their bilingualism.
Democratic backers of the proposal, which the Senate needs to approve on a final reading, say it would help ease the process for educators seeking extreme-risk protection orders.
Although a group of lawmakers say they’re committed to keeping funding promises, district officials worry that the state’s $850 million budget shortfall will force a shift.
Colorado Democratic lawmakers hope to file two bills this year that increase the state’s ability to monitor and enforce civil rights and disability accommodations violations.
The Colorado Succeeds proposal would fully separate Pinnacol Assurance from the state, with $150 million going into a trust to help residents gain job skills.
They plan to file legislation that would allow the state to ask voters to essentially exempt $4.5 billion in current education funding from TABOR to allow the state to keep more money for schools and other priorities.
He focused on his wins, including full-day kindergarten and the implementation of universal preschool.
What’s the makeup of education committees? Where can I find bills? Here’s the information you need to keep track of education issues during the 2026 legislative session.
Five state lawmakers joined Chalkbeat Colorado for our 2026 Legislative Preview to discuss education topics likely to surface during the session. Here’s what they said.
The virtual event will focus on key education topics expected to surface during the legislative session. This year, we are joined by five lawmakers on the House and Senate education committees.
Colorado education issues to watch in 2026 include budgetary constraints, declining enrollment, and the fate of Colorado’s first “public Christian school.”
A new report from the governor says the state should create a new Department of Education and Workforce Development, which would merge the functions of 7 current agencies.
State lawmakers approved an initiative this year that aims to help students connect their education to the workforce.
Lawmakers cut to a Colorado FAFSA coordinator means school counselors won’t get data they can use to help students struggling to fill out the form.
After proposing changes to the state’s K-12 funding formula last year, Gov. Jared Polis’ budget proposal plans to fulfill changes made during this year’s session.
Colorado lawmakers called a special session to address the 2026 federal budget, including a cut to spending on food benefits.