Face The State Staff Report
BenefieldColo. Channel
A bipartisan state legislative coalition killed an amendment late Tuesday to this year's School Finance Act that would have taken millions away from the state's charter schools.
The amendment, proposed during House debate by Rep. Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada, would have cut funding for at-risk students by approximately $4.5 million.
Benefield justified her amendment, telling the House she ran it "because I can," with her backers saying the amendment addressed concerns that the state's current funding formula does not properly define "at-risk." Benefield maintains that the current formula awards schools money disproportionate to the actual number of at-risk students they serve.
But Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee, disagreed, and highlighted the names of individual schools and how much money they would lose if Benefield's amendment were to pass. He cited 31 schools that would gain funding under the amendment, and 110 schools that would get less. "While some schools will receive more money, the vast majority will receive less," he said.
“I knew the vote would be close, but I think that showing those losses really made a difference,” Witwer said.