Hickenlooper Proposes More Cuts For Colo. Schools

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is pitching more cuts to education to balance next year’s budget but the reductions aren’t as dramatic as previous years.

Hickenlooper released his budget plan Tuesday. It cuts K-12 education by $89 million next year and public colleges by $60 million.

The governor’s office says the cuts are driven mainly by mandatory increases in Medicaid, which has seen a spike in enrollment because of the bad economy.

According to a release from the office of Governor Hickenlooper, the budget includes five key priorities: protect the vulnerable, economic development, education reform, modernizing government, and long-term budget planning.

Overall, Hickenlooper is proposing about $679 million in cuts. His plan includes delaying the reinstatement of a $98.6 million voter-approved tax break for seniors. Lawmakers have suspended it in the past to balance the budget.

That proposal is likely to spark the biggest fireworks in the Legislature next year. Republicans have said they want reinstate the tax break.