Co. Supreme Court Overturns Labato School Funding Lawsuit

The Colorado Supreme Court sided with the state, and overturned a decision that would have given schools more funding.

In the Labato vs. Colorado lawsuit, the plaintiffs were parents and school districts from the San Luis Valley, but the decision affects schools all over the state.

The plaintiffs argued the state was not spending enough money on Colorado students, and that it was unconstitutional.

School District 11 is one of the hundreds of districts that is being affected by the the state Supreme Court’s decision. D-11 is deferring many projects, including building maintenance and salary increases to deal with the lack of funding.

“People keep expecting more and more and more of us with less and less funding,” said Glenn Gustafson, the CFO for D-11.

Colorado spends $2,000 less than the national average on each student. Months ago, Taylor Labato, the woman who filed the lawsuit, thought she won when a Denver judge sided with the plaintiffs.

“This education system– equal and adequate– it’s been guaranteed to us by the Constitution, and it has been here for a long time, and the students of Colorado haven’t been getting that,” said Labato in December of last year.

D-11 said it has been operating on only 84 percent of its normal budget since the recession started. That is true of all school districts in the state of Colorado. Locally, education leaders said this decision by the Supreme Court only adds insult to injury.

“We are in desperate need of resources, or the system will continue to decay,” said Gustafson.

The latest problem is a November ballot item that would give schools statewide more funding. D-11 said it fears the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision will make voters think they don’t need the money.

Gov. John Hickenlooper said Tuesday that the highest court in the state has spoken, but that he knows the state education system is underfunded, and he wants to continue to work on school finance and education reform.