School-funding bills clear Colorado House

A $500 million proposal to shore up public school coffers won final approval in the Colorado House Thursday.

The two bills aim to start refilling Colorado school budgets decimated during the last recession. The measures now head to the Senate.

The funding measures are the Legislature’s response to the fact that voters last year rejected an income-tax hike to fund schools.

The package includes money earmarked for students learning English and to help school districts pay for full-day kindergarten.