Just three years ago, Coloradans were receiving $750 TABOR refund checks in the mail because the state had a surplus of $3.6 billion. Now, legislators are being called back to the Capitol for a special session to deal with a $783 million deficit. The contrast couldn’t be starker.
The good news is that the budget deficit is essentially money going back into the pockets of hard-working Coloradans. About $460 million of it comes from individual income tax relief — with at least $290 million of that coming from 2025 tax breaks on overtime. The rest of the money is going to cut taxes for businesses — many of them small and family-owned — that create jobs and keep the cost of living lower. When you hear liberals say they have to cover a “deficit,” remember that the reality is people are getting their money back — and that’s better than the government spending it.
Keep in mind that Colorado’s budget isn’t small, and it hasn’t grown slowly. The 2025 budget was a whopping $44 billion. What’s more, the budget has grown 50% over the last five years. Cutting $783 million from a $44 billion budget means cutting less than 3%. How many families have sat around kitchen tables in Colorado, deciding how to cut 3% or more from their budget to make ends meet with our high cost of living. None of these working families got to “raise revenue” from someone else to pay their expenses. They had to get serious, trim spending and fix their budgets. Somehow, the legislature and the governor think this is too much to ask of the state government.
At Advance Colorado, we believe in an education system that puts Colorado parents and students first through a system that emphasizes:
At the heart of Colorado’s school system is school choice, in which our state has been a national trailblazer for decades. – a system that has enjoyed deep, bipartisan support.
We craft cutting edge policies that empower parents, taxpayers, and teachers and push back on the status quo interests that resist reform.
Our 2024 Policy Agenda includes several important education reform priorities. Read it HERE
This year, we are leading the charge to protect the school choice rights we currently have – rights that are annually under siege from the education establishment groups that want to eliminate your right to choose the best school for your children. We can secure our rights into the future through a school choice amendment to the Colorado Constitution.
Read our policy brief on this important issue HERE.
We help citizens become advocates and leaders.
Whether you are a concerned parent, grandparent or taxpayer, Advance Colorado can equip you with the knowledge and tools to be an effective advocate for high quality, accountable schools. Learn more about our ambassador program.
And if you are interested in running to become a member of your local school board, you can apply to participate in the Advance Colorado Academy New Leader program. LINK If you are a current school board member, you can enroll in our “You’ve Won, Now What?” program. Learn more about our “You’ve Won, Now What?” program.
We’re grateful for your continued support and have big plans for 2026. Help spread the word and stay engaged as we work to return Colorado to the special place we know it to be and love.
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