DENVER (KDVR) — On Nov. 1, Gov. Jared Polis released the administration’s Fiscal Year budget proposal for 2025-2026.
“We’ve made real progress on what matters most to Coloradans over the last five years, and this budget is about protecting those investments while ensuring that we are putting fiscal responsibility front and center, driving greater government efficiency, and continuing delivering for Coloradans. This budget reflects tighter budget conditions due to rapidly declining inflation, and I’m proud of the values and priorities represented here,” said Polis.
The budget centers around the protection of funding for education, investments in public safety and a priority on maintaining financial reserves for future issues the state may face.
Since taking office in 2019, the Polis and Primavera administration has invested in:
- Free full-day kindergarten and universal preschool
- Cutting health care costs
- The Colorado Option
- Prescription Drug Affordability Board
- Capping insulin costs
- Cutting income and property taxes
- Renewable energy
The new budget proposal for the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year would focus on:
Public safety
- Supporting Colorado dispatch systems
- Safer Streets program
- Programs to support at-risk youth
- Firearm and motor vehicle theft
- Rehabilitation and restoration programs
Education
- Preserve a significant balance in the State Education Fund
- Move Colorado to the best practice of a current-year enrollment funding method
- Fund special education, transportation, English language proficiency and career and technical education
- Support young students with reading deficiencies
- Fund support programs such as speech therapy for young children and learning opportunities for students at turnaround and priority improvement schools
- Fund a placeholder for Universal Preschool
Fiscal responsibility
- Maintain a 15% reserve level for the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year
- Protect funding for critical investments in education, public safety and healthcare
Aside from these priorities, the budget will also be used for critical investments in other areas which can be found in the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget Request.
The budget requests a total of $46.1 billion which includes a $17.8 billion General Fund
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