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WEEK OF JUNE 12, 2025
VOLUME 159 | ISSUE 24
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Schools consider WALKING THE LINE financial literacy Golden Mill hosts Johnny Cash-themed fundraiser P10 curriculum New law asks what teens must learn about handling money BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
Forget balancing a checkbook. Today’s teens need to know how to avoid identity theft, decode a credit score and figure out if that “buy now, pay later” plan is actually worth it. With a new state law requiring all Colorado high school students to complete a course in financial literacy beginning with students in the 9th grade on or after Sept. 1, 2026, educators now face a practical challenge: how do you design a course that prepares 21st-century teens to make smart financial choices in a world of skyrocketing rents, digital wallets, student loans and TikTok stock tips? The law, House Bill 25-1192, mandates a semester-long course in personal financial literacy for every public school student, beginning with the class of 2028. But it leaves the details up to local school districts, many of which are still figuring out what today’s students need most: the basics of budgeting and saving, yes, but also how to navigate the gig economy, manage online spending and protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated financial scams. What the law requires, and what it doesn’t
While the law sets a content requirement, it allows schools to integrate the financial literacy standards into an existing course rather than create a new standalone class. But, students must understand and practice filling out the federal or state financial aid form (FAFSA or CAFSA), unless they and their parents opt out. Colorado has one of the lowest FAFSA completion rates in the country, according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education. This means Colorado students are missing out on significant amounts of federally available grant money.
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Jeffco schools consider deep cuts in 2025-26 budget District may turn to voters for help but $39 million in cuts could be inevitable BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SUZIE@COTLN.ORG
Faced with a looming $60 million structural deficit, the Jefferson County school board reviewed the district’s proposed 2025-26 budget on June 4 and began a sobering discussion about what comes next. In the upcoming school year, Jeffco is projected to spend more money than it brings in, relying on savings to bridge the gap. The proposed budget relies on $39 million in one-time spending from the district’s fund balance, and Chief Financial Officer Brenna Copeland warned that without significant changes, reserves could dip to unmanageable levels by the
2027-28 school year. The district has already shuttered 21 schools since 2021, resulting in $20 million in recurring cost savings. Yet, Copeland said the overall budget continues to grow due to inflation, compensation increases and special education needs. “This is not a proposal. This is a hypothetical illustration,” Copeland said as she walked board members through a series of bleak multi-year forecasts. “If we just keep doing what we’re doing, we do not right the ship.”
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COMMUNITY NEWS: 7 | VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14
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Accountability and long-term planning
The district is statutorily required to adopt a high-level plan to address ongoing shortfalls when using reserves to fund recurring costs. This year’s budget plan, presented in May and reiterated at the June 4 meeting, outlines a phased approach: reduce expenditures through program changes and staffing cuts, avoid future cost increases where possible and consider asking vot-
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ers for additional funding through a mill levy override. The new forecasts assume modest revenue increases and enrollment declines over the next three years. The district anticipates losing 800 students in both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. At the same time, it projects rising costs for salaries, benefits, utilities and mandated services, such as special education. Copeland said the forecasts already include staff reductions aligned to enrollment loss. “We are recognizing that when we lose 800 students, we do staff for fewer positions,” she said. “I get frustrated when people suggest that we’re not including reductions. We are.” Still, the projected gap persists. By 202728, Jeffco’s unassigned reserves and its designated fund balance for future use are expected to fall to zero, leaving no cushion for emergencies or midyear adjustments. SEE BUDGET CUTS, P4
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