Colorado's education system receives a failing grade. That's according to the Education Law Center, a New Jersey-based nonprofit. The Spring 2015 "Is School Funding Fair?" report card gave the state an "F" in "effort," which indicates the level of education funding relative to the health of the state's economy. Just 2.8 percent of Colorado's Gross State Product goes to state and local education funding, according to the group. States that scored highest in this category dedicated nearly double that to education.
Colorado received a "C" grade when it comes to the distribution of resources between high-and-low poverty districts. States that scored well -- like New Jersey and Delaware -- provide about 30 percent more funding, per student, to the highest-poverty districts. The report was critical of Colorado's flat funding model, which gives all districts roughly the same amount of money.
David Sciarra is the executive director of the Education Law Center. He co-authored the report and spoke to Ryan Warner.
