In his editorial yesterday, Bill Hudson mentioned my presentation at the March 16 board meeting for Pagosa Peak Open School, and I’d like to add the following explanation.
What I presented at the board meeting was an historical representation of the change in per-pupil funding from the state of Colorado to Archuleta School District over two periods of time: the past 14 years, and the past 7 years.
A review of this data produces an average annual increase of 3.91% over the last 7 years. Over the last 14 years, the average annual increase has been 2.23%.
This history would indicate that for the 2020-2021 school year — if the state follows their seven-year average — the Per Pupil Revenue (PPR) would be $8885.
Current PPR funding for K-12 schools in Archuleta County is $8,529 per student.
If the state of Colorado follows their 14-year history, the PPR funding for 2020–2021 would be $8722.
Mark Weiler
Pagosa Springs, CO