Education was on the block Thursday as Colorado lawmakers continued the painful task of cutting billions from the 2020-21 state budget.

Among the programs that got the budget ax on Thursday:

• School bullying prevention
• Computer science grants for teachers,
• Grants that allow low-income students to take Advanced Placement exams
• Incentives “for school districts and charter schools to encourage students to participate in qualified career development programs”

UCCS, PPCC brace for estimated budget shortfalls, reduced state funding from fallout of coronavirus

The Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee also axed funding for six programs authorized by 2019 legislation:

• Reduce behavioral health professionals
• Eliminate ninth-grade success programs
• Reduce workforce diploma pilot
• Eliminate local accountability grants
• Reduce school leadership pilot
• Delay Buckner Automatic Enrollment

The last on the list is named for the late state Rep. John Buckner, who died in 2015 while in office. His wife, Janet, succeeded him in the seat and in 2019 was one of the sponsors of SB 59, which automatically enrolls ninth-grade students in advanced course subjects in which they show proficiency.

The committee decided not to eliminate the program but to cancel its funding for 2020-21, saving $250,000 that will go into the School Finance Act.

With the state’s economy decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers are being forced to cut $2 billion to $3 billlion from the next fiscal year’s budget. Committee members are hopeful that some cuts can be backfilled by CARES Act funding.

Colorado is in line for $121 million to address COVID-19 activities, including purchasing educational technology for online learning, mental health services and cleaning supplies. But it also includes funding for other activities necessary to maintain the continuity of operations. That could leave the door open to replenishing some programs that are tied to COVID-19 services.

That might include the more than $3 million cut from public, school and academic libraries to purchase educational resources they can’t otherwise afford.

According to JBC staff director Carolyn Kampman, the state has received $1.673 billion from the CARES Act, deposited in a separate account with the state treasurer. And the other good news is that a May 4 federal memo appears to provide states with a little more flexibility on how they spend CARES Act money.

The most painful discussions focused on 10% or 20% across-the-board cuts.

For education, the programs that could face cuts include full-day kindergarten (an additional cost of $220 million in 2020-21), preschool ($124 million) and the Accelerating College through Concurrent Enrollment, or ASCENT, program ($3.89 million).

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The last task of the day was to look at the higher education budget, which has been a traditional go-to for big budget cuts during past recessions.

The first to go: the 7% increase in general fund spending for the state colleges and universities, which saved $73 million. Also cut: $5 million in merit-based aid for students.

The JBC cut scholarship funds, teacher development and educator loan forgiveness grants. They cut funding for an opioid awareness campaign but left alone, for now, a $1 million appropriation to Colorado State University for a wildfire mitigation grant fund. The $1 million in funding to paint the state Capitol dome is likely gone, under a bill the JBC will consider that would allow History Colorado to use those funds for other purposes.

The JBC also decided to begin steps to eliminate the Colorado Kickstarter program, which sets up savings accounts of $100 for every baby born in Colorado beginning Feb. 18.

The committee also stuck to an earlier decision to allow colleges and universities to increase tuition by 3%, although JBC staff analyst Amanda Bickel said the community college system is seeking a bigger hike, perhaps as high as 5.6%.

By the end of the day, the JBC had cut more than $105 million from higher ed.