Reporting by James Bartolo, Pueblo Chieftain
Southern Colorado educators, students, and community members gathered in front of Pueblo County High School on July 29 to show support for a November 2026 initiative to restructure education funding in Colorado.
Proposition NN would raise a 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights cap that limits spending for K-12 education. It would do so without raising taxes or changing tax brackets. About $4.6 billion in surplus funds would be retained for K-12 education if Proposition NN were to pass, according to Ballotpedia.
Proponents of the proposition include Colorado Education Association President Kevin Vick, who was among the individuals speaking in front of Pueblo County High School on Wednesday morning.
“Prop NN requires that funding be used to increase teacher pay and retention, reduce class sizes and improve access to Career and Technical Education — so that our students are graduating with real-world skills,” Vick said.
Why is Proposition NN necessary?
A December 2024 study conducted by the American Institutes for Research identified a $4,600 per student gap between existing funding in Colorado and the funding “needed to provide students with an adequate education.”
Additionally, a 2022 report from the Economic Policy Institute ranked Colorado 50th in teacher wage competitiveness.
“Colorado students deserve the same opportunity to succeed no matter where they grow up, but for decades school districts here — especially in Southern Colorado — have been asked to do more with less,” said Kate Guasta Pacheck, president of the Pueblo County Education Association.
Pueblo School District 60 Early Childhood Educator Anna Valencia spoke about Colorado’s cost of living in relation to teacher pay during the press conference. CNBC’s 2025 Top States for Business study ranks Colorado as the 47th most affordable state.
“Too many teachers and support professionals are being forced to make impossible choices between paying rent, buying groceries, filling a prescription, or putting gas in the car to get them to and from work,” Valencia said.
Huerfano RE-1 School District Board President Edie Flanagin, Walsenburg Teacher Camilla Romero, Pueblo D70 Counselor Katie Brown and Pueblo West High School student Jim Pacheck also spoke at Wednesday’s press conference.
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news; subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain.
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