by Colleen Enos
As Colorado home-educating families tighten their belts, the state relentlessly demands more of their money to fund a public school system that they are not a part of. The kicker is that Colorado also wants to keep their Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) refunds forever.
Frequently, when we are trying to solve a problem, the easiest “solution” is to throw more money at it. Then, we all feel good that we have done something and supposedly solved the problem. The issue, however, is that increased funding does not equal excellent or improved student outcomes.
The Independence Institute reports that Colorado’s per-pupil funding has risen 27% since 2021, even while student enrollment has declined. But getting more teachers into the classroom has not been the priority; teacher numbers have decreased while administrative positions have increased by 13%. If you are thinking that with all this extra spending, surely there has been improvement in student performance, you would be wrong. One of the Institute’s key findings was that “from 2021 to 2025, statewide PSAT/SAT performance (covering grades 9–11) declined in five of six reading, writing, and math categories.” So, it turns out that just throwing money at a problem does not fix it.
Conversely, home-educated student achievement continues to impress. Home-educated students consistently score 15-25 points higher on standardized achievement tests. Compare the average cost for homeschool families of $700–$1,800 per child per year to the average Colorado per-pupil cost for 2026 of $12,325, and you are left scratching your head as to why student achievement is so low if you believe that more money will fix this problem.
“Chronically Underfunded” is the phrase that President Kevin Vick from the Colorado Education Association uses when asked to describe Colorado’s schools. He also directly ties the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) to education funding to make the argument in favor of Proposition NN. This is ironic because TABOR is the only tool standing between Colorado taxpayers and the state’s complete financial irresponsibility, not to mention the fact that Amendment 23, passed in 2000, requires Colorado to increase education funding every year by the rate of inflation.
Yet, Initiative 195, in addition to Proposition NN, asks Colorado voters to increase tax rates again, exempt the additional revenue from TABOR limits, and spend the money on health care, early childhood, and education that could result in as much as $2.7 billion of additional income and spending. Jefferson County and Douglas County are also requesting additional taxes from their citizens for their schools on top of the just-mentioned state ballot requests. All these ballot questions deserve to be voted down.
Colorado homeschool families have already had enough of funding everyone else’s education while also spending their hard-earned cash on their own children’s academics. Home educating parents are doing the tough work of teaching their children; they are putting in the effort. It is time for Colorado to recognize that effort is what equals excellence, and that is why home education is producing such stellar results.
In Him,
Colleen Enos
CHEC Director of Government Relations
Colleen@CHEC.org
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