COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Colorado Springs teachers and school officials are criticizing Gov. John Hickenlooper's $375 million proposal to cut school funding.
The Colorado Education Association said the slash could mean 5,500 teachers statewide could lose their jobs, if the districts make their cuts through layoffs.
This is the fourth year in a row local schools have had to prioritize their programs. District 11 officials in Colorado Springs said they stand to lose $15 million .
"You now we only get [students] for 13 years, and this group will suffer compared to other generations of children that had far more robust programs," District 11 Chief Financial Officer Glenn Gustafson said.
District 11 is looking at increasing their classroom sizes because 85 percent of their budget is in the school. The school district has already removed summer school programs, transportation for next year and closed nine schools in their district.
Falcon District 49 is in a similar financial bind. With the proposed cuts they stand to lose $7 million. They're looking at cutting staff and making salary reductions because 80 percent of their budget is made up of staff.
"It impacts my whole family, these cuts, there's nothing easy about them. We have great people and anytime you have to look at cuts that pertain to employees it creates a difficult situation," Andy Holloman, District 49 boardmember/parent, said.
If the cuts go through, Colorado schools will have until June 30 to make their program changes. Hickenlooper said he had no choice but to look at cutting education because it's 40 percent of the budget.
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Reporter: Sade Malloy
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