State files appeal in Lobato education funding case

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers this week appealed a Denver district judge’s recent decision against the state in Lobato v. Colorado, which claims underfunding of K-12 schools violates the Colorado Constitution.

The case began in 2005 when a group of San Luis Valley residents and others sued the state, claiming that, by underfunding schools, the state was ignoring the constitutional promise of “thorough, uniform” education for all students.

Gov. John Hickenlooper and the State Board of Education favored an appeal of the December decision. While detailing the history of the Lobato case for the CU Board of Regents earlier this month, Suthers said that if the decision were upheld, state funding for higher education would be devastated. He also said the case could be under review for months or years before coming to a conclusion.

Click here to read the state’s appeal, which was filed Monday.