Two Colo. Lawmakers Offer Tax-Reform Plan To Revamp School Aid

With barely four weeks left in their 1997 legislative session, two Colorado lawmakers have unveiled a tax-reform measure that would overhaul school finance in the state.

Their bill--introduced early this month--would shift the state funding foundation for public schools from a heavy reliance on property taxes by first making major increases in corporate income taxes and sales taxes and then drawing school funding from those sources.

Some observers were surprised that the sponsors would introduce such ambitious legislation at a time when the legislature is usually scrambling to finish work on bills introduced...