Denver (AP) The governor's plan to generate $84 million more a year in tax dollars for schools appears to be running into trouble at the state capitol.
Senator Abel Tapia of Pueblo, the chairman of the Joint Budget Committee, doesn't think the bill will go anywhere this year -- even though he supports it.
Ritter has proposed blocking a projected drop in property tax rates in all but three of the state's 178 school districts to finance kindergarten and preschool and shore up the state education fund.
The fund is expected to run out of money by 2012, which would force the state to cut out other programs because a voter-approved law requires education funding to increase every year.
But some lawmakers worry the plan could violate TABOR – the constitutional amendment that requires voter approval of tax increases.
The governor's office has released a new legal opinion saying the proposal does not violate TABOR.
