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Colorado paid $767M in Trump tariffs before SCOTUS ruling

The question now is whether businesses — or everyday Americans — will get refunds.

News

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court declared a large swath of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="President Trump&#x27;s tariffs illegal" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-illegal" data-vars-content-id="cf8904ab-5df9-477a-a8b6-4b0686605804" data-vars-headline="Colorado paid $767M in Trump tariffs before SCOTUS ruling" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-illegal" target="_self">President Trump&#x27;s tariffs illegal</a>, the question is whether businesses — or everyday Americans — will <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="get refunds" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-states-refunds" data-vars-content-id="cf8904ab-5df9-477a-a8b6-4b0686605804" data-vars-headline="Colorado paid $767M in Trump tariffs before SCOTUS ruling" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-states-refunds" target="_self">get refunds</a>.

Community leaders rally, demand unity amid increased ICE activity

Immigrant advocates, community leaders, artists and a state lawmaker urged unity against what they characterize as aggressive immigration enforcement.

Parents are afraid to take their children to school. People are skipping important cultural celebrations. Others are hesitant to go to work.State of play: Those are some of the ripple effects described Friday by community leaders, who say <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/01/27/colorado-immigration-ice-state-lawmakers" data-vars-content-id="f559426e-8e44-47e6-8327-9fe1dce57448" data-vars-headline="Community leaders rally, demand unity amid increased ICE activity" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/01/27/colorado-immigration-ice-state-lawmakers" target="_self">Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#x27;s</a> increased activity is affecting daily routines in parts of Denver&#x27;s Indigenous, Asian American, Black and Latino communities.

Environmental concerns among Westerners mount, new poll shows

From President Trump's first term to his second, Westerners have become more intensely concerned about the rollback of environmental protections.

From President Trump&#x27;s first term to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="his second" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/02/19/colorado-voters-oppose-trump-cuts-federal-public-lands-poll" data-vars-content-id="5468e355-c646-47d0-8cd9-1e88f8232d86" data-vars-headline="Environmental concerns among Westerners mount, new poll shows" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/02/19/colorado-voters-oppose-trump-cuts-federal-public-lands-poll" target="_self">his second</a>, Westerners have become more intensely concerned about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the rollback" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/18/epa-endangerment-finding-lawsuit" data-vars-content-id="5468e355-c646-47d0-8cd9-1e88f8232d86" data-vars-headline="Environmental concerns among Westerners mount, new poll shows" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/18/epa-endangerment-finding-lawsuit" target="_self">the rollback</a> of environmental protections, a new poll shows.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="numbers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/stateoftherockies/conservationinthewest/2026-poll-data/cc-national-press-release.pdf" data-vars-content-id="5468e355-c646-47d0-8cd9-1e88f8232d86" data-vars-headline="Environmental concerns among Westerners mount, new poll shows" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/stateoftherockies/conservationinthewest/2026-poll-data/cc-national-press-release.pdf" target="_blank">numbers</a> from the annual <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Conservation in the West poll" data-vars-click-url="https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/stateoftherockies/conservationinthewest/2026.html" data-vars-content-id="5468e355-c646-47d0-8cd9-1e88f8232d86" data-vars-headline="Environmental concerns among Westerners mount, new poll shows" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/stateoftherockies/conservationinthewest/2026.html" target="_blank">Conservation in the West poll</a> released Wednesday suggest conservation isn&#x27;t a niche issue — it&#x27;s political bedrock in eight Southwest and Rocky Mountain states.

Colorado group seeks new congressional maps to counter Trump-backed redistricting push

Coloradans for a Level Playing Field filed four potential ballot initiatives.

Election

A new Colorado ballot initiative set for introduction Wednesday would ask voters to temporarily suspend the state&#x27;s independent congressional redistricting system and approve new maps for the 2028 and 2030 elections, arguing the move is necessary to counter a GOP-led <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="mid-decade redistricting drive" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/redistricting-illinois-indiana-trump-jeffries" data-vars-content-id="7ba3aa77-f2dc-444a-bdc0-63fe74eb7ba5" data-vars-headline="Colorado group seeks new congressional maps to counter Trump-backed redistricting push" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/redistricting-illinois-indiana-trump-jeffries" target="_self">mid-decade redistricting drive</a>.Why it matters: Colorado voters created an independent commission in 2018 as part of an effort to curb partisan gerrymandering. Now, Democratic-aligned organizers want to manipulate the drawing of congressional districts.

Colorado education storylines to watch in 2026

The concerns start with how much money the education system will get in the state budget.

Education

What&#x27;s old is new again in 2026 for education.Why it matters: 2025 left many unresolved questions about everything from spending to religious freedom — and the answers are expected to come this year, our education reporting partners at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chalkbeat write" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/12/22/seven-colorado-education-issues-to-watch-in-2026/" data-vars-content-id="c88ec4ab-8930-4078-bc27-e00e05a760d3" data-vars-headline="Colorado education storylines to watch in 2026" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/12/22/seven-colorado-education-issues-to-watch-in-2026/" target="_blank">Chalkbeat write</a>.

Colorado's K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say

Like politics and the economy, Colorado voters are pessimistic about the state's K-12 public education system.

Like they say about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="politics" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/20/poll-colorado-voters-politics-crisis" data-vars-content-id="1cd1db32-f6a8-4160-a180-f4cedb496cb3" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/20/poll-colorado-voters-politics-crisis" target="_self">politics</a> and the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="economy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/07/15/colorado-pulse-poll-health-foundation-2025" data-vars-content-id="1cd1db32-f6a8-4160-a180-f4cedb496cb3" data-vars-headline="Colorado&#x27;s K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/07/15/colorado-pulse-poll-health-foundation-2025" target="_self">economy</a>, Colorado voters are pessimistic about the state&#x27;s K-12 public education system, a newly released poll finds.Why it matters: It&#x27;s not a good look for policymakers, particularly Gov. Jared Polis, who has made education his top priority since taking office in 2019.

How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election

The 2025 election tilted the balance of power toward the teachers union in the state.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2025 election" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/05/colorado-2025-election-results" data-vars-content-id="03f2f29c-f9a4-4cb3-9eb5-4e25e9af88d2" data-vars-headline="How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/11/05/colorado-2025-election-results" target="_self">2025 election</a> tilted the balance of power toward the teachers union in Colorado.Why it matters: The success of the union-backed candidates exemplifies how the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="blue wave" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/05/democrats-blue-wave-progressives-moderates" data-vars-content-id="03f2f29c-f9a4-4cb3-9eb5-4e25e9af88d2" data-vars-headline="How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/05/democrats-blue-wave-progressives-moderates" target="_self">blue wave</a>&quot; that swept the nation manifested in Colorado, our reporting partners at Chalkbeat <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="write" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/06/why-school-board-candidates-backed-by-the-teachers-union-won-in-denver/" data-vars-content-id="03f2f29c-f9a4-4cb3-9eb5-4e25e9af88d2" data-vars-headline="How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/06/why-school-board-candidates-backed-by-the-teachers-union-won-in-denver/" target="_blank">write</a>.

Denver school board race favors union-backed candidates

The union's preferred candidates have held control of the board for the last six years.

Denver voters stayed the course, electing a union-friendly school board that backs Superintendent Alex Marrero, unofficial election results show.Why it matters: With a majority of the board seats at stake, the election had the potential to shift the balance of power in the state&#x27;s largest school district, our education reporting partners at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chalkbeat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/04/election-results-denver-school-board-2025/" data-vars-content-id="5eba0aa9-cd39-4a96-8303-cae2d082e0a4" data-vars-headline="Denver school board race favors union-backed candidates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/11/04/election-results-denver-school-board-2025/" target="_blank">Chalkbeat</a> write.

CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program

The program is accepting applications through September.

The University of Colorado Denver is stepping into uncharted educational territory this fall, offering a program teaching people to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="administer psychedelic therapy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/12/05/providers-prepares-psychedelic-therapy-launch" data-vars-content-id="ce60ddb9-1c19-489e-907b-d30119596da0" data-vars-headline="CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2024/12/05/providers-prepares-psychedelic-therapy-launch" target="_self">administer psychedelic therapy</a>.Why it matters: It&#x27;s the first public university-affiliated program for licensure in the country in a nascent field providing an alternative to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="traditional medical practices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/16/2025-psychedelics-science-conference" data-vars-content-id="ce60ddb9-1c19-489e-907b-d30119596da0" data-vars-headline="CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/16/2025-psychedelics-science-conference" target="_self">traditional medical practices</a>.

Colorado teachers report increasing attacks by students

The alarming findings, outlined in a new state-ordered report, are focusing attention on an underreported issue in schools.

Colorado teachers are increasingly becoming the targets of violence in the classroom with half in a recent survey saying they&#x27;ve been injured by a student.Why it matters: The alarming findings, outlined in a new state-ordered report, are focusing attention on an underreported issue in schools.Driving the news: The Colorado Educator Safety Task Force issued roughly two dozen recommendations to improve conditions in classrooms, starting with de-escalation training for teachers and school response teams.<ul><li>A call for more mental and behavioral services for students is another key component, along with more support for educators and better reporting systems.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;We really have to acknowledge that educator safety is a priority,&quot; Chris Harms, the director of the Colorado Office of School Safety and a member of the task force, told our editorial partners at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chalkbeat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/07/21/aggressive-student-behavior-toward-teachers-prompts-task-force-solutions/" data-vars-content-id="ce36420c-ab96-4f61-bbed-0b5a3cf72b98" data-vars-headline="Colorado teachers report increasing attacks by students" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/07/21/aggressive-student-behavior-toward-teachers-prompts-task-force-solutions/" target="_blank">Chalkbeat</a>.<ul><li>&quot;We heard over and over again people feeling like this has become normalized,&quot; she said. &quot;That people are expected to expect getting hurt on the job. And we don&#x27;t think that is what should be.&quot;</li></ul>By the numbers: The task force&#x27;s survey of Colorado teachers found that the prevalence of student violence against teachers is higher than <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="previous estimates" data-vars-click-url="https://indd.adobe.com/view/b0e7eabe-e492-4ee1-a27d-c0c431fbc71b" data-vars-content-id="ce36420c-ab96-4f61-bbed-0b5a3cf72b98" data-vars-headline="Colorado teachers report increasing attacks by students" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://indd.adobe.com/view/b0e7eabe-e492-4ee1-a27d-c0c431fbc71b" target="_blank">previous estimates</a>.<ul><li>Three-quarters said they witnessed a student try to harm them or another adult at school.</li></ul>Zoom in: The stories from individual educators stuck with the task force members.Tricia Van Horssen, a school social worker in the Poudre School District, told Chalkbeat about being attacked after trying to diffuse an incident between students.<ul><li>She was knocked to the ground by a raging student who pulled her hair, headbutted her and kicked her in the chest. But she blames societal problems, not the student.</li></ul>&quot;If I were to say, &#x27;What does the student who assaulted me need?&#x27;&quot; Van Horssen said. &quot;What he needs, we don&#x27;t have.&quot;

How Colorado's governor is reimagining education

The legacy Gov. Jared Polis wants to leave behind is a new roadmap for how to educate the next generation.

The legacy Gov. Jared Polis wants to leave behind is a roadmap for educating the next generation.Why it matters: The term-limited Democratic governor is issuing a call to action for the nation&#x27;s governors to push a new vision that better connects education to workforce, civic and wellness outcomes.

Trump's K-12 funding hold leaves $71M in limbo for Colorado

The Department of Education's funding delay deals a major blow to local summer school and after-school programs.

Colorado is missing out on about $71 million in federal education funding that was expected on July 1 but has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="yet to be released" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/02/trump-administration-withholds-education-fund" data-vars-content-id="c7b23cc3-d22f-438b-9eb3-4563770c7cd5" data-vars-headline="Trump&#x27;s K-12 funding hold leaves $71M in limbo for Colorado" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/02/trump-administration-withholds-education-fund" target="_self">yet to be released</a> by the Trump administration.Why it matters: The Department of Education&#x27;s funding delay deals a major blow to local summer school and after-school programs, as well as English-language instruction and other resources that aim to level the playing field for schoolchildren.

Empower your employees to save for higher education

This tax-deductible 529 plan helps employees plan ahead for education costs.

Partners

As wellness programs expand, employers are turning to solutions like 529 education savings plans to help employees manage financial stress.Why it&#x27;s important: Education costs are rising fast — and employees want long-term benefits that help them plan ahead for their children&#x27;s futures.

Colorado's K-12 federal funding ranks among lowest in the U.S.

Public schools in Colorado got $235 per person.

Colorado receives among the least federal dollars per person for its K-12 public school systems, per new census data.Zoom in: Public schools in Colorado got $235 per person, significantly less than the $360 U.S. average.

Education 📚

Colorado education storylines to watch in 2026

Colorado's K-12 system needs an overhaul, voters say

How Colorado teachers unions won big in 2025 election

Denver school board race favors union-backed candidates

CU Denver opens applications for psychedelic training program