Colorado ranks in top 10 for employment growth

According to a report released yesterday, Colorado ranks in the top 10 for employment growth, citing innovation, the health and wellness of the workforce and a workforce that ranks as the third most highly-educated in the nation. However, our positioning for employment growth is at a critical juncture due to a defunding of higher education. State and local funding per capita for higher education in Colorado has fallen to the second lowest in the nation.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Christie Donner of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC) spoke to Fort Collins residents at the Coloradoan last night. During the presentation she mentioned the explosive growth of incarceration in our state, with costs climbing from $57 million in 1985 to over $700 million for each of the last three years. Donner noted that our balanced budget amendment dictates that the increasing costs of incarceration have been funded almost in full by a defunding of higher education.

The good news: due to evidence-based reforms within the Colorado's criminal justice system, the explosive growth of incarceration has peaked and is beginning to decline. Donner feels further savings can be realized and hopes that reduced costs for the Department of Justice will result in more funding for higher education.

For more information you can view the full report, Toward a More Competitive Colorado, online. Find out more about the CCJRC at http://www.ccjrc.org.