Rep. Barbara McLachlan

Current law requires a male person who is applying for enrollment or reenrollment to a state-supported institution of higher education (institution) and who is at least 17 years and 9 months of age but younger than 26 years of age (applicant) to provide the institution with a statement of registration compliance for the United States selective service system (selective service). The act removes the requirement that an applicant register for selective service to enroll in an institution but requires institutions to provide information about selective service to eligible males prior to registration. APPROVED by Governor May 16, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires the department of education (department), by January 2024, to offer free optional trainings in evidence-informed practices in mathematics, including a training specifically designed for elementary school educators and a training specifically designed for secondary school mathematics educators. Each training must include instruction on interventions for students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics, children with disabilities, and students who are English language learners. Trainings must be available to relevant staff of school districts, related administrative units, district charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative services, and community-based organizations. School district boards of education and institute charter schools are strongly encouraged to adopt procedures for schools to provide support to students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade and their families to improve mathematics outcomes. Procedures may include: Identifying students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics based on academic assessments; Notifying the parents, guardians, or legal custodians if a student is below grade level or struggling in mathematics; Providing parents, guardians, or legal custodians with a list of interventions and acceleration strategies to assist with mathematics at home, including a state-advisory list of curricula, referrals for tutoring, or other intervention opportunities, if applicable; Publishing mathematics curricula annually, including supplemental curricula or interventions; and Implementing train-the-trainer or train-the-parent framework plans to improve mathematics achievements for students. The act creates the Colorado academic accelerator grant program (grant program). The purpose of the grant program is to create community learning centers that: Provide opportunities for free academic enrichment and support, which must include tutorial services to help students meet rigorous academic standards and to increase proficiency in mathematics outcomes; and Offer families opportunities for engagement in students' education. Eligible entities that apply to the grant program are selected for a grant that runs for a period of 3 years. The department shall prioritize eligible entities that: Adopt intervention strategies; Use evidence-informed programs that build student skills in STEM and mathematics; Use digital math accelerator programs; Serve high-needs students, as determined by the department; Have an established presence and relationship in the community; and Demonstrate in the application how they will meet the needs of diverse student populations. The act requires school districts, public schools, the state charter school institute, and institute charter schools that are on an improvement plan, priority improvement plan, or a turnaround plan to identify strategies to address the needs of students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and set or revise, as appropriate, ambitious but attainable targets that the public school shall attain in reducing the number of students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics to increase the number of students who achieve grade-level expectations in mathematics. The act adjusts the ninth-grade success grant program to prioritize applicants that propose programming focused on evidence-informed mathematics skills, acceleration strategies, and intervention strategies, including a focus on students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics and have academic achievement levels in mathematics that are consistently ranked the lowest for public high schools in the state, as determined by the department. The act includes a requirement that candidates for an elementary education endorsement, a middle school mathematics endorsement, or a secondary mathematics endorsement be trained in evidence-informed practices in mathematics, including interventions to help students who are below grade level or struggling in mathematics, children with disabilities, and students who are English language learners. The act adds developmentally appropriate early numeracy to continuing professional development requirements for teachers employed by a preschool, and requires the department of early childhood to include developmentally appropriate early numeracy as a subject matter area in the resource bank of preschool curricula for use by preschool providers. The act appropriates $26,694,530 from the general fund to the department as follows: $594,530 for math educator training and improvement planning; $24,500,000 for the grant program; and $1,600,000 for the ninth-grade success grant program. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 15, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act: Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2023-24 budget year by $598.25, to account for inflation; Sets as the new statewide base per pupil funding amount $8,076.41 for the 2023-24 budget year; and Sets the target number for the 2023-24 budget year at not less than $9,101,600,922. The act repeals the budget stabilization factor, effective July 1, 2024. Current law includes a 5-year averaging provision, which determines a district's pupil count for each budget year by determining the greater of the funded pupil count for the applicable budget year or an average of one to 4 of the prior budget years. The act provides a similar averaging provision for the institute charter schools on a per-school basis. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates $30 million for distribution to large rural districts and small rural districts, including district charter schools and each institute charter school whose accounting district is a large or small rural district. Large rural districts receive 55% of the appropriation, and small rural districts receive 45% of the appropriation. The act uses the districts' funded pupil count for the 2022-23 budget year. For the 2023-24 budget year, a district's at-risk funding is the greater of the district's at-risk funding amount for the 2022-23 budget year or the 2023-24 budget year. The act amends eligibility criteria for the mill levy override match program to exclude an otherwise eligible school district from receiving a state-funded override mill match if the sum of the district's override mills is equal to or greater than the district's override mill capacity, as defined by statute. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act transfers $23,376,536 from the state education fund to the mill levy override match fund. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates $300,000 from the state education fund to the department of education (department) for the purpose of reimbursing schools for expenses related to replacing an American Indian mascot. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates $10 million from the state education fund to be distributed to preschool providers that are a school of a school district, a district charter school, or an institute charter school, subject to requirements. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates $1,058,115 from the state education fund to support universal screening to identify gifted children through second grade. The act specifies that for the purpose of any law, with certain exceptions, that applies to or exempts a public entity or a public official, a charter school has the same status as a school district, and certain persons affiliated with the charter school have the same status as a complementary counterpart in a school district. Furthermore, the act clarifies the application of certain laws to charter schools. The act permits the department, school districts, and institute charter schools to consider life-cycle costs when contracting for technology. Under current law, every 3 years, the department is required to prepare a report and evaluation on the successes or failures of charter schools, school reform efforts, and suggested changes to laws affecting charter schools. The act makes this an annual requirement starting in the 2023-24 budget year. Under current law, a new at-risk measure in the public school funding formula must be implemented in the 2023-24 budget year. The act extends the implementation of this requirement to the 2024-25 budget year and requires the department to conduct pre-implementation modeling and testing using the new at-risk measure and report modeling and testing findings to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives and the joint budget committee. The act creates a public school finance task force for the purpose of examining and making recommendations concerning school finance. The task force is required to submit a report to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives and the joint budget committee by January 31, 2024. Furthermore, the task force is required to set parameters to examine the adequacy of school finance in Colorado, and the department is required to contract with 2 independent entities to report their findings by January 3, 2025. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates $408,625 from the state education fund for administration related to the implementation of the task force. The act amends certain requirements for a charter school's application for financial assistance for public school capital construction. The act extends child nutrition school lunch protection program funding to be used to offset the costs incurred by a facility school in providing lunch to students who are placed in the facility and eligible to participate in the program. The act excludes the costs associated with providing for an independent evaluation from the 20% of the money appropriated to the Colorado imagination library program to be used by the contractor for operating costs. Starting in the 2024-25 budget year, the act creates a formula for the funding of mill levy equalization for all institute charter schools. For the 2023-24 budget year, the act appropriates: $2.5 million to the mill levy equalization fund from the general fund; $10 million to the department for state aid for charter school facilities; and $500,000 to the department for the purpose of translating individualized education program documents, contingent upon House Bill 23-1263 becoming law. Makes an appropriation made in section 25 of the act effective only if House Bill 23-1263 becomes law. APPROVED by Governor May 15, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 15, 2023 NOTE: House Bill 23-1263 became law, effective May 25, 2023. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act adopts federal regulations concerning the "Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978" as state law so that Colorado will continue to ensure that Indian children are protected in cases of guardianship and adoption. APPROVED by Governor May 4, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 4, 2023(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act requires a public school or school district to allow a qualified student to wear and display traditional Native American regalia at a school graduation ceremony and applies to pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, primary school, and secondary school graduation ceremonies. The act requires public colleges and universities to allow a qualified student to wear and display traditional Native American regalia at a college graduation ceremony. APPROVED by Governor May 4, 2023 EFFECTIVE May 4, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law requires an operator of a motorboat in the state to be at least 16 years of age but allows an individual who is at least 14 years of age and who has completed a motorboat safety course to operate a motorboat in the state. The act increases this age requirement to require all individuals under 18 years of age to take a boating safety course and to have a certificate of completion from that course in the individual's possession or in an accessible place in order to operate a motorboat. The act provides an exception to the age requirement for the operation of motorboats on bodies of water located on private property. APPROVED by Governor May 4, 2023 EFFECTIVE June 1, 2024 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Current law allows higher education faculty to take a sabbatical if the governing board of the institution where the faculty member works approves the sabbatical. The act extends sabbatical opportunities to staff of an institution of higher education who serve in a management position or similar capacity. APPROVED by Governor April 10, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act expands student eligibility for the educator preparation stipend programs by increasing students' expected family contribution from no more than 200% to no more than 250% of the maximum federal Pell-eligible expected family contribution. For the 2022-23 and 2023-24 state fiscal years, expected family contribution is temporarily expanded to no more than 300% of the maximum federal Pell-eligible expected family contribution. The act allows a student who is eligible for the student educator stipend program to be placed as a student educator in a school- or community-based setting in Colorado or within 100 miles of the Colorado state border. The act modifies the Colorado commission on higher education considerations of student eligibility for the educator preparation stipend programs specific to funds appropriated for the programs from the economic recovery and relief cash fund. The act broadens the temporary educator loan forgiveness program (forgiveness program) requirements to allow applicants to be principals or special service providers in addition to teachers. The act extends the forgiveness program through July 2023, removes requirements that a school's at-risk student population must exceed 60% in order for an educator to be eligible for the forgiveness program, and expands qualified positions to include positions in any public school, board of cooperative services, or facility school in Colorado. The act also changes how the program prioritizes applicants for the program. The act directs a portion of the appropriation for the 2022-23 state fiscal year to the department of education for a portfolio management system to facilitate the multiple measures approach to the assessment professional competencies. APPROVED by Governor April 10, 2023 EFFECTIVE April 10, 2023 (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act creates an additional exception to the general prohibition on advance payment in the state's fiscal rule by directing the controller to promulgate rules providing for advance payment for the purchase of state agricultural products by a charitable food organization using state grant money. APPROVED by Governor March 31, 2023 EFFECTIVE August 7, 2023 NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause and takes effect 90 days after sine die. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)