The bill requires the Colorado department of education and the Colorado department of higher education to create the framework for a grow your own educator program that includes the following provisions: Enrollment in a grow your own educator program at a participating institution of higher education; Employment with a school district or a district or institute charter school (charter school) under a teacher of record license during the student's final year of the grow your own educator program; Payment of tuition by the school district or charter school for up to the student's last 36 credit hours of the grow your own educator program; In exchange for payment of tuition, the student's commitment to work in the same school district or charter school for 3 years after completion of the grow your own educator program; and A state grant to the employing school district or charter school to pay a portion of up to the final 36 credit hours of the student's in-state tuition at the institution of higher education, limited to 50 new students annually, with a limit on the number of grants distributed to each school district and to institute charter schools. Institutions of higher education and participating school districts or charter schools are required to enter into an agreement that includes provisions set forth in the bill. Further, school districts or charter schools and teachers of record employed by the school district or charter school are required to enter into an agreement that includes provisions set forth in the bill. The bill prioritizes the award of grants to participating school districts or charter schools first for graduates of Colorado high schools who commit to teaching in a community that is experiencing a teacher shortage in a grade level or content area and second to students who commit to teach in a rural school with a teacher shortage in a grade level or content area. The department of education shall report to the education committees of the general assembly in any year in which a grant is awarded concerning information on students and school districts or charter schools participating in the program. The bill establishes a teacher of record license for a student who has completed all or substantially all of the course work requirements for a baccalaureate degree, but has not completed teacher field work requirements. A student who holds a teacher of record license may be employed by a school district or charter school through the grow your own educator program or through a teacher of record program established in the bill. The student must work for a school district or charter school that has identified a critical teacher shortage and has a vacant position for which no other qualified applicant has applied. A teacher of record license is valid for 2 years. The bill creates a second program that authorizes local education providers, as defined in the bill, to implement a one- or 2-year teacher of record program. As part of a teacher of record program, a local education provider, as defined in the bill, may employ a person holding a teacher of record license in a vacant position if there are no other qualified, licensed applicants to fill the position. The department of education shall report annually to the education committees of the general assembly concerning information relating to teacher of record programs. The bill amends the special services intern authorization to allow the authorization to be renewed for a second academic year if the intern is employed by a school district or board of cooperative services and the intern has not completed a program of preparation for a special services provider due to unforeseen circumstances or hardship. The bill amends the school counselor corps grant program to define 'school counselor' to include a person who holds a special services intern authorization. The bill amends the behavioral heath care professional matching grant program to include state-certified professionals qualified to provide services to children and adolescents. The bill creates the partnership for rural education (partnership) at the Denver campus of the university of Colorado to collaborate with other institutions of higher education to bring customized solutions to local education providers experiencing teacher shortages. The partnership shall prepare and submit an annual report to the department of education, the department of higher education, and to the general assembly concerning data collected and strategies identified by the partnership to address teacher shortages in the state. The bill make appropriations to implement the bill. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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Section 1 of the bill creates the donate to a Colorado nonprofit fund (fund) in the state treasury. A voluntary contribution designation line for the fund will appear on the state individual income tax return form in the first income tax year: In which the department of revenue (department) has received sufficient funding to implement the program; That begins on or after January 1, 2019; and That begins after a space becomes available and the fund is next in the queue. If the space for the fund becomes available before all three conditions are met, the bill requires the department to hold the space for the fund until all three conditions are met, and to include the line thereafter. The line will allow a taxpayer receiving a refund to designate a contribution to an eligible charitable organization (eligible organization) of their choice. The bill requires the secretary of state to provide a list of eligible organizations. To be eligible, an organization must be registered and in good standing with the secretary under the 'Colorado Charitable Solicitations Act' and be a nonprofit that is tax exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the internal revenue code. A charity may request to exclude itself from the list. The department will make the list of eligible organizations available to the public and a taxpayer may choose a single charity from the list to receive the contribution through the fund. Once the fund is placed on the form, the department is directed to determine annually the total amount designated to the fund, and the total amounts designated to each eligible organization, and to report those amounts to the state treasurer and the general assembly. The state treasurer is required to credit the total amount to the fund. The bill requires the general assembly to appropriate from the fund to the department, the secretary of state, and the state treasurer their actual, reasonable costs for implementing the fund. After the appropriations for the administration of the fund are deducted, the state treasurer is required to distribute the contributions to the charities as designated by taxpayers after a reduction proportionate to the amount deducted from the fund for administration. The department is not liable to a taxpayer or charity for an error in distributing a contribution. The fund is repealed if the department does not raise sufficient funding to implement the program through gifts, grants, and donations by September 30, 2020. Section 2 excludes the fund from the time limitations and minimum contribution requirements imposed on voluntary contribution funds. It also adds a limitation that a taxpayer cannot contribute to any voluntary contribution fund or combination of voluntary contribution funds in an amount that exceeds the amount of the taxpayer's refund.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
SECTION 1. The bill increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2018-19 budget year by $222.57 to account for inflation, for a new statewide base per pupil funding of $6,768.77. SECTION 2. The bill sets the minimum district total program funding for the 2018-19 budget year. The district total program funding reflects a $150 million reduction in the budget stabilization factor over the prior budget year. SECTION 3. For the 2018-19 budget year, the bill distributes $30 million on a per-pupil basis 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 share 55% of the appropriation, and small rural districts share 45% of the appropriation. The bill uses a district's funded pupil count for the 2017-18 budget year. The bill specifies the intended uses of the money. SECTION 4. The bill increases by 1,000 slots the number of early childhood at-risk enhancement, or ECARE, slots that may be used for preschool students or to extend kindergarten to full-day kindergarten. SECTION 5. Under current law, money appropriated for the 'English Language Proficiency Act' (act) is allocated 75% to serve students who have no or limited English language proficiency and 25% to serve students who are newly fluent in English but who need monitoring. The bill changes the funding allocation for the act by allocating funding proportionately, based on the number of students who have no or limited English proficiency and the number of students who are newly fluent but who need monitoring. SECTION 6. The bill amends the requirements relating to core course level participation and performance reports by limiting reporting on core courses to only the middle and high school levels and by delaying the date by which the department shall make the report available on its website. SECTION 7. The bill amends the reporting requirement relating to the annual report on the effectiveness of educator preparation programs to require the inclusion of certain data in the report only if the data is available at the time of the annual report. SECTION 8. The bill clarifies that a district certifies the number of English language learners and the department of education determines a student's eligibility for funding under the act.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill states that the general assembly intends that the department of corrections (department) shall close excess facilities, as prioritized by a 2013 prison utilization study, when prison population projections indicate excess capacity within correctional facilities. The bill states that on or before June 30, 2019, and thereafter, the department shall operate the Centennial south campus of the Centennial correctional facility to: Administer a diagnostic program; Administer a reentry program; Provide support and other services to the department; and Use the remaining capacity of the campus to house inmates, as appropriate. Current law prohibits the department from operating the Centennial south campus for the purpose of housing inmates in housing units. The bill removes this prohibition and appropriates money to make physical modifications at the Centennial south campus to comply with legal requirements for housing inmates. The bill renames the facility formerly referred to as the 'Denver reception and diagnostic center' as the 'Denver correctional facility' and requires the Denver correctional facility to administer a residential treatment program that provides mental health treatment services to inmates. The department shall also utilize the Denver correctional facility to house inmates with physical, cognitive, and medical conditions that require long-term treatment. The bill states that on and after July 1, 2019, subject to available appropriations, the Centennial north campus shall serve as a transportation unit for the department and as a support facility for the Centennial correctional facility. The bill requires the department to include certain information in its annual 'State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act' report to the committees of reference through 2023. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Under existing law, the 'Public School Finance Act of 1994' funds kindergarten students as half-day pupils plus the supplemental kindergarten enrollment, which is an additional .08 of a full-day pupil. The bill increases the supplemental kindergarten enrollment for the 2018-19 budget year and each budget year thereafter to .16 of a full-day pupil. The bill specifies the intent of the general assembly to continue increasing the supplemental kindergarten enrollment each budget year until students enrolled in kindergarten are funded as full-day pupils in the 2023-24 budget year.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Section 1 adds a nonstatutory short title. Section 2 of the bill makes legislative findings. Section 3 adds 'preference point' to the documents listed under the definition of 'license'. Sections 4 and 12 add 'sponsorships', 'contributions', and 'donations' to the list of money transfers that the parks and wildlife commission (commission) is authorized to receive and expend. Sections 5 and 9 change the name of the wildlife management public education advisory council to the wildlife council. Section 6 raises the amount of residential and nonresidential license fees, stamp fees, and surcharges for certain hunting and fishing activities. Section 6 also: Authorizes the commission to apply a consumer price index adjustment to hunting and fishing fees; establishes an annual residential youth fishing fee; and, together with section 7 , moves a reference to the state migratory waterfowl stamp fee amount. Section 7 also allows the division of parks and wildlife (division) to grant up to 25% of the money derived from sales of the state migratory waterfowl stamp to nonprofit organizations implementing the North American waterfowl management plan. Section 8 authorizes the commission to establish by rule a special licensing program for young adult hunters and anglers. Section 10 requires the division to prepare reports on increased licensing fees and to present the reports to the agricultural committees in the house of representatives and the senate. Section 11 removes the restriction on the commission's ability to raise or lower park fees and charges only if the commission reasonably anticipates that the annual revenues from the fees and charges will not increase by more than 20% above the annual amount earned from fees and charges as they existed on July 1, 2011. Section 11 also establishes a maximum fee increase that the commission may impose by rule for park passes in any one year as a one-dollar increase for a daily park pass and a $10 increase for an annual park pass. Section 13 removes the $200,000 limitation on the amount that may be held in the stores revolving fund, which fund is maintained for acquiring stock for warehousing and distributing supplies for retail sales to visitors, and requires that the fund be continuously appropriated. Section 14 removes the $5 cap on the fee that the division may charge a person to replace a lost or destroyed pass or registration. The fee may be set by the commission by rule in an amount up to 50% of the cost of the original pass or registration. Section 15 removes a requirement that an aspen leaf annual park pass be affixed to the vehicle for which the pass was issued. Section 16 directs the commission to determine, by rule, how the columbine annual park pass will be displayed to enter a state park or recreation area. Section 17 authorizes the commission to establish fees by rule for daily and annual passes for individuals entering state parks or state recreation areas by means other than by motor vehicle.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill extends the advanced placement incentives pilot program (pilot program) for 3 years to 2021. The bill requires the department of education to report the number of students in the pilot program who enrolled in advanced placement courses during the prior school year and to collect disaggregated data from the advanced placement exam vendor to capture the performance of students who are participating in the pilot program on the end-of-course advanced placement exams. The bill requires the department of education to report to certain committees of the general assembly the information specified in the bill, including data relating to the number and amount of financial incentives distributed to each participating school district. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill authorizes a school district, board of cooperative services, or charter school (local education provider) or group of local education providers to create local, student-centered pilot accountability systems (pilot accountability system) for measuring the performance of the public school systems operated by the participating local education providers. A pilot accountability system must be designed to assess student learning, professional culture, and resource allocation within a participating local education provider. The bill describes the minimum requirements for a pilot accountability system proposal, including the manner in which the participating local education providers will determine whether the pilot accountability system is successful. A local education provider that participates in a pilot accountability system must continue to comply with the accountability and accreditation statutes. A local education provider or group of local education providers may receive a grant to operate the pilot accountability system by submitting the proposal to the department of education (department), agreeing to allow the department to monitor implementation of the pilot accountability system, and agreeing to submit to the department its evaluations of the success of the pilot accountability system. Subject to available appropriations, the participating local education provider or group of local education providers will receive an annual grant so long as they comply with the monitoring and reporting requirements. For each year in which the department distributes a grant, the department must prepare a report of the implementation of the pilot accountability systems; submit it to the governor, the state board of education, and the education committees of the general assembly; and post it on the department website. The authorization for the pilot accountability system grants repeals in 5 years. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill creates the school leadership pilot program (program) to provide professional development for public elementary, middle, and high school principals. During the 2018-19 budget year, the department of education (department) is directed to design and implement the program or contract with a nonprofit entity to design and implement the program. The program must include identification of high-quality school principals who will interact with the school principals selected to receive professional development through the program. The program must also include professional development in distributive and collaborative leadership skills with the goal of improving educator retention, school climate and culture, and student outcomes. School principals may apply to receive professional development through the program during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 budget years. The department or the contracted entity must review the applications and recommend participants to the state board of education (state board), who shall select the participants. Subject to available appropriations, the state board must provide grants to the employing entities of the school principals who participate in the program either as high-quality school principals or to receive professional development. The grants are paid from money appropriated to the school leadership pilot program fund created in the bill. By March 15, 2019, the department must report to the education committees of the general assembly concerning the design of the program. By January 15, 2021, the department must report to the education committees concerning implementation of the program, including recommendations for whether the program should be continued. The program is repealed, effective July 1, 2021. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill enacts the 'Patient Drug Costs Savings Act' (act). The act prohibits a carrier that has a contract with a pharmacy or pharmacist, or a pharmacy benefit management firm acting on behalf of a carrier, from: Prohibiting a pharmacy or pharmacist from, or penalizing a pharmacy or pharmacist for, providing a covered person information on the amount of the covered person's cost share for the covered person's prescription drug and the clinical efficacy of any more affordable alternative drugs that are therapeutically equivalent; or Requiring a pharmacy to charge or collect a copayment from a covered person that exceeds the total submitted charges by the network pharmacy. The act requires the commissioner of insurance to act when the commissioner determines that a carrier or pharmacy benefit management firm has not complied with the above prohibitions. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More