The bill creates the teacher residency expansion program (program) in the department of education (department). The goal of the program is to identify and communicate to school districts, charter schools, and boards of cooperative services that operate public schools (local education providers) the best practices, effective strategies, and critical components of effective teacher residency programs and thereby facilitate expansion of the effective teacher residency programs across the state. To implement the program, the department will contract with an institution of higher education (institution) and an alternative teacher program (alternative program), each of which is currently operating an effective teacher residency program with a local education provider. The institution and alternative program will expand their respective teacher residency programs with other local education providers as pilot programs that must include specified components. The institution and alternative program will share the specified components with the department, which will share them with other local education providers, institutions, and alternative programs that are not participating in the pilot programs. After the pilot programs have operated for a year, and annually thereafter, the department will evaluate the success of the pilot programs based on specified criteria. The department will submit a report concerning the evaluation to the state board of education, the Colorado commission on higher education, the executive director of the department of higher education, the governor's office, and the education committees of the general assembly. The department will also post the report on its website. The department will distribute to the institution and alternative program that contract with the department an amount to offset a portion of the costs of implementing the pilot program. The institution and alternative program must agree to provide matching funds equal to 100% of the amount distributed to the institution and alternative program by the department. The program is repealed in 5 years. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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For purposes of determining the level of attainment of each public high school, each school district, the state charter school institute, and the state as a whole on the postsecondary and workforce readiness performance indicator for accreditation, the bill adds enlistment in the military within a year of graduation as a measure of performance. The department of education shall weight military enlistment equally with enrollment in postsecondary institutions for purposes of determining the level of attainment on the performance indicator. The bill makes conforming amendments to the performance indicator relating to closing the achievement gap to reflect the addition of military enlistment. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill requires school districts, district charter schools, institute charter schools, and boards of cooperative services (local education providers) to notify parents of students enrolled in a local education provider of charges brought against an employee or former employee, if the employee was employed at any time within 12 months before an offense is charged, who has or had contact with students, if the charges are for one of the felony offenses that requires the denial, suspension, or revocation of a teacher license if the employee were a teacher. The bill specifies the students whose parents must receive notification and the information that a local education provider shall include in the parent notification. The local education provider shall notify parents by mail or electronic means within 2 school days after the employee has had or has waived a preliminary hearing, if available, on the charge unless the appropriate law enforcement agency requests a delay in notification. If notice is sent to parents, the local education provider shall also send notice within 2 school days to the same parents in the same manner regarding the disposition of the charges. Each local education provider shall monitor employee arrest information received from the Colorado bureau of investigation to determine whether charges are filed and the status of the preliminary hearing. The bill prohibits the state board of education from waiving the requirements of the bill relating to parent notification for school districts or for charter schools authorized by a school district or by the state charter school institute. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
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
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 creates the retaining teachers grant program (grant program) to assist school districts, boards of cooperative services, and charter schools (local education providers) in implementing initiatives to improve retention of teachers. The department of education (department) is directed to implement the grant program by reviewing applications and recommending grant recipients and grant amounts to the state board of education (state board), which awards the grants. The department is also directed to provide information to local education providers concerning the grant program and provide assistance in writing grant applications if requested. Each grant is awarded for 3 years, subject to annual review by the department and renewal by the state board. The grants are paid from the retaining teachers fund created in the bill. The department must submit annual reports to the state board and to the joint budget committee and the education committees of the general assembly concerning implementation of the grant program, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of the grant program in reducing the teacher shortage in Colorado, any recommendations for changes to improve the effectiveness of the grant program, and a recommendation concerning continuation of the grant program. The grant program is repealed, effective July 1, 2022. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More
The bill requires the private occupational school board (board), with the assistance of the private occupational school division within the department of higher education (division), to promulgate rules creating a sunrise review process. The sunrise review process applies to new educational credentials and new educational services, as defined in the bill, for which the board has not previously granted or denied a certificate of approval prior to a date set forth in the bill. The purpose of the sunrise review is to determine whether the new educational credentials or new educational services should be regulated by the board and division pursuant to the provisions of the 'Private Occupational Education Act of 1981' (Act). Until the sunrise review process is completed, the board and division shall not exercise the powers and duties under the Act with respect to the new educational credential or new educational service. The bill requires the board to receive, investigate, and evaluate information, including stakeholder input, to determine, in part, whether students or citizens will be harmed if the new educational credentials or new educational services are not subject to the provisions of the Act. The board shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations to participants in the process, as well as to the general assembly. Based on the recommendations in the report, the general assembly may enact legislation that requires the board and division to regulate the new educational credentials or new educational services under the Act. The bill permits the board to submit an amended sunrise review report to the general assembly if a change of circumstances occurs after the board's submission of the initial report to the general assembly. Nothing in the bill limits the board's or division's powers and duties under the Act with respect to educational credentials or educational services that are not subject to the sunrise review process. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
Section 1 of the bill establishes a child care savings account, which is an account with a financial institution from which an individual uses money to pay a child care facility for the care of a dependent who is less than 6 years old (account). To be eligible to create an account, an individual must have federal taxable income of less than $90,000, or, in the case of individuals filing a joint return, $180,000. A taxpayer may claim a credit that is equal to 10% of the amount that the taxpayer contributes to an account. The maximum credit allowed for an income tax year for a contribution to a single account is $250. A taxpayer may contribute to multiple accounts but cannot claim more than $25,000 of credits in an income tax year. A credit for a contribution to one's own account is refundable. All other credits are not refundable, but unused credits may be carried forward up to 5 years. Money in the account may only be used for payments to the child care facility or bank fees. If an individual uses money for an unauthorized purpose, then any credit given for such amount is subject to recapture in the year it is withdrawn and there is a penalty equal to 10% of the credit recaptured. The department of revenue is required to establish forms that an individual must annually file related to an account. Section 2 allows an account holder to subtract an amount equal to the interest or income earned during the income tax year from the money in an account from his or her federal taxable income.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.) , Read More
Under current law, a school district (district) can only transport students from an adjacent district to its schools or reimburse a parent for transporting such students to its schools if the adjacent district consents to the transportation. The bill allows a school district to transport a student to its district even if the student does not reside in an adjacent district and without seeking the consent of the student's resident district. Under current law, a district shall adopt policies and procedures to implement school of choice enrollment for students that allow a student to attend a school within the student's resident district other than his or her assigned school or to attend school in another school district. The bill requires that the school of choice enrollment application policies and procedures include: An enrollment application period of at least 4 weeks; An enrollment application period that does not close before February 15 of each year; The ability to apply to at least 5 schools within the district using a standardized application for each school; and In-person or online submission of the applications. The bill requires the district to notify students each year of the school of choice enrollment policies and procedures, including the relevant deadlines, and to post the policies and procedures on the district's website. In addition, the department of education shall include on its website an outline of the laws relating to school of choice enrollment and a link to each district's school of choice website provisions. For a student attending school in a district other than the student's resident district, the bill allows the student to remain in the nonresident district school through the highest grade level served in the school. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) Read More
The bill establishes an exemption from the 'Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado' for an out-of-state employer whose employees are working in Colorado on a temporary basis as long as: The out-of-state employer furnishes coverage under the workers' compensation laws of the state in which the employee is regularly employed, which coverage applies to the employee while working temporarily in Colorado; and The out-of-state employer's home state is contiguous to Colorado, recognizes the exemption, and provides a reciprocal exemption for Colorado employees temporarily working in that state. The home state's workers' compensation laws are the sole remedy for an out-of-state worker who is injured while working temporarily in Colorado. The division of workers' compensation in the department of labor and employment is authorized to enter into an agreement with a contiguous state to carry out the extraterritorial application of the workers' compensation or similar law of the other state. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More