Public School Finance

Section 1 of the bill finds that current economic conditions have increased the amount of revenue available to the state for the 2022-23 budget year, allowing the state to increase the amount of appropriation for the state's share of total program funding for school districts and institute charter schools, thereby mitigating the impact of the budget stabilization factor. Additionally, it finds there is uncertainty concerning the continuity and longevity of these current economic conditions and the reliability of continuing high property values and increased revenue.Section 2 of the bill:

• Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the 2022-23 budget year by $252.88, to account for inflation of 3.5%, to a new statewide base per pupil funding amount of $7,478.16; and
• Sets the total program funding for the 2022-23 budget year for all school districts and institute charter schools after application of the budget stabilization factor to not less than $8,420,114,162.

Section 3 of the bill permits a public school one additional year to discontinue the prohibited use of an American Indian mascot if the public school was first notified of the prohibited use on or after January 1, 2022.Section 4 of the bill extends by one year the requirement for a board of cooperative services (BOCES) to obtain written permission from the school district in which a school operates or is located if the BOCES intends to authorize the school and the school is physically located within the geographic boundaries of a school district that is not a member of the BOCES.Section 5 of the bill extends by one year the ability for local education providers to carry forward more than 15% of per-pupil intervention money received pursuant to the "Colorado READ Act".Sections 6 and 7 of the bill extend by one year the local accountability system grant program and the requirement that the department of education (department) contract with an external evaluator to evaluate the implementation of the local accountability systems. The bill makes an appropriation for this evaluation.Section 8 of the bill extends by one year the completion of the pilot program to develop and use screening and identification processes and intervention strategies for early identification of and support for students enrolled in kindergarten through third grade who may have dyslexia.Section 9 of the bill states that, if a school district permits a student whose parent or guardian is a resident of the state but not a resident of the district to attend school in the district, the school district shall not require the parent, guardian, or student to pay tuition to attend school in the district, regardless of when during the school year, or under what circumstances, the student enrolls in or attends school in the district.Section 10 of the bill authorizes financial assistance through the educator recruitment and retention program to be used for applicants agreeing to teach for 3 years in educator shortage areas in the state.Section 11 of the bill permits a vendor that contracts with the department to develop a quality teacher recruitment program, and commits to satisfying the requirement to match 100% of the money paid by the department for the contract through gifts, grants, or donations from private donors, to also accept gifts, grants and donations from school districts.Section 12 of the bill removes the department's authority to annually reallocate money among participating schools under the local school food purchasing program.Sections 13 to 16 of the bill extend by one year the K-5 social and emotional health pilot program and amend the requirements for school mental health professionals participating in the pilot program.Section 17 of the bill permits 20% of the money appropriated for the Colorado imagination library program to be used by the contractor for operating costs.Section 18 of the bill requires the state auditor to grant an extension of the time to meet auditing requirements for the 2021-22 budget year for rural and small rural school districts that can demonstrate difficulty in retaining an auditor, in lieu of prohibiting the release of tax revenue for the school districts.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)