House Bill 14-1292 and House Bill 14-1298 amend the Public School Finance Act of 1994 to provide funding for school districts in FY 2014-15. The bills were signed by the Governor on May 21, 2014, and became effective on that date. House Bill 14-1336, the "Long Bill," appropriates most of the...

This memorandum provides information regarding the regulation of school districts, charter schools, innovation schools, and home schools. Specifically, it describes the waivers to state law granted by the State Board of Education (SBE) to school districts, charter schools, innovation districts...

In Colorado, three types of online educational choices are available for students: online schools and programs; supplemental online education; and blended learning. This issue brief covers each type of online education, as well as recently passed legislation related to supplemental online and...

Personally identifiable information (PII) is information that can be used to trace or identify an individual. In Colorado K-12 education, the term refers to student data collected and retained by public schools and school districts, and maintained by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE)....

Colorado law provides distinct roles for the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (state board) in overseeing charter schools. Colorado's charter schools are authorized through a local school district or the state Charter School Institute (CSI). The CSI was...

This memo discusses the scope of bullying in Colorado schools; summarizes the provisions and programs in Colorado state law related to bullying prevention, including safe school plans and criminal penalties; and provides information on training resources and best practices for preventing...

Academic standards provide a broad outline for what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade level, and for what students should know in order to be prepared to enter college or the workforce by the time they graduate from high school. In Colorado, academic...

The day-to-day expenses of state government are paid through the operating budget in the state's annual budget bill.  Expenses related to new construction, renovation, or maintenance of the state's capital assets are paid through the capital budget.  This issue brief outlines the types of...

This memorandum responds to your request for information on school discipline policies.  Specifically, you were contacted by a constituent expressing concern about several incidents at her granddaughter’s elementary school in School District 27J.  Please note that because Legislative Council...

The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) 1 creates a presumption in favor of public access to government documents. This issue brief addresses CORA’s two threshold questions: 1) what is and is not considered a public record; and 2) which public records are exempt from disclosure. It also briefly...

To Members of the Seventieth General Assembly:

Submitted herewith is the final report of the State Capitol Building Advisory Committee (advisory committee). The advisory committee was created pursuant to Section 24-82-108, C.R.S., and serves in an advisory capacity to the Capital...