Legislative Update: Continuing to Notch Victories for Our Schools

With just under two weeks remaining, a lot can still happen before the Colorado General Assembly officially adjourns on Wednesday, May 8.

But as we close in on the end, there’s already lots to celebrate in terms of what we’ve been able to accomplish this legislative session for our schools and their students:

• The decisive defeat of the damaging HB1363 in its first committee hearing two weeks ago;
• The signing of a bill last week (HB1394) that finally equalizes MLO funding for CSI schools and their students; and
• Another historic increase in education funding (7.3%) that once again raises PPR to its highest level ever ($11,450 per student next school year).

Beyond these important accomplishments, the League has also been leading the way on two additional pieces of proactive legislation focused on improving the landscape for public charter schools. We’re proud to report that both of these bills were also recently either sent to the Governor’s desk or signed into law.

SB132, signed by the Governor on April 19, extends evaluation privacy protections to encompass a new broad range of education professionals including unlicensed teachers and administrators. We pursued this legislation out of recognition that charters have the flexibility to hire unlicensed teachers and principals, and yet the way prior law was written, the CORA protections that were in place for educator evaluations only covered licensed individuals. We wanted to close this gap, because we’ve had individuals in the Colorado charter school community who’ve had their personal information needlessly exposed because of it, and we’re excited to report that it has now been addressed via the signing of SB132.

HB1154, which cleared the Senate on April 12 and now simply needs the Governor’s signature for finalization, removes any remaining legal barriers that may have existed for districts that want to share their bond revenue with CSI schools in their geographic boundaries. We had encountered recent situations where districts were claiming existing law prohibited them from sharing these resources with their CSI schools, and so we pursued this legislation to ensure no such legal barriers could stand in the way in the future. With the bill’s forthcoming signing into law, we’re hoping that it can serve as a catalyst for more districts to share these important resources with their CSI schools.

Added all together, we once again stand on the cusp of a very successful legislative session for our schools and their students – and this is despite the fact that the current political environment is a very challenging one for the charter sector. A growing number of legislators cry foul whenever a bill or concept comes up that even has the word “charter” in it. So the fact that we’ve been able to continue to make such significant progress for our schools is no small feat. 

At the same time, look no further than the 56,000+ emails that you sent to legislators in response to HB1363 to know that this was and remains a collective effort that requires the ongoing vigilance and engagement of everyone in the Colorado charter school community. But together we’ve accomplished so much, and we look forward to reporting on the full list of final outcomes and achievements when the legislature concludes on Wednesday, May 8.

Stay tuned for our legislative wrap-up webinar, where we'll discuss all the issues the League tackled this session and what to anticipate once the session ends.

Wednesday, May 8th at 9:30 AM

Remaining Business: HB1448

One significant piece of education legislation that remains to be resolved in the final two weeks of session is HB1448, which is focused on a new public school finance formula for the state.

As previously shared and discussed with our schools, this bill is connected to the work of the Public School Finance Task Force. The task force was created by the legislature last year and met in the lead-up to this year’s legislative session to develop recommendations for modernizing and aligning the state’s 30-year-old funding formula with current student needs.

There were a number of charter representatives on this task force, and many of their recommendations have now been folded into HB1448. The League is supportive of this bill for the following primary reasons:

1. Updating the formula to make it more aligned with student characteristics as opposed to system characteristics has long been a core principle of not only the League but the charter movement more generally. HB1448 seeks to accomplish this.
2. Now that the so-called “budget stabilization factor” has been bought down, schools are assured of nothing beyond inflation in terms of annual PPR increases moving forward. HB1448 would unlock an additional $500M in education funding for schools over the next 6 years above and beyond inflation that may very well not otherwise be unlocked.
3. Embedded within HB1448 are critical facilities resources for our schools. Without these resources – and because marijuana excise tax revenue has been in decline – Charter School Capital Construction funding will dip to an estimated $266 per student next school year (down from $396 per student this year). But with these resources, we could not only offset those losses but also potentially unlock substantial additional matching funds for charter school facilities needs.

This bill cleared the House Education Committee last week and then was voted out of House Appropriations this morning. It now awaits action on the full House floor. If you are interested in speaking out on its behalf, our partners at the Colorado Children’s Campaign have created an easy-to-use action alert to contact legislators about it.

Other Legislation of Note 

We remain focused on issues that directly relate to our schools and are keeping a close eye on several other bills with effects on the charter sector. We will continue to remain vigilant throughout the final days of the session. Please contact us if you have any questions or insights about the following bills:

• SB24-188 Public School Finance
  In addition to eliminating the so-called budget stabilization factor (thereby formalizing the 7.3% increase to PPR for next year), this bill also introduces rural funding to the district's total program formula, allocating extra funding to small and large rural districts. While current law requires a new at-risk measure in the public school funding formula to be implemented in the 2024-25 budget year, the bill postpones this implementation to the 2025-26 budget year. SB188 has cleared both chambers and now simply awaits the Governor’s signature. 

• SB24-162 Best Practices to Prevent Discrimination in Schools
  Senate Bill 23-296 from last year required CDE to develop training for school staff regarding harassment and discrimination policies. SB24-162 modifies these requirements by requiring CDE to contract with an organization to develop best practices and training.
  
  The organization is tasked with designing a harassment and discrimination training curriculum for schools. By April 1, 2025, this program must be submitted to CDE, which will subsequently offer it to public schools free of charge. This bill has cleared the Senate and was just introduced in the House this week.

• HB24-1307 HVAC Improvements for Public Schools
  The bill introduces new requirements for handling heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for all public schools and districts. When utilizing federal funds or a mix of federal and state funding earmarked specifically for HVAC improvements, schools and districts must adhere to technical specifications for installing, inspecting, maintaining, reviewing, and reporting these systems. The League remains engaged with sponsors on preventing any expansion of unnecessary requirements. The bill is currently awaiting action on the full House floor.

• HB24-1454 Grace Period Noncompliance Digital Accessibility
  On April 15, the Colorado legislature introduced HB24-1454, which delays the implementation of HB21-1110, the Colorado Laws For Persons With Disabilities, which required public entities, including charter schools, to become or expand their compliance with digital accessibility for persons with disabilities. If HB24-1454 passes, it would provide a one-year extension to July 1, 2025, of immunity from liability for failure to comply with the digital accessibility standards for an agency (district, or charter school) that demonstrates good faith efforts toward compliance or toward resolution of any complaint of noncompliance.

Advocacy Resources 

State and Federal Policy Updates (Members Only) ONLY TWO MORE LEFT!

Exclusively for members, we offer weekly State and Federal Policy Update calls every Friday from 12:00-12:30 PM during the legislative session. If you desire real-time updates and discussions, these calls are an excellent opportunity to stay informed and engaged! Updates started on January 12th and will run through the end of the session in early May. Register now.

Bill Tracker (Members Only)

During the Colorado legislative session, we keep an updated summary of bills currently in the legislature that affect charter schools. In addition to a bill number, title, and description, we include each bill’s last dated action and a link to its fiscal note. Color codes offer easy identification of those bills that have been sent to the governor, signed into law, or postponed indefinitely. Log in to view the latest bill tracker.

ACT Network: Act for Charters Today

The League's Act for Charters Today (ACT) Advocacy Network is the group and process through which we activate and engage our public charter school families, parents, students, and staff for the common good. This action-oriented network strives to build knowledge, skills, and power to strengthen and support charter schools throughout the state.

Our advocacy efforts are focused on state policies and district initiatives that ensure all Colorado children deserve access to high-quality public school options, including charter schools. Build your charter school knowledge and advocacy skills while taking part in a powerful and influential community statewide that intercedes on behalf of our schools and, more importantly, our students. We’ll give you everything you need to make taking action for charters quick and easy!

Angelina Sierra-Sandoval, MPA
Director of Government Affairs, Colorado League of Charter Schools 
[email protected]