Charter Board Members Must File Oath of Office By August 3, 2023

Charter Community,

The Schools of Choice Office would like to update you on some legislative changes that impact your school board operations. It is important for your board to note and implement these changes in the near future due to the time-sensitive nature of Senate Bill 23-287.

Overview:

Within this year’s school finance act (SB23-287), section 11 names charter schools (inclusive of charter networks and charter collaboratives) as public entities and therefore needing to file certain materials to properly establish their public status. Specifically all board members of applicable boards of charter schools, networks, and collaboratives will need to file an oath with the local County Clerk Office within 80 days of the signed bill of May 15, 2023 (therefore due by August 3, 2023), and within 80 days of becoming a board director thereafter. Additionally, all charter schools/charter networks, and all charter collaboratives must register their public entity’s information with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs within 90 days (August 13, 2023).

What is required of charter school boards:

To be compliant with SB 23-287, complete the following items by the appropriate August deadline:

• All board members need to take, sign, and file the oath required by state law (requirement can be found here 24-12-101, C.R.S.) - complete by 8/3/23
  • Submit all oaths to the County Clerk Officeof County wherein the person was elected or appointed. Each charter should contact their county office to gather specifics on how that county would like to receive the oaths.
  • We recommend that networks or collaboratives that operate in more than one county file their oaths in the county associated with the network or collaborative’s address of record.
  • We have attached a sample oath template to assist; however, please review the statutory process to make sure that the oath is administered correctly – based on your local circumstance.
• Register your public entity’s information with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs – complete by 8/13/23
  • Please use this form
  • Email the form to [email protected] 
  • In considering what you list for the local government URL, we recommend using a URL that points directly to the applicable Board website; however, if you are considering a separate site, please consult with your legal counsel to ensure compliance with the Open Meetings Act

Any questions please contact Janyse Skalla, Sr. Policy Consultant for CDE’s Schools of Choice Unit.

Thank you,

Bill Kottenstette

Executive Director