| Summary |
The bill:
•
Increases the statewide base per pupil funding for the
2023-24 budget year by $598.25, to account for inflation;
•
Sets as the new statewide base per pupil funding amount of
$8,076.41 for the 2023-24 budget year; and
•
Sets the target number for the 2023-24 budget year at not
less than $9,070,933,129.
Current law includes a 5-year averaging provision, which
determines a district's pupil count for each budget year by determining the
greater of the funded pupil count for the applicable budget year or an
average of one to 4 of the prior budget years. The bill provides a similar
averaging provision for the institute charter schools on a per-school basis.
For the 2023-24 budget year, the bill distributes $30 million 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 receive 55% of the
appropriation, and small rural districts receive 45% of the appropriation.
The bill uses the districts' funded pupil count for the 2022-23 budget year.
The bill amends eligibility criteria for the mill levy override match
program to exclude an otherwise eligible school district from receiving
a state-funded override mill match if the sum of the district's override
mills is equal to or greater than the district's override mill capacity, as
defined by statute. For the 2023-24 budget year, the bill requires the
transfer of $23,376,536 from the state education fund to the mill levy
override match fund and finds that the override mill match is a program
for accountable education reform.
The bill requires the general assembly to appropriate $300,000
from the state education fund to the department of education (department)
for the purpose of reimbursing schools for expenses related to replacing
an American Indian mascot, and finds that reimbursing schools for these
expenses is a program for accountable education reform.
The bill requires the general assembly to appropriate from the state
education fund the amount necessary to provide universal screening to
identify gifted children through second grade by the 2027-28 budget year
and finds that universal screening is a program for accountable education
reform.
The bill specifies that for the purpose of any law, with certain
exceptions, that applies to or exempts a public entity or a public official,
a charter school has the same status as a school district, and certain
persons affiliated with the charter school have the same status as a
complementary counterpart in a school district. Furthermore, the bill
clarifies the application of certain laws to charter schools.
The bill permits the department of education (department), school
districts, and institute charter schools to consider life-cycle costs when
contracting for technology.
Under current law, every 3 years, the department is required to
prepare a report and evaluation on the successes or failures of charter
schools, school reform efforts, and suggested changes to laws affecting
charter schools. The bill makes this an annual requirement starting in the
2023-24 budget year.
Under current law, a new at-risk measure in the public school
funding formula must be implemented in the 2023-24 budget year. The
bill extends the implementation of this requirement to the 2024-25 budget
year, and requires the department to conduct pre-implementation
modeling and testing of total program funding using the new at-risk
factor, and report modeling and testing findings to the education
committees and joint budget committee.
The bill creates a public school finance task force for the purpose
of examining and making recommendations concerning school finance.
The task force is required to submit a report to the education committees
of the senate and house of representatives and the joint budget committee
by December 15, 2023. Furthermore, the task force is required to set
parameters to examine the adequacy of school finance in Colorado, and
the department is required to contract with two independent entities to
report their findings by January 1, 2025.
The bill extends child nutrition school lunch protection program
funding to be used to offset the costs incurred by a facility school in
providing lunch to students who are placed in the facility and eligible to
participate in the program.
The bill excludes the costs associated with providing for an
independent evaluation from the 20% of the money appropriated to the
Colorado imagination library program to be used by the contractor for
operating costs.
The bill appropriates $2.5 million to the mill levy equalization
fund from the general fund for the 2023-24 budget year.
The bill appropriates $500,000 to the department of education for
the purpose of translating individualized education program documents
if House Bill 23-1263 becomes law.
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