Education Public Schools - Digest of Bills

Digest of Bills - 1995

EDUCATION PUBLIC SCHOOLS

S.B. 95-9 Standards-based education - content standards - economics. Requires the state standards and assessments development and implementation council, the state board of education, and school district boards of education to adopt content standards in economics as a second priority subject. Identifies economics as a second priority subject to be included in the state assessment program and in school district assessments.

APPROVED by Governor April 13, 1995
EFFECTIVE April 13, 1995

S.B. 95-75 Educator licensing - adjunct teachers - temporary authorization - occasional teaching. Allows a person to obtain a type I adjunct authorization to teach as an adjunct teacher without completing any postsecondary education, but requires that any person who does not have at least a baccalaureate degree must have been successfully employed for at least 5 years in the area of specialization. Specifies that a type I authorization is valid for 3 years and may be renewed indefinitely.

Creates a type VI temporary authorization to enable a school district to hire a person who has an educator's license issued by another state but has not successfully completed the assessment of professional competencies to obtain a license in this state. Limits the validity of a type VI authorization to 2 years, and prohibits renewal of the authorization. Allows a school district to credit the time spent teaching under a type VI authorization toward the 3-year continuous employment requirement for the teacher to cease being a probationary teacher.

Authorizes the state board of education to waive the requirement that a school district establish an educator induction program if the induction program would cause extreme hardship to the school district. Requires any school district that applies for a waiver of the induction program to show that it has a plan for the support, assistance, and training of provisionally licensed educators.

Allows an administrator who holds a valid provisional or professional administrator's license and who has taught for at least 3 years to teach on an occasional basis without holding a teacher's license. Instructs the state board of education to specify by rule what constitutes occasional teaching.

APPROVED by Governor April 20, 1995
EFFECTIVE July 1, 1995

S.B. 95-103 Boards of education - fees. Allows the board of education of each school district to provide textbooks to all school-age pupils enrolled in the public schools for a reasonable rental fee based on the purchase price and normal life expectancy of each textbook rented. Prohibits a board from requiring a pupil who has not completed the 12th grade to pay any fees for any course of study, instruction, or class that satisfies the requirements for credit, promotion, or graduation.

APPROVED
EFFECTIVE January 1, 1996
NOTE: This act was passed without a safety clause. Section 5 of the act establishes an effective date of January 1, 1996. The act will take effect on that date unless a referendum petition is filed pursuant to article V, section 1 (3) of the state constitution. In that event, the act will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote by proclamation of the governor or January 1, 1996, whichever is later, if it is approved by the voters at the 1996 election.

S.B. 95-210 Colorado student assessment program - administration of student assessments at 11th grade level. Requires the department of education to administer student assessments under the Colorado student assessment program at the 11th rather than the 10th grade level.

APPROVED by Governor May 22, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 22, 1995

S.B. 95-211 Colorado student assessment program - administration of student assessments - 3-year phased schedule. Requires the timeline adopted by the state board of education specifying when school districts are required to begin administering student assessments to provide that assessments will be phased in over 3 years.

APPROVED by Governor May 25, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 25, 1995

S.B. 95-213 Standards-based education - deadlines. Delays the state board of education deadlines for adoption of state model content standards and for setting timelines for school districts to adopt and implement content standards from June 1, 1995, to September 15, 1995.

APPROVED by Governor May 31, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 31, 1995

H.B. 95-1014 School districts - salary policy. Requires school districts to adopt a salary schedule, a teacher salary policy based on the teacher's level of performance, or a combination salary schedule and policy. Repeals the "Alternative Salary Policies for Teachers Act".

APPROVED by Governor May 25, 1995
EFFECTIVE July 1, 1995

H.B. 95-1046 Excellent schools program - repeal. Extends the repeal date for the excellent schools program from June 30, 1995, to June 30, 1999.

APPROVED by Governor May 22, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 22, 1995

H.B. 95-1190 Supervision of student teachers - payment for supervision services - amount. Repeals the maximum dollar amount authorized to be paid for the services of public school personnel who supervise student teachers. Authorizes the governing boards of state colleges and universities to set the dollar amount. Requires payment directly to teachers.

APPROVED by Governor May 22, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 22, 1995

H.B. 95-1194 Teacher salary policies - creation of plans - grants to school districts - appropriation. Authorizes any school district to apply to the state board of education for a grant to be used to create a teacher salary policy plan that is based upon teacher performance. Authorizes the state board of education to consider grant applications and award grants to school districts. Creates the teacher salary policy planning fund.

Requires any school district that has been awarded a grant to expend the grant moneys for the creation and implementation of a teacher salary policy plan. Allows expenditure of such moneys solely for planning purposes and prohibits expenditure of such moneys to provide teacher performance pay.

Requires a school district to return any grant moneys that are not expended within 3 years. Requires any school district that has not prepared and begun implementation of a plan within 3 years to return the grant moneys.

Repeals the program effective July 1, 2001.

For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1994, appropriates $300,000 out of the general fund to the teacher salary policy planning fund. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1995, appropriates $300,000 out of the teacher salary policy planning fund to the department of education.

APPROVED by Governor May 25, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 25, 1995

H.B. 95-1289 School districts - weakening of statutorily imposed debt limitations - voter approval. States that the General Assembly is not required to seek statewide voter approval to amend any statutorily imposed limitation on school district debt when the voters of a school district are required by law to approve any change in debt subject to the limitation. For purposes of section 20 (1) of article X of the state constitution, specifies that any weakening of the limitation on school district bonded indebtedness shall occur only when voter approval is obtained at the school district level and that such school district voter approval shall satisfy any voter approval requirement of said constitutional provision. Provides that a ballot question to weaken a limitation on school district debt may be presented to the eligible electors of a school district as a separate ballot question or as part of a ballot question including other ballot issues, such as authorization for bonded indebtedness.

APPROVED by Governor May 25, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 25, 1995

H.B. 95-1327 School finance - additional 1994-95 funding - at-risk pupils -special education - preschool program - public school fund - bonded indebtedness - property tax carried forward - transportation aid - capital reserve fund - instructional supplies and materials - appropriation. Establishes public school funding under the "Public School Finance Act of 1994" for the 1995-96 budget year by increasing the minimum per pupil funding amount from $3,975 to $4,200 and establishing the statewide base per pupil funding as $3,390 plus $73 to account for inflation.

Calculates a school district's at-risk pupils as the greater of its percentage of students eligible for the federal free lunch program in grades one through 8 multiplied by the district's enrollment or the actual number of students eligible for the free lunch program.

Limits a school district's increase in total program to the spending limit percentage allowed under article X, section 20, of the state constitution. Allows a district to certify for the 1995-96 budget year the amount it can receive within the limitations on fiscal year spending. Requires each school district's audit report to include a calculation of the district's fiscal year spending under article X, section 20, of the state constitution.

Eliminates the total program provision holding school districts harmless for the 1995-96 budget year. In all districts that were held harmless, includes the 1994-95 hold harmless dollar amount as part of the amount of additional property tax revenue for fiscal year 1995-96 and fiscal years thereafter in excess of the district's total program. Reduces the 1995-96 fiscal year school finance levy by the number of mills required to generate that dollar amount and reduces it before a maximum mill levy is imposed. If a hold harmless district had a levy greater than 40.080 mills for the 1994-95 fiscal year and the mills greater than 40.080 mills generated more revenue in the 1994-95 fiscal year than the hold harmless amount, considers the mill levy greater than the maximum levy as additional property tax revenue. Sets a maximum mill levy of 41.75 mills.

For any school district that received an additional increase in 1993-94 equalization program funding and whose 1994-95 fiscal year spending, as adjusted for inflation plus the percentage change in enrollment, is less than 1995-96 allowable spending, provides an additional increase in 1994-95 total program that must be spent during the 1994-95 fiscal year. Requires each eligible district to certify to the department of education (the department) the exact dollar amount that the district can accept under the limitations of article X, section 20, of the state constitution.

Establishes a base amount of state funding for special education equal to the state base amount received for the 1994-95 budget year. Distributes any increase in the appropriation made to the department over the base to school districts in proportion to the number of children with disabilities residing in the district to the total number of children with disabilities in the state.

Increases the number of children that may participate in the state preschool program by 150 in the 1995-96 budget year. Establishes a full-day kindergarten pilot program for the 1995-96 budget year. Requires the department to set criteria for selecting school districts to participate in the pilot program.

Allows the public school fund to receive moneys appropriated or transferred by the general assembly. Transfers $6,600,000 for the 1994-95 fiscal year and $4,200,000 for the 1995-96 fiscal year from the state public school fund to the public school fund.

Requires the state to pay the principal and interest on school district refunding bonds if the paying agent has not received the moneys from the district in a timely manner. Eliminates the requirement that school district bonds be redeemed in either direct or inverse numerical order. Requires that tax anticipation notes issued by school districts mature by August 31 of the fiscal year immediately following the fiscal year in which they were issued. Extends to July 31, 2000, the repeal date for the provision allowing the state treasurer to issue tax anticipation notes for school districts.

For debt elections approved between July 1, 1994, and July 1, 1996, in districts that meet specific enrollment criteria, allows the limitation of school district bonded indebtedness to be 25% instead of 20% of assessed valuation.

Offsets a school district's property tax carried forward against any state aid and state categorical support for the 1995-96 fiscal year. After the offset is made, allows districts to use the revenue carried forward for capital projects or up to 10% for any lawful purpose. Reduces the amount carried forward by the amount spent on capital projects or by 10% each year. Requires districts to certify to the department by January 30 of each fiscal year the amount spent on capital projects.

Repeals the 55% minimum transportation reimbursement for any school district subject to a court-ordered desegregation order but provides such a district with $1.5 million of transportation funding in addition to the funding received through the mileage and excess cost formula for the 1993-94 entitlement period only.

Raises the amount of the per unit cost of buses or other equipment that may be spent from the capital reserve fund from $250 to $750.

Increases the amount budgeted per pupil for instructional supplies and materials from $111 to $120.

Appropriates $11,186,721 for the increase in 1994-95 total program funding and $927,023 for the 1994-95 transportation costs for any school district subject to a court-ordered desegregation order. Adjusts the appropriation for state aid school finance payments for the 1995-96 budget year to decrease the appropriation for total program by $9,783,305 and increase the appropriation for comprehensive health education, for public schools of choice, and for education of exceptional children. Sets aside $1,800,000 of the 1995-96 appropriation for total program to be used to make additional state aid payments that may be required following the certification of pupil enrollments and valuations for assessments.

APPROVED by Governor May 22, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 22, 1995

H.B. 95-1351 School districts - organization - detachment and annexation. Allows existing adjoining school districts, without complying with the school district organization planning process, to detach and annex territory where the territory has been unintentionally and erroneously included on the property tax rolls of the annexing school district for at least one year. Specifies the procedures for detaching and annexing the territory, including a special election at which only the eligible electors who reside within the territory may vote.

APPROVED by Governor May 22, 1995
EFFECTIVE May 22, 1995