(1) (a) For the 1998-99 budget year through the 2007-08 budget year, a district shall be eligible for aid pursuant to this section if:
(I) The district has more than one elementary or secondary school attendance center; and
(II) The district operates one or more elementary or secondary attendance centers with a pupil enrollment of less than two hundred and that are located twenty or more miles from any similar school attendance center in the same district.
(b) For the 2008-09 budget year and budget years thereafter, a district shall be eligible for aid pursuant to this section if:
(I) The district has more than one elementary or secondary school attendance center;
(II) The district operates one or more elementary or secondary attendance centers that have pupil enrollments of less than two hundred and that are located twenty or more miles from any similar school attendance center in the same district; and
(III) The district received aid pursuant to this section prior to the 2008-09 budget year.
(1.5) (a) For the 2004-05 budget year through the 2007-08 budget year, an institute charter school shall be eligible for aid pursuant to this section if the institute charter school has a pupil enrollment of fewer than two hundred and is located twenty or more miles from any similar school attendance center.
(b) For the 2008-09 budget year and budget years thereafter, an institute charter school shall be eligible for aid pursuant to this section if the institute charter school has a pupil enrollment of fewer than two hundred, is located twenty or more miles from any similar school attendance center, and received aid pursuant to this section prior to the 2008-09 budget year.
(2) (a) A district meeting the eligibility requirements of subsection (1) of this section is eligible to receive aid for each small attendance center as calculated by: Multiplying the pupil enrollment of the small attendance center by an amount equal to thirty-five percent of the difference between the district per pupil funding and the district per pupil funding, except using the size factor calculated using the funded pupil count of the small attendance center; and then multiplying the amount by the percentage determined by dividing the difference between two hundred and the funded pupil count of the small attendance center by two hundred.
(b) An institute charter school meeting the eligibility requirements of subsection (1.5) of this section is eligible to receive aid as a small attendance center as calculated by: Multiplying the pupil enrollment of the institute charter school by an amount equal to thirty-five percent of the difference between the district per pupil funding of the institute charter school's accounting district and the district per pupil funding, except using the size factor calculated using the pupil enrollment of the institute charter school, and then multiplying such amount by the percentage determined by dividing the difference between two hundred and the pupil enrollment of the institute charter school by two hundred.
(3) The general assembly shall appropriate annually an amount for small attendance center aid to be distributed pursuant to the formulas in subsection (2) of this section. In the event the amount of money appropriated by the general assembly is less than the amount of aid authorized by this section to all eligible districts and eligible institute charter schools, the amount to be distributed to each eligible school district and eligible institute charter school shall be in the same proportion as the amount that the appropriation bears to the total amount of aid for all eligible districts and eligible institute charter schools.
(4) If a school district receives small attendance center aid pursuant to this section for a small attendance center that is a district charter school, the school district shall forward the entire amount of such aid to the district charter school for which it was received. If an institute charter school is eligible for small attendance center aid pursuant to this section, the state charter school institute shall forward the entire amount of such aid to the institute charter school for which it was received.
Source: L. 98: Entire section added, p. 970, � 13, effective May 27. L. 2002: (4) added, p. 1737, � 8, effective June 7. L. 2004: (1.5) added and (2), (3), and (4) amended, p. 1642, � 49, effective July 1. L. 2008: (1) and (1.5) amended, p. 1198, � 10, effective May 22. L. 2024: (2) amended, (HB 24-1448), ch. 236, p. 1525, � 24, effective May 23.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 2008 act amending subsections (1) and (1.5), see section 1 of chapter 286, Session Laws of Colorado 2008.
22-54-123. Richard B. Russell national school lunch act - appropriation of state matching funds - definition. (1) For the 2001-02 budget year and budget years thereafter, the general assembly shall appropriate by separate line item an amount to comply with the requirements for state matching funds under the federal Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 1751 et seq. The department of education shall develop procedures to allocate and disburse the funds among participating school food authorities each year in an equitable manner so as to comply with the requirements of said act.
(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, school food authority means:
(a) A school district or the state charter school institute;
(a.2) The Colorado school for the deaf and the blind authorized pursuant to section 22-80-102;
(a.3) A charter school collaborative formed pursuant to section 22-30.5-603;
(a.4) An approved facility school or facility, as defined in section 22-2-402;
(a.5) A board of cooperative services created pursuant to article 5 of this title that elects to operate as a school food authority pursuant to section 22-5-120; or
(b) A district charter school or an institute charter school that:
(I) The commissioner of education or his or her designee provisionally authorizes as a school food authority pursuant to section 22-32-120 (6); or
(II) The department of education authorizes as a school food authority pursuant to section 22-32-120 (5).
Source: L. 2001: Entire section added, p. 365, � 35, effective April 16. L. 2004: Entire section amended, p. 1643, � 50, effective July 1. L. 2009: Entire section amended, (SB 09-230), ch. 227, p. 1035, � 7, effective May 4. L. 2010: (1) amended, (HB 10-1013), ch. 399, p. 1905, � 15, effective June 10; (2)(a) amended and (2)(a.5) added, (HB 10-1335), ch. 326, p. 1513, � 6, effective August 11; (2)(b)(I) amended, (HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2078, � 46, effective August 11. L. 2011: (2)(a.3) added, (HB 11-1277), ch. 306, p. 1505, � 37, effective August 10. L. 2024: (2)(a.2) and (2)(a.4) added, (HB 24-1206), ch. 18, p. 46, � 3, effective March 12.
22-54-123.5. School breakfast program - appropriation - low-performing schools - definition. (1) (a) For the 2002-03 budget year and each budget year thereafter, the general assembly may appropriate by separate line item an amount to assist school food authorities that are providing a school breakfast program through participation in programs authorized under the federal Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 1751 et seq., or the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. sec. 1771 et seq. The department of education shall develop procedures to appropriately allocate and disburse the funds among participating school food authorities.
(b) Each school district that receives moneys pursuant to this section shall use such moneys to create, expand, or enhance the school breakfast program in each low-performing school of the receiving district with the goal of improving the academic performance of the students attending such schools.
(c) A district charter school, an institute charter school, or a charter school collaborative that is a school food authority shall only be eligible to receive moneys pursuant to this section if it is a low-performing school. A district charter school or an institute charter school that is a school food authority that receives moneys pursuant to this section shall use such moneys to create, expand, or enhance its school breakfast program with the goal of improving the academic performance of the students attending the district charter school or the institute charter school.
(d) (Deleted by amendment, L. 2010, (HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2078, � 47, effective August 11, 2010.)
(2) As used in this section:
(a) Low-performing school means a school that is required to implement a priority improvement or turnaround plan pursuant to section 22-11-405 or 22-11-406, respectively, or is subject to restructuring pursuant to section 22-11-210.
(b) School food authority means:
(I) A school district or the state charter school institute;
(I.2) The Colorado school for the deaf and the blind authorized pursuant to section 22-80-102;
(I.3) A charter school collaborative formed pursuant to section 22-30.5-603;
(I.4) An approved facility school or facility, as defined in section 22-2-402;
(I.5) A board of cooperative services created pursuant to article 5 of this title that elects to operate as a school food authority pursuant to section 22-5-120; or
(II) A district charter school or an institute charter school that:
(A) The commissioner of education or his or her designee provisionally authorizes as a school food authority pursuant to section 22-32-120 (6); or
(B) The department of education authorizes as a school food authority pursuant to section 22-32-120 (5).
Source: L. 2002: Entire section added, p. 1787, � 53, effective June 7. L. 2003: (1) amended, p. 521, � 11, effective March 5. L. 2004: (1) amended, p. 1643, � 51, effective July 1. L. 2006: (1)(d) added, p. 1113, � 3, effective May 25. L. 2009: (1)(a), (1)(c), and (2) amended, (SB 09-230), ch. 227, p. 1035, � 8, effective May 4; (2) amended, (SB 09-163), ch. 293, p. 1544, � 51, effective May 21. L. 2010: (1)(d) and (2)(b)(II)(A) amended, (HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2078, � 47, effective August 11; (2)(b)(I) amended and (2)(b)(I.5) added, (HB 10-1335), ch. 326, p. 1513, � 7, effective August 11. L. 2011: (1)(c) amended and (2)(b)(I.3) added, (HB 11-1277), ch. 306, p. 1505, �� 38, 39, effective August 10. L. 2024: (2)(b)(I.2) and (2)(b)(I.4) added, (HB 24-1206), ch. 18, p. 47, � 4, effective March 12.
Editor's note: Amendments to subsection (2) by Senate Bill 09-230 and Senate Bill 09-163 were harmonized.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 2006 act enacting subsection (1)(d), see section 1 of chapter 242, Session Laws of Colorado 2006.
22-54-124. State aid for charter schools - use of state education fund money - definitions. (1) As used in this section:
(a) Capital construction means construction, demolition, remodeling, maintaining, financing, purchasing, or leasing of land, buildings, or facilities used to educate pupils enrolled in or to be enrolled in a charter school.
(b) Charter school means a district charter school as described in section 22-30.5-104 or an institute charter school as defined in section 22-30.5-502.
(c) District's certified charter school pupil enrollment means the total number of pupils who are not online pupils, as defined in section 22-30.5-103 (6), expected to be enrolled in all qualified charter schools that will receive funding from the district pursuant to section 22-30.5-112 for the budget year for which state education fund moneys are to be appropriated and distributed pursuant to subsection (4) of this section, as certified by the department of education pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section during the budget year that immediately precedes said budget year.
(c.5) Institute charter school's certified pupil enrollment means the total number of pupils who are not online pupils, as defined in section 22-30.5-502 (9), expected to be enrolled in a qualified institute charter school that will receive funding pursuant to section 22-30.5-513 for the budget year for which state education fund moneys are to be appropriated and distributed pursuant to subsection (4) of this section, as certified by the department of education pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section during the budget year that immediately precedes said budget year.
(d) Minimum capital reserve amount per pupil means the minimum amount per pupil required to be budgeted by each district to the capital reserve fund created by section 22-45-103 (1)(c), a risk management fund or account, or both, pursuant to section 22-54-105 (2)(a) and (2)(b), without regard to any exception to said minimum budgeting requirement permitted pursuant to section 22-54-105 (2)(c).
(e) Operating revenues means the total amount of funding that a district charter school receives from a district for a budget year pursuant to section 22-30.5-112 minus the amounts required by section 22-30.5-112 (2)(a.7) to be allocated for capital reserve purposes or the management of risk-related activities. For purposes of an institute charter school, operating revenues means the total amount of funding that the institute charter school receives from the state charter school institute for a budget year pursuant to section 22-30.5-513, minus the amounts required by section 22-30.5-514 (1), to be allocated for capital reserve purposes or the management of risk-related activities.
(f) and (f.5) Repealed.
(f.6) (I) For the budget years commencing on or after July 1, 2003, qualified charter school means:
(A) A charter school that is not operating in a school district facility and that has capital construction costs;
(B) A charter school that is operating in a school district facility and that has capital construction costs; or
(C) A charter school that is operating or will operate in the next budget year in a facility that is listed on the state inventory of real property and improvements and other capital assets maintained by the office of the state architect pursuant to section 24-30-1303.5, C.R.S., and that is obligated to make lease payments for use of the facility.
(II) For budget years commencing on or after July 1, 2003, qualified charter school does not include:
(A) A charter school that is operating in a school district facility and that does not have capital construction costs;
(B) A charter school that does not have capital construction costs; or
(C) A charter school that is operating or will operate in the next budget year in a facility that is listed on the state inventory of real property and improvements and other capital assets maintained by the office of the state architect pursuant to section 24-30-1303.5, C.R.S., and that is not obligated to make lease payments for use of the facility.
(2) (a) For the 2001-02 budget year and budget years thereafter, a district shall be eligible to receive state education fund moneys for district charter school capital construction pursuant to this section if at least one qualified district charter school will be receiving funding from the district pursuant to section 22-30.5-112 during the budget year for which state education fund moneys are to be distributed.
(b) For the 2004-05 budget year and budget years thereafter, an institute charter school shall be eligible to receive state education fund moneys for institute charter school capital construction if the institute charter school will be receiving funding from the state charter school institute pursuant to section 22-30.5-513 during the budget year for which state education fund moneys are to be distributed.
(3) (a) (I) and (II) Repealed.
(III) (A) The total amount of state education fund moneys to be appropriated for all eligible districts and for all eligible institute charter schools for the 2003-04 through 2011-12 budget years shall be an amount equal to five million dollars; except that, for the 2006-07 budget year, an additional two million eight hundred thousand dollars shall be appropriated from the state education fund and shall be used for the purposes of this section, and for the 2008-09 budget year, an additional one hundred thirty-five thousand dollars shall be appropriated from the state education fund and shall be distributed pursuant to section 22-54-133, as said section existed prior to its repeal in 2010. The total amount of state education fund moneys to be appropriated for all eligible districts and for all eligible institute charter schools for the 2012-13 budget year is six million dollars. The total amount of state education fund moneys to be appropriated for all eligible districts and for all eligible institute charter schools for the 2013-14 budget year is seven million dollars.
(B) Repealed.
(IV) (A) The total amount of state education fund moneys to be appropriated for all eligible districts and for all eligible institute charter schools for the 2014-15 budget year is thirteen million five hundred thousand dollars.
(B) The total amount of state education fund money to be appropriated for all eligible districts and all eligible institute charter schools for the 2015-16 budget year and for each budget year thereafter through the 2018-19 budget year is twenty million dollars.
(C) The total amount of state education fund money to be appropriated for all eligible districts and all eligible institute charter schools for the 2019-20 budget year and for each budget year thereafter is twenty million dollars multiplied by the quotient of the number of students included in the statewide funded pupil count who were enrolled in charter schools for the school year immediately preceding the budget year and the number of students included in the statewide funded pupil count who were enrolled in charter schools for the 2017-18 school year.
(V) For the 2004-05 budget year, and each budget year thereafter, the amount of state education fund moneys to be distributed to any eligible district and any eligible institute charter school shall be an amount equal to the percentage of the sum of the district's certified charter school pupil enrollment and the institute charter school's certified pupil enrollment for all eligible districts and eligible institute charter schools in the state that is attributable to the eligible district or eligible institute charter school multiplied by the total amount of state education fund moneys distributed to all eligible districts and eligible institute charter schools for the same budget year pursuant to subparagraphs (III) and (IV) of this paragraph (a).
(b) Notwithstanding section 24-1-136 (11)(a)(I), no later than February 1 of each budget year, the department of education shall certify to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives and the joint budget committee of the general assembly the total number of pupils expected to be enrolled in all qualified charter schools in the state during the next budget year, as derived from reports provided to the department by districts pursuant to section 22-30.5-112 (1) and by institute charter schools pursuant to section 22-30.5-513 (3)(a). For the purposes of any certification made during the 2003-04 budget year and budget years thereafter, a pupil expected to be enrolled in a qualified charter school as defined in subsection (1)(f.6)(I)(B) of this section shall be counted as one-half of one pupil.
(4) (a) For the 2001-02 budget year, the 2003-04 budget year, and each budget year thereafter, the general assembly shall annually appropriate from the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution, to the department of education for distribution to eligible school districts and eligible institute charter schools in accordance with the formula set forth in paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of this section, an amount equal to the total amount of moneys to be distributed to all districts and institute charter schools as determined pursuant to said formula.
(b) Prior to the 2009-10 budget year, from the moneys appropriated for a given budget year pursuant to this section, the department of education shall make lump sum payments of all moneys to be distributed to each eligible school district and eligible institute charter school during the budget year as soon as possible.
(c) For the 2009-10 budget year through the 2023-24 budget year, the department of education shall distribute the total amount to be distributed pursuant to this section to each eligible school district and eligible institute charter school in twelve approximately equal monthly payments during the applicable budget year in conjunction with the distribution of the state's share of district total program pursuant to section 22-54-115.
(d) For the 2024-25 budget year and each budget year thereafter, the department of education shall distribute the total amount to be distributed pursuant to this section to each eligible school district and eligible institute charter school pursuant to section 22-54-115.
(4.5) Repealed.
(5) A district that receives state education fund moneys pursuant to this section shall distribute all moneys received to qualified charter schools as required by section 22-30.5-112.3 and may not retain any of such moneys to defray administrative expenses or for any other purpose.
(6) Pursuant to section 17 (3) of article IX of the state constitution, any moneys appropriated by the general assembly out of the state education fund, received by any eligible district or eligible institute charter school pursuant to this section, and distributed to a qualified charter school by any district pursuant to this section and section 22-30.5-112.3 shall be exempt from:
(a) The limitation on state fiscal year spending set forth in section 20 (7)(a) of article X of the state constitution and section 24-77-103, C.R.S.; and
(b) The limitation on local government fiscal year spending set forth in section 20 (7)(b) of article X of the state constitution.
(7) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that, for purposes of section 17 of article IX of the state constitution, providing funding for charter school capital construction from moneys in the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution is a permissible use of the moneys in the state education fund since the moneys are being used for public school building capital construction as authorized by section 17 (4)(b) of article IX of the state constitution.
(8) The general assembly hereby finds that with the adoption of the new definition of qualified charter school, enacted in House Bill 02-1349 during the second regular session of the sixty-third general assembly, the program created in this section is a new program as of June 7, 2002, and that the general assembly enacted such new program in order to meet the eligibility requirements of the incentive grant program included in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub.L. 107-110.
(9) The general assembly recognizes charter schools' continuing need for assistance in meeting capital construction costs. The general assembly therefore strongly encourages the governor to allocate a portion of the moneys received by the state through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub.L. 111-5, to charter schools in the state to assist them in meeting their capital construction and facility costs.
Source: L. 2001: Entire section added, p. 346, � 9, effective April 16. L. 2002: (1)(c), (1)(f), and (3) amended and (1)(f.5) and (8) added, pp. 1752, 1768, 1767, �� 28, 37, 38, effective June 7. L. 2003: (3)(a)(II), (3)(a)(III), and (4) amended and (4.5) added, p. 518, � 9, effective March 5; (1)(f.5), (3)(a)(III)(A), and (3)(b) amended and (1)(f.6) added, pp. 2132, 2133, �� 27, 28, effective May 22. L. 2004: (1)(b), (1)(e), (2), (3)(a)(III), (3)(b), (4), and IP(6) amended and (1)(c.5) added, p. 1644, � 52, effective July 1. L. 2006: (1)(c), (1)(c.5), and (3)(a)(III)(A) amended, p. 701, � 50, effective April 28; (1)(f), (1)(f.5), (3)(a)(I), (3)(a)(II), (3)(a)(III)(B), and (4.5) repealed, p. 625, � 48, effective August 7. L. 2007: (1)(f.6)(I) and (1)(f.6)(II)(C) amended, p. 744, � 24, effective May 9. L. 2008: (3)(a)(III)(A) amended, p. 1199, � 11, effective May 22. L. 2009: (3)(a)(III)(A) amended, (SB 09-215), ch. 134, p. 579, � 3, effective April 17; (4) amended and (9) added, (SB 09-256), ch. 294, p. 1554, �� 9, 10, effective May 21. L. 2010: (3)(a)(III)(A) amended, (HB 10-1013), ch. 399, p. 1907, � 19, effective June 10. L. 2012: (3)(a)(III)(A) amended, (HB 12-1345), ch. 188, p. 716, � 2, effective May 19. L. 2013: (3)(a)(III)(A) amended, (SB13-260), ch. 236, p. 1140, � 5, effective May 17. L. 2014: (3)(a) amended, (HB 14-1292), ch. 243, p. 914, � 17, effective May 21. L. 2015: (1)(f.6)(I)(C) and (1)(f.6)(II)(C) amended, (SB 15-270), ch. 296, p. 1215, � 13, effective June 5. L. 2016: (1)(a) amended, (HB 16-1422), ch. 351, p. 1436, � 14, effective June 10. L. 2017: (3)(b) amended, (HB 17-1267), ch. 242, p. 998, � 18, effective August 9. L. 2019: (3)(a)(IV)(B) amended and (3)(a)(IV)(C) added, (HB 19-1055), ch. 246, p. 2406, � 4, effective May 21. L. 2024: (4)(c) amended and (4)(d) added, (SB 24-017), ch. 49, p. 175, � 2, effective April 4.
Cross references: (1) For the legislative declaration contained in the 2008 act amending subsection (3)(a)(III)(A), see section 1 of chapter 286, Session Laws of Colorado 2008.
(2) For the short title (Student Success Act) in HB14-1292, see section 1 of chapter 243, Session Laws of Colorado 2014.