(1) In fulfilling their duties pursuant to this part 10, the state board and the commission, at a minimum, shall:
(a) Meet with interested persons throughout the state, including but not limited to:
(I) Early care and education providers;
(II) Representatives of early childhood councils;
(III) Elementary and secondary teachers, specialists in special education services, counselors, and administrators;
(IV) Boards of cooperative services;
(V) Local school boards and governing boards of district charter schools and institute charter schools;
(VI) Parents and students;
(VII) Precollegiate and postsecondary service providers and concurrent enrollment program managers;
(VIII) Career and technical education faculty and administrators;
(IX) Postsecondary faculty and administrators;
(X) Governing boards of institutions of higher education; and
(XI) Employers and other members of the business community and labor, workforce, and economic development experts;
(b) Take into consideration the recommendations of and consult with the P-20 council;
(c) Solicit and take into consideration information from local boards of education specifically regarding the input received by the local boards from their respective communities in developing the blueprints for the education systems in their respective communities pursuant to section 22-32-109 (1)(kk);
(d) Take into consideration, as applicable, the recommendations of the state graduation guidelines development council made pursuant to section 22-7-414, as it existed prior to July 1, 2008;
(e) Consult and collaborate with state and national organizations of early care and education providers and experts, state and national organizations of educators, and other state, national, and international academic organizations that specialize in creation, maintenance, and implementation of relevant and rigorous education standards and curriculum and in alignment of standards and assessments from preschool through postsecondary education.
(2) (a) Staff from the department of education, the department of higher education, the state board for community colleges and occupational education, the division of child care, and the early childhood policy team in the office of the lieutenant governor shall provide technical assistance and support for the state board and the commission in fulfilling their duties under this part 10.
(b) To further assist in fulfilling their duties under this part 10, the state board and the commission may appoint one or more task forces consisting of state, national, and international education experts.
(3) The department of education and the department of higher education are authorized to receive and expend gifts, grants, or donations of any kind from a public or private entity to carry out the purposes of this part 10, subject to the terms and conditions under which given; except that the department of education or the department of higher education may not accept a gift, grant, or donation if the conditions attached thereto require the use or expenditure thereof in a manner contrary to law.
Source: L. 2008: Entire part added, p. 755, � 1, effective May 14. L. 2018: IP(1) and (1)(a)(II) amended, (SB 18-099), ch. 90, p. 727, � 10, effective August 8; (1)(a)(II) amended, (HB 18-1141), ch. 59, p. 602, � 4, effective August 8.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 18-1141, see section 1 of chapter 59, Session Laws of Colorado 2018.
22-7-1011. Regional educator meetings - purpose - recommendations - definition. (1) Beginning in the 2008-09 academic year, the commissioner and the executive director, at least annually, shall convene meetings of professional educators in preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education within each of the regional service areas created by the state board. In convening the regional educator meetings, the commissioner and the executive director shall work with:
(a) The president of the state system of community and technical colleges;
(b) One or more representatives of the local college districts;
(c) The chief academic officers or executive directors of the state institutions of higher education;
(d) The school district superintendents throughout the state; and
(e) Representatives of the division of child care and the early childhood policy team in the office of the lieutenant governor.
(2) At a minimum, the commissioner and the executive director shall invite the following persons to attend the regional educator meetings in each regional service area:
(a) Early care and education providers;
(b) Members of the local school boards of the school districts included in the regional service area;
(c) The preschool, elementary, and secondary teachers, principals, administrators, counselors, and other special services providers employed by the local education providers located in the regional service area;
(d) The postsecondary faculty, academic advisors, and administrators employed by the state institutions of higher education and local district colleges, if any, located in the regional service area; and
(e) Two youth representatives from nominations submitted by schools by September 1, 2023, and by every September 1 thereafter. When possible, one youth representative must be from an urban school district and one youth representative from a rural or small rural school district, as those districts are designated by the department of education. The department of education shall promote the opportunity for youth involvement to schools throughout the state and request schools nominate youth to attend regional educator meetings. Youth representatives serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for actual and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. For the purposes of this subsection (2)(e), youth means the age of eligibility for membership in the Colorado youth advisory council, as set forth in section 2-2-1303 (1)(b)(I).
(3) The commissioner and the executive director shall convene regional educator meetings for the purpose of collaborating in the planning, design, and implementation of the alignment of the preschool through postsecondary public education systems, including but not limited to:
(a) Collaborating in the planning, design, and implementation of:
(I) The school readiness description, the preschool through elementary and secondary education standards, and the postsecondary and workforce readiness description;
(II) Programs of instruction for preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students; and
(III) Assessments that are aligned with the school readiness and postsecondary and workforce readiness descriptions and the preschool through elementary and secondary education standards;
(b) Collaborating in identification and provision of the supportive services that are necessary to implement the school readiness and postsecondary and workforce readiness descriptions, the preschool through elementary and secondary education standards, and the aligned assessments;
(c) Identifying and reviewing the levels of financial support needed to implement the school readiness and postsecondary and workforce readiness descriptions, the preschool through elementary and secondary education standards, and the aligned assessments, and formulating recommendations concerning the reallocation of state resources and the identification of additional state resources for said implementation; and
(d) Reviewing the school readiness description, the preschool through elementary and secondary education standards, the postsecondary and workforce readiness description, the assessments aligned with the descriptions and standards, and the criteria for diploma endorsements, and making recommendations for revisions to the state board and the commission.
(4) Each regional service area may submit to the state board and the commission the recommendations arising from the regional educator meetings held in the regional service area. The state board and the commission shall take the recommendations into account in fulfilling their duties pursuant to this part 10. In addition, a regional service area may submit any recommendations for legislative changes to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate, or any successor committees.
Source: L. 2008: Entire part added, p. 756, � 1, effective May 14. L. 2023: IP(2), (2)(c), and (2)(d) amended and (2)(e) added, (SB 23-008), ch. 113, p. 404, � 2, effective August 7.