Legislative Communication

Maintain a strong relationship with our legislative leaders through direct meetings with the Board of Education, superintendent, his administrative staff, district lobbyist, and key district committees, e.g., District Accountability Committee. Confer with other school district leaders with similar concerns and legislative agendas.

Governance 

Support legislation that reinforces the role and constitutional authority of the Board of Education for the: 

• leadership of the learning environment
• implementation of curriculum 
• the configuration of school facilities 
• selection of textbooks and materials 
• instructional delivery 
• decision-making for local choice options 
• staffing 
• creation of necessary programs, which create a safe and academically rich opportunity for it students, and 
• generation and allocation of the resources necessary to accomplish its vision, mission and goals

Employment

Support legislation that reinforces the ability of local boards of education to work on behalf of the community and employees to recruit, retain, and structure comprehension systems which are sensitive to performance and labor market supply and demand.

Support legislation that improves the process for teacher contract renewal and employment rights.

Support legislation that will expand employment for areas where a school district has declared a critical shortage or inability to hire qualified staff. 

School Finance Funding

Support legislation that acknowledges the fixed costs that declining enrollment school districts face when trying to provide a quality education and necessary services for its students.

Oppose any state or external effort to control school district spending because it deprives school boards of the important decision-making ability for which they were elected. School boards must be able to develop their own plan for expenditures of revenue based on the unique needs and circumstance of their district and students and should not be mandated to use any specific type of formula for monetary distribution.
 
Support legislative efforts to enhance the adequacy of per pupil public education funding levels.
 
Support legislation that halts the practice of double-reserving TABOR funds, i.e. 3 percent of school district total program funding held in reserve at both the state and at the district level.

Support legislation that increases funding for district capital needs and technology infrastructure costs.
 
Support legislation that increases the percent from 20 percent to 25 percent above state authorized per pupil revenue that a district may approach its voters to authorize.

Support legislation ensuring that any non-public school, funded in-whole or in-part through the state or local taxpayer funds, meet the requirements of state accountability, accreditation, and assessment standards.

Monitor and advocate for the actuarial capacity of the State’s Education Fund to effectively finance the annual increases in per pupil funding per the requirements of Amendment 23.

Categorical Funding

Support legislation that appropriately funds categoricals including special education, transportation, English language learners, career and technical education.

Support legislation that: 

• Accurately accounts for the excess cost of disabled student education. 
• Provides funding to offset the impact on a district’s per pupil funding to account for special
  education. 
• Avoids shifting further burden on excess costs onto school districts. 

Other

Support legislation that provides improved state funding for increased teacher quality and staff development.

Support legislation that would streamline and reduce the amount of data school districts are required to provide that is not directly linked to student achievement.
 
Support legislation that set standards for online learning equivalent to standards for students attending traditional schools. These students should be reported to and tracked by the Colorado Department of Education similar to traditional students including non-completion rates.

Support legislation that would improve the meaning of reported drop- out rate calculations. This legislation may include broadening the definition of “adequate documentation” of student transfers and inclusion of graduate equivalency diploma (GED).