News Release

School and district ratings to remain the same this year

Extension of K-3 teacher training requirement to be considered next week

DENVER – The Colorado State Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting Wednesday and Thursday extended the school and district ratings assigned in 2019 to this year. With the cancellation of state assessments in spring 2020, the accountability system was paused by Gov. Jared Polis’ Executive Order in March and later codified by the legislature in the School Finance Act. Districts and schools will not receive performance framework reports or updated plan types in 2020. 

Extension considered for READ Act K-3 teacher training 
In response to the challenges teaching are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the board considered providing kindergarten through third-grade teachers with a six-month extension to meet the READ Act requirement to complete evidence-based training in teaching reading. The board will take up the proposal again during a special meeting scheduled for Nov. 19. 

About 23,000 teachers in Colorado must complete the training, as required by changes the legislature made in 2019 to the READ Act. The legislation requires teachers to complete the training before the beginning of the 2021-22 school year and provides an allowance for CDE to grant a one-year extension if districts demonstrate a good cause for their inability to comply. The proposal considered by the board would extend the deadline to January 2022. 

In other action, the board declined to consider a district waiver application from the Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services. The Innovation Schools Act gives only districts -- not BOCES -- the ability to request waivers from certain state statutes, so the board found the BOCES to be ineligible for the waivers under state statute.

News Release 

State Board of Education adjusts budget reduction proposal 

Revised CDE budget identifies $11.5 million in proposed reductions for fiscal year 2021-22

DENVER –  The State Board of Education during a special meeting today revised the Department of Education’s budget proposal for the 2021-22 fiscal year to include a total of $11.5 million in proposed reductions.   

During its regular meeting earlier this month, the board identified $29 million in reductions to education grant programs and the department’s operating expenses, an amount equal to 10% of CDE’s discretionary budget. Those reductions were identified in response to a request for state agencies to identify a 10% reduction in their budgets because of the economic decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the most recent state budget forecast being more optimistic, the board fully restored proposed reductions in the School Counselor Corp Program, Concurrent Enrollment Expansion Grant, Career Development Incentives Program, Innovative Learning Opportunity Pilot, P-TECH and ASCENT. In addition, proposed cuts were reduced for BEST Cash Grants and Capital to Charter School Facilities.
 
The complete revised budget reduction proposal is available on the website. 

The revised budget reduction proposal will be submitted to the legislature in November for its consideration during the 2021 session.

###

News Release

DENVER – The State Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting advanced a proposal to the legislature to reduce the 2021-22 budget for education programs and CDE operations by $29 million. The proposed reductions meet the request for state agencies to identify a 10% reduction in their budgets in response to the economic decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The proposed reductions were designed to minimize impact on literacy programs, prioritize support for struggling schools and protect the state’s most vulnerable students.

The proposal continues reductions made by the legislature in the 2020-21 budget to the Computer Science Courses Grant Program, School Counselor Corp Grant and the Local School Food Purchasing Grant. 

In addition, the proposal would trim the BEST Cash Grant program by $8,952,444, and reduce capital for charter schools by $3,182,076. The proposal also would save $1,014,000 by suspending social studies assessments that are typically given on a sampling basis to fourth and seventh graders. The proposal also reduces $500,000 from the Concurrent Enrollment Expansion Program and a $2 million reduction in the Career Development Incentives grant.

The proposal includes a $885,000 reduction in CDE operations and $972,000 in personnel. A full list of the proposed reductions is available on the website. 

Computer science grants for teacher training approved
In other action, the board approved the $335,000 in Computer Science Teacher Education Grants for the 2020-21 school year, including training provided through districts and coordinated by CDE.  The grants are designed to expand teachers’ capacity to provide instruction in computer science. 

Board supports governor’s budget request for Imagination Library 
The board voted to support Gov. Jared Polis’ budget request of $410,000 to establish the Colorado Imagination Library program. Colorado has 26 local communities participating in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a voluntary program that provides an age-appropriate book every month to participating children ages 0 to 5.