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May 18, 2023
HB 23-1025
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
Final Fiscal Note
Drafting Number:
Prime Sponsors:
LLS 23-0624
Rep. Taggart;
Michaelson Jenet
Sen. Rich
Date:
Bill Status:
Fiscal Analyst:
May 18, 2023
Signed into Law
John Armstrong | 303-866-6289
john.armstrong@coleg.gov
Bill Topic: CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION TIMELINES
Summary of
Fiscal Impact:
☐ State Revenue
☒ State Expenditure
☐ State Transfer
☐ TABOR Refund
☐ Local Government
☒ School District
The bill changes the application period each year for charter schools to submit
applications to local boards of education and adjusts associated deadlines. The bill
will minimally increase workload for the Department of Education and local school
districts.
Appropriation
Summary:
No appropriation is required.
Fiscal Note
Status:
The fiscal note reflects the enacted bill.
Summary of Legislation
The bill adjusts various deadlines associated with charter school applications filed with a local school
board on or after January 1, 2025. Under the bill, the charter school application process each year is
as follows:
from November 15 to January 15, school districts may issue requests for proposals for prospective
charter schools;
between February 1 and April 1, charter school applicants must file an application with a local
school board (under current law, local school boards must set a filing deadline between August 1
and October 1);
by June 30, local school boards must rule on charter school applications in a public hearing;
by September 30, or 90 days after a school board approves a charter school application by
resolution, whichever is later, the contract negotiation between the charter school and school
board must be concluded.
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May 18, 2023
HB 23-1025
Schools districts classified as rural or small rural by the Department of Education (CDE) may accept
charter school applications with the following modifications:
The dates for submission for a charter school application are contingent on the school district
having a method to receive applications. Applications for rural districts are accepted between
June 1 and August 1.
Review of the application by the school district accountability committee is not required.
The timeline for the local school boards to rule on the application is extended from June 30 to
October 15.
Further, the bill requires charter schools to use the fiscal and school year of July 1 to June 30 following
the filing of an application as a planning year prior to serving students. A local school board and a
charter school applicant may jointly extend these deadlines, and a local school board may apply for
waiver or modification of these deadlines from the State Board of Education.
State Expenditures
If local school boards and charter schools request a waiver or extension to the deadlines established
in the bill, the State Board of Education and the Schools of Choice Unit within the CDE will have an
increase in workload to process these requests. This workload can be accomplished within existing
appropriations.
School Districts
Local school boards and school districts may have a minimal increase in workload if they choose to
request a waiver to the deadlines established by the bill. Workload for school districts may also shift
within the fiscal year based on the new application schedule. Overall, these impacts to school districts
are assumed to be minimal.
Effective Date
The bill was signed into law by the Governor on April 25, 2023, and takes effect August 7, 2023,
assuming no referendum petition is filed. It applies to charter school applications filed after
December 31, 2023.
State and Local Government Contacts
Education Information Technology
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit: leg.colorado.gov/fiscalnotes.