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LAW |
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Year Passed |
1993; last amended in 2008.
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Rank |
7th strongest of the nation's 40 charter laws. |
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Grade |
B |
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GENERAL DATA |
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Independent authorizer limited in approval authority
Funding is not 100 percent guaranteed, but facilities assistance helps bridge the gap
Autonomous charter schools are held accountable |
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MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS - YES (2) |
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Approval |
School boards. The Colorado Charter School Institute (CCSI) may authorize schools in districts that have not retained exclusive authority to grant charters. (CCSI is not fully independent from state education department.) |
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Appeal |
Yes. Denied applications may be appealed to the State Board of Education, which may remand the decision back to the school board for reconsideration. A second denial may be appealed to the state board, which may instruct the local board to approve the charter. The decision of the state board shall be final and not subject to further review. |
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NUMBER OF SCHOOLS ALLOWED |
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Cap |
No cap |
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OPERATIONAL AUTONOMY |
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State |
Yes. Waiver requests considered by state on a case-by-case basis. Virtual schools are allowed. Management contracts with ESPs are not restricted. |
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Local |
Yes. Exemptions from district policies must be negotiated and specified in charter. Degree of fiscal autonomy depends on the school's sponsor. |
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Teacher Freedom |
Yes. Teachers may remain covered by the district bargaining agreement, negotiate as a separate unit with the charter school governing body, or work independently. Charter schools must participate in state's retirement system. |
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EQUITY |
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Student Funding |
At least 95 percent of the average per pupil revenue follows students. In districts of 500 or fewer students, only 85 percent of the district per pupil revenue is guaranteed.
Additional funding is negotiated with school sponsor.
For district approved schools, funds pass through district. For CCSI sponsored schools, funds pass through the state.
Average per pupil revenue - $6,836
"
each charter school and the chartering school district shall negotiate funding under the contract. The charter school shall receive one hundred percent of the district per pupil revenues for each pupil enrolled in the charter school who is not an on-line pupil and one hundred percent of the district per pupil on-line funding for each on-line pupil enrolled in the charter school; except that the chartering school district may choose to retain the actual amount of the charter school's per pupil share of the central administrative overhead costs for services actually provided to
the charter school, up to five percent of the district per pupil revenues for each pupil who is not an on-line pupil enrolled in the charter school and up to five percent of the district per pupil on-line funding for each on-line pupil enrolled in the charter school." [C.R.S. 22-30.5-112(2)(a)(III)] |
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Facilities Funding |
Yes. The Charter School Facilities Financing Act requires a portion of funds (currently $5 million) to be distributed to charters for use in funding capital construction. [C.R.S. 22-30.5-401] |
