2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 22 - EDUCATION (§§ 22-1-101 — 22-108-109) › SCHOOL DISTRICTS (§§ 22-30-101 — 22-38-115) › Article 30.5 - Charter Schools (§§ 22-30.5-101 — 22-30.5-704) › Part 5 - INSTITUTE CHARTER SCHOOLS (§§ 22-30.5-501 — 22-30.5-530) › Section 22-30.5-513 - Institute charter schools - funding - at-risk supplemental aid - legislative declaration - definitions

(1)
As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a)
"Accounting district" means the school district within whose geographic boundaries an institute charter school is physically located.
(b)
(I)
"Accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues" means the greater of:
(A)
The accounting district's per pupil funding plus the accounting district's at-risk per pupil funding plus the accounting district's English language learner per pupil funding; or
(B)
Minimum per pupil funding as calculated pursuant to section
22-54-104
(3.5)(d).
(II)
Notwithstanding any provision of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (b) to the contrary, in a budget year in which an accounting district receives minimum per pupil funding as calculated pursuant to section
22-54-104
(3.5)(d), "accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues" means minimum per pupil funding as calculated pursuant to section
22-54-104
(3.5)(d).
(c)
"Accounting district's at-risk funding" means the amount of funding for at-risk pupils in the accounting district determined in accordance with the applicable at-risk funding formula described pursuant to article 54 of this title 22.
(d)
"Accounting district's at-risk per pupil funding" means the amount of funding determined in accordance with the following formula:
(The accounting district's at-risk funding divided by the accounting district's funded pupil count) x (the institute charter school's percentage of at-risk pupils divided by the accounting district's percentage of at-risk pupils).
(d.2)
"Accounting district's English language learner funding" means the amount of funding for English language learner pupils in the accounting district determined in accordance with the applicable English language learner funding formula described pursuant to article 54 of this title 22.
(d.4)
"Accounting district's English language learner per pupil funding" means the amount of funding determined in accordance with the following formula:
(The accounting district's English language learner funding divided by the accounting district's funded pupil count) x (the institute charter school's percentage of English language learner pupils divided by the accounting district's percentage of English language learner pupils).
(e)
"Accounting district's funded pupil count" means the funded pupil count determined pursuant to article 54 of this title 22.
(f)
"Accounting district's per pupil funding" means the per pupil funding calculated for the accounting district pursuant to the formula described in section
22-54-104 (3)
.
(g)
"Accounting district's per pupil online funding" means the online funding formula described pursuant to article 54 of this title 22 for any budget year divided by the online pupil enrollment.
(h)
"Administrative overhead costs" means all actual and reasonable costs incurred by the institute as a result of its performance of its obligations pursuant to this part 5. "Administrative overhead costs" shall not include any costs incurred in order to deliver services that an institute charter school may purchase at its discretion.
(i)
"At-risk pupils" shall have the same meaning as provided in section
22-54-103
(1.5).
(i.5)
"English language learner pupils" has the same meaning as provided in section
22-54-103
(6.5).
(j)
"Online pupil enrollment" means:
(I)
Repealed.
(II)
For the 2008-09 budget year, and for budget years thereafter, the number of pupils, on the pupil enrollment count day within the applicable budget year, enrolled in, attending, and actively participating in a multi-district online school, as defined in section
22-30.7-102 (6)
, created pursuant to article
30.7
of this title by the institute charter school.
(k)
"Pupil enrollment" shall have the same meaning as provided in section
22-54-103 (10)
.
(l)
"Qualified charter school" shall have the same meaning as provided in section
22-54-124 (1)
(f.6).
(2)
(a)
As part of the charter contract, the institute charter school and the institute shall agree on funding and any services to be provided by the institute or by other parties to the institute charter school.
(b)
For budget year 2004-05 and budget years thereafter, each institute charter school and the institute shall negotiate funding under the charter contract at a minimum of ninety-five percent of the institute charter school's accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues for each pupil enrolled in the institute charter school who is not an online pupil and ninety-five percent of the institute charter school's accounting district's per pupil online funding for each online pupil enrolled in the institute charter school. The institute may retain three percent of the accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues for each pupil, who is not an online pupil, enrolled in the institute charter school and three percent of the accounting district's per pupil online funding for each online pupil enrolled in the institute charter school.
(b.5)
For purposes of calculating an institute charter school's funding pursuant to this subsection (2):
(I)
If the institute charter school operates a full-day kindergarten educational program, the pupils enrolled in the program are counted as full-day pupils; except that a student enrolled as less than a full-time pupil is counted in accordance with rules promulgated by the state board; and
(II)
If the institute charter school operates a half-day kindergarten educational program, the pupils enrolled in the program are counted as half-day pupils and the number of pupils enrolled in the institute charter school must include the supplemental kindergarten enrollment as defined in section
22-54-103 (15)
.
(c)
Each institute charter school shall pay an amount equal to the per pupil cost incurred by the institute in providing federally required educational services, multiplied by the number of students enrolled in the institute charter school. At either party's request, the institute charter school and the institute may negotiate and include in the charter contract alternate arrangements for the provision of and payment for federally required educational services, including, but not necessarily limited to, a reasonable reserve not to exceed five percent of the institute's total budget for providing federally required educational services. The reserve shall only be used by the institute to offset excess costs of providing services to students with disabilities enrolled in any institute charter school.
(d)
(I)
Within ninety days after the end of each fiscal year, the institute shall provide to each institute charter school an itemized accounting of all the institute's administrative overhead costs.
(II)
Within ninety days after the end of each fiscal year, the institute shall provide to each institute charter school an itemized accounting of all the actual costs of any additional services the institute charter school chose at its discretion to purchase as provided in paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of this section. Any difference between the amount initially charged to the institute charter school and the actual cost shall be reconciled and paid to the owed party.
(e)
(I)
An institute charter school shall not charge the parent of a child enrolled in a kindergarten educational program tuition to attend any portion of the program and shall not charge the parent fees for the child to attend the program other than fees that are routinely charged to the parents of students enrolled in other grades and are applicable to the kindergarten educational program.
(II)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (2)(e)(I) of this section to the contrary, if the general assembly amends the "Public School Finance Act of 2025", article
54
of this title 22, to count a student enrolled in kindergarten only as a half-day pupil, with or without the addition of supplemental kindergarten enrollment as defined in section
22-54-103 (15)
for purposes of calculating the funded pupil count as determined pursuant to article 54 of this title 22, an institute charter school may charge the student's parents tuition or a fee for the portion of the school day for which it does not receive funding for the student pursuant to the "Public School Finance Act of 2025"; except that the amount of tuition or fee charged must not exceed the amount of tuition or fee that the institute charter school charged to attend a full-day kindergarten educational program for the 2018-19 budget year, adjusted for inflation and prorated by the percentage of the school day for which the student is no longer funded by the "Public School Finance Act of 2025". As used in this subsection (2)(e)(II), "inflation" means the annual percentage change in the United States department of labor bureau of labor statistics consumer price index for Denver-Aurora-Lakewood for all items paid by all urban consumers, or its applicable successor index.
(3)
(a)
On or before November 10 of each year, the institute shall certify to the state board each institute charter school's pupil enrollment and online pupil enrollment for that year. In certifying the pupil enrollment of each institute charter school to the state board, the institute shall specify the number of pupils enrolled in half-day kindergarten; the number of pupils enrolled in full-day kindergarten; the number of pupils enrolled in first grade through twelfth grade, specifying those who are enrolled as full-time students and those who are enrolled as less than full-time students; the number of expelled pupils receiving educational services pursuant to section
22-33-203
; the number of pupils receiving educational programs under the "Exceptional Children's Educational Act", article
20
of this title; and the number of at-risk pupils. The institute shall also notify the department as to whether each institute charter school is a qualified charter school.
(b)
For purposes of the "Public School Finance Act of 2025", article 54 of this title 22, the department shall add the pupils enrolled in an institute charter school to the funded pupil count and the online pupil enrollment of the institute charter school's accounting district.
(4)
(a)
(I)
For each institute charter school, the department shall withhold from the state equalization payments of the institute charter school's accounting district an amount equal to one hundred percent of the accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues multiplied by the number of pupils enrolled in the institute charter school who are not online pupils plus an amount equal to one hundred percent of the accounting district's per pupil online funding multiplied by the number of online pupils enrolled in the institute charter school. The department shall forward to the institute the amount withheld minus an amount not to exceed one percent of the amount withheld that the department may retain as reimbursement for the reasonable and necessary costs to the department to implement the provisions of this part 5.
(I.5)
The institute shall forward to each institute charter school an amount equal to the institute charter school's pupil enrollment multiplied by the accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues of the institute charter school's accounting district, minus:
(A)
The amount withheld not to exceed one percent retained by the department pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a);
(B)
Repealed.
(C)
Any amount agreed to by the institute and the institute charter school for repayment of a loan to the institute charter school from the institute charter school assistance fund created in section
22-30.5-515.5
;
(D)
Any amount withheld pursuant to section
22-30.5-406
for the direct payments made by the state treasurer of principal and interest due on bonds issued on behalf of the institute charter school by a governmental entity for the purpose of financing institute charter school capital construction;
(E)
An amount equal to three percent of the amount calculated for the institute charter school pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a), which amount shall be credited to the account created pursuant to section
22-30.5-506 (4)
and used to offset administrative overhead costs; and
(F)
The amount agreed to in the institute charter contract for any additional services, as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (4).
(II)
Repealed.
(b)
As part of the institute charter school contract, the institute charter school and the institute board shall agree on the services, other than necessary administration, oversight, and management services, to be provided to the institute charter school by any third party with which the institute or institute charter school contracts and the costs of the services.
(c)
For budget years 2004-05 through 2010-11, the amount of funding specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (4) shall reflect the one-percent increase in the statewide base per pupil funding for state fiscal years 2001-02 through 2010-11 received by school districts as required by section 17 of article IX of the state constitution.
(d)
Repealed.
(4.5)
(a)
For the 2012-13 budget year and each budget year thereafter, the general assembly shall appropriate to the charter school institute the amount calculated for at-risk supplemental aid pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subsection (4.5) for each institute charter school whose percentage of at-risk pupils is less than the percentage of at-risk pupils in the accounting district. At-risk supplemental aid is additional funding and does not supplant any other funding allocated pursuant to this section. The charter school institute shall pass through one hundred percent of an institute charter school's at-risk supplemental aid to the institute charter school.
(b)
The institute charter school's at-risk supplemental aid is equal to one-half of the difference between one hundred percent of the accounting district's per pupil revenues and one hundred percent of the accounting district's adjusted per pupil revenues for each pupil enrolled in the district charter school, not including online pupils or pupils enrolled in the ASCENT or TREP program.
(c)
For purposes of this subsection (4.5), unless the context otherwise requires, "accounting district's per pupil revenues" has the same meaning as the term "district per pupil revenues" defined in section
22-30.5-112
.
(d)
If the appropriation to the charter school institute is insufficient to fund one hundred percent of the at-risk supplemental aid calculated pursuant to this subsection (4.5), the charter school institute shall reduce each institute charter school's at-risk supplemental aid proportionately.
(5)
(Deleted by amendment, L. 2009, (SB 09-089), ch. 2435, p. 2435, § 4, effective June 4, 2009.)
(5.5)
(a)
Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, if a district charter school converts to an institute charter school pursuant to section
22-30.5-510
, the converted school's per pupil revenues or adjusted per pupil revenues, whichever is applicable, and at-risk supplemental aid continue to be calculated pursuant to section
22-30.5-112
or
22-30.5-112.1
, whichever is applicable, and section
22-30.5-112.2
, as the funding applied to the converted school before the conversion; except that this subsection (5.5) does not apply if the converted school was authorized by a small rural school district, as described in section
22-54-108 (3)(b)(IV)
, before the conversion.
(b)
Repealed.
(6)
(a)
The governing body of an institute charter school is authorized to accept gifts, donations, or grants of any kind made to the institute charter school and to expend or use said gifts, donations, or grants in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the donor; however, no gift, donation, or grant shall be accepted by the governing body if subject to any condition contrary to law or contrary to the terms of the charter contract between the institute charter school and the institute.
(b)
Moneys received by an institute charter school from any source and remaining in the institute charter school's accounts at the end of a budget year shall remain in the institute charter school's accounts for use by the institute charter school during subsequent budget years and shall not revert to the state. Moneys remaining in the institute charter school's accounts upon revocation or nonrenewal of the charter contract shall revert to the institute; except that any gifts shall be disposed of in accordance with any conditions prescribed by the donor that are not contrary to law.
(7) and (8)
Repealed.
(9)
(a)
For the 2004-05 budget year, and for each budget year thereafter, the proportionate share of moneys generated under federal or state categorical aid programs shall be directed to institute charter schools serving students eligible for such aid.
(b)
Each institute charter school that receives federal or state categorical aid shall comply with all applicable federal and state reporting requirements to receive such aid.
(10)
(a)
On or before December 1, 2009, and on or before December 1 each year thereafter, a representative from the governing board of each institute charter school and the institute board shall meet to review the level of funding received by the institute as a result of the moneys withheld by the institute for the amount of actual costs incurred by the institute in providing necessary administration, oversight, and management services to the institute charter schools. The institute charter school representatives and the institute board shall, at a minimum, review, for each budget year beginning with the 2004-05 budget year, the amount of moneys annually appropriated to the institute, the amount of costs incurred by the institute, and the services provided by the institute.
(b)
Notwithstanding section
24-1-136 (11)(a)(I)
, on or before January 15, 2010, and on or before January 15 each year thereafter, the institute board shall submit to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, the findings of the review described in subsection (10)(a) of this section and any recommendations for legislative changes regarding the operations of the institute.
(c)
The provisions of this subsection (10) shall not be interpreted as limiting the authority of the institute or the institute board in making decisions concerning operations of the institute or the use of institute moneys.
(11)
(a)
For the 2022-23 budget year, the general assembly shall appropriate three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars from the general fund to the institute to distribute to eligible institute charter schools.
(b)
As used in this subsection (11), "eligible institute charter school" means an institute charter school, at least fifty percent of the student population of which receives special education services through the administrative unit of the institute.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 236,§ 38, eff. 5/23/2024.
Amended by 2023 Ch. 303,§ 27, eff. 8/7/2023.
Amended by 2022 Ch. 242, § 10, eff. 8/10/2022.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 246, § 8, eff. 9/7/2021.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 222,§ 32, eff. 6/11/2021.
Amended by 2021 Ch. 222,§ 13, eff. 6/11/2021.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 245, § 7, eff. 5/21/2019.
Amended by 2017 Ch. 242, § 12, eff. 8/9/2017.
Amended by 2016 Ch. 271, § 6, eff. 8/10/2016.
Amended by 2014 Ch. 244, § 11, eff. 5/21/2014.
Amended by 2013 Ch. 71, § 2, eff. 3/22/2013.
L. 2004: Entire part added, p. 1611, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2006: (1) R&RE, (2)(b) and (4)(a) amended, and (7) and (8) repealed, pp. 572, 573, 574, §§ 1, 3, 4, effective April 24. L. 2007: (1)(g) amended, p. 744, § 25, effective May 9; (1)(g) and (1)(j) amended, pp. 1091, 1086, §§ 21, 9, effective July 1. L. 2009: (4)(a) and (5) amended and (10) added, (SB 09-089), ch. 2435, p. 2435, § 4, effective June 4; (1)(j)(I) repealed, (SB 09-292), ch. 1962, p. 1962, § 59, effective August 5. L. 2010: (4)(a)(I.5)(B) and (4)(a)(I.5)(C) amended and (4)(d) added, (SB 10-111), ch. 170, pp. 602, 604, §§ 7, 14, effective August 11. L. 2012: (1)(j)(II) amended, (HB 12 -1090), ch. 151, p. 151, § 9, effective March 22; (2)(b), (2)(d)(I), and (4)(a)(I.5)(E) amended, (SB 12-121), ch. 640, p. 640, § 9, effective May 11; (4.5) added, (HB 12-1345), ch. 723, p. 723, § 9, effective May 19; (1)(j)(II) amended and (2)(b.5) added, (HB 12-1240), ch. 258, pp. 1317, 1311, §§ 32, 12, effective June 4. L. 2013: (4)(a)(I.5)(B) and (4)(d) repealed, (SB 13 -143), ch. 228, p. 228, § 2, effective March 22. L. 2014: (1)(b) amended, (HB 14-1298), ch. 925, p. 925, § 11, effective May 21. L. 2016: (5.5) added, (SB 16-208), ch. 1126, p. 1126, § 6, effective August 10. L. 2017: (10)(b) amended, (HB 17-1267), ch. 996, p. 996, § 12, effective August 9. L. 2019: (2)(b.5) amended and (2)(e) added, (HB 19-1262), ch. 245, p. 2398, § 7, effective May 21. L. 2021: (1)(b)(I)(A) amended, (1)(d.2), (1)(d.4), and (1)(i.5) added, and (5.5)(b) repealed, (SB 21-268), ch. 222, pp. 1193, 1175, §§ 32, 13, effective June 11; (4.5)(b) amended, (SB 21-185), ch. 1334, p. 1334, § 8, effective September 7.
(1) Amendments to subsection (1)(g) by Senate Bill 07-199 and Senate Bill 07-215 were harmonized.
(2) Subsection (4)(a)(II)(B) provided for the repeal of subsection (4)(a)(II), effective July 1, 2008. (See L. 2006, p. 573.)
(3) Amendments to (1)(j)(II) by House Bill 12-1090 and House Bill 12-1240 were harmonized.
2023 Ch. 303, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
2022 Ch. 242, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).
2021 Ch. 246, was passed without a safety clause. See Colo. Const. art. V, § 1(3).