Second Regular Session Sixty-ninth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. 14-0790.01 Julie Pelegrin x2700 HOUSE BILL 14-1212 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Wilson, SENATE SPONSORSHIP (None), House Committees Senate Committees Education A BILL FOR AN ACT Concerning funding for school districts that provide full-day kindergarten programs. Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.) Under current law, students who are enrolled in kindergarten are counted as half-day pupils for purposes of school finance, and each school district receives an additional .08 of a full-day pupil for each kindergarten pupil. The bill increases the supplemental full-day kindergarten enrollment to an additional .50, or a full-day pupil, for each school district that provides a full-day kindergarten program to all students whose parents choose to enroll their children in the full-day kindergarten program. All other school districts will continue to receive the additional .08 of supplemental kindergarten enrollment. A school district that counts for a full day of kindergarten is no longer eligible to receive hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-54-103, amend (10) (f) and (15) as follows: 22-54-103. Definitions. As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires: (10) (f) In certifying the district's pupil enrollment to the state board pursuant to the provisions of section 22-54-112, the district shall specify the number of pupils enrolled in half-day and full-day kindergarten; the number of pupils enrolled in first grade through twelfth grade, specifying those who are enrolled as full-time pupils and those who are enrolled as less than full-time pupils; the number of expelled pupils receiving educational services pursuant to section 22-33-203; the number of pupils enrolled in the district's preschool program; 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. (15) "Supplemental kindergarten enrollment" means the number calculated by subtracting five-tenths from the full-day kindergarten factor for the applicable budget year and then multiplying said number by the number of pupils in the district who are enrolled in kindergarten for the applicable budget year. For the purposes of this subsection (15), the full-day kindergarten factor for the 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 budget years and each budget year thereafter through the 2013-14 budget year is fifty-eight hundredths of a full-day pupil. For 2014-15 budget year and budget years thereafter, the full-day kindergarten factor for a district that provides a full-day kindergarten program for all students whose parents choose to enroll their children in the full-day kindergarten program is 1.00; the full-day kindergarten factor for all other districts is fifty-eight hundredths of a full-day pupil. SECTION 2. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-54-130, amend (1) as follows: 22-54-130. Hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding. (1) (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (1), for the 2008-09 budget year and each budget year thereafter, a district that participated in the Colorado preschool program pursuant to article 28 of this title in the 2007-08 budget year and that served a percentage of children authorized to participate in the district's preschool program through a full-day kindergarten portion of the program in the 2007-08 budget year shall receive hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding pursuant to this section. The funding paid pursuant to this section shall be in addition to the funding for supplemental kindergarten enrollment that the district receives pursuant to section 22-54-103 (7) (d) or (7) (e). (b) For the 2014-15 budget year and budget years thereafter, in a budget year in which a school district receives a full-day kindergarten factor of 1.00 pursuant to section 22-54-103 (15), the school district shall not receive funding pursuant to this section. SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-54-131, amend (1), (2), (3), and (4) as follows: 22-54-131. Full-day kindergarten funding - guidelines - technical assistance - legislative intent - legislative declaration. (1) A district that, prior to the 2008-09 budget year, offered a full-day kindergarten program without additional state funding to some or all of the kindergarten pupils enrolled in the district is encouraged to use the moneys received from supplemental kindergarten enrollment pursuant to section 22-54-103 (7) (d) or (7) (e) and hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding pursuant to section 22-54-130 in the 2008-09 budget year and each budget year thereafter to expand the district's existing full-day kindergarten program rather than to defray the costs of the existing full-day kindergarten program. (2) In offering a full-day kindergarten program with the moneys received from supplemental kindergarten enrollment pursuant to section 22-54-103 (7) (d) or (7) (e) and hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding pursuant to section 22-54-130, a district is encouraged to follow the basic program standards established by the state board pursuant section 22-28-108 for the Colorado preschool program, as they may apply to a full-day kindergarten program. (3) In offering a full-day kindergarten program with the moneys received from supplemental kindergarten enrollment pursuant to section 22-54-103 (7) (d) or (7) (e) and hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding pursuant to section 22-54-130, a district is encouraged to prioritize children who are homeless when enrolling children in the full-day kindergarten program. (4) A district shall use the total amount received from supplemental kindergarten enrollment pursuant to section 22-54-103 (7) (d) or (7) (e) and hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding pursuant to section 22-54-130 to provide access to a full-day kindergarten program; except that in any budget year, if a district provides a full day of kindergarten to at least ninety percent of the pupils enrolled in kindergarten in the district who choose to attend a full day of kindergarten, the district may use the moneys from supplemental kindergarten enrollment and hold-harmless full-day kindergarten funding for purposes other than to provide access to a full-day kindergarten program. SECTION 4. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.