NOTE: This bill has been prepared for the signatures of the appropriate legislative officers and the Governor. To determine whether the Governor has signed the bill or taken other action on it, please consult the legislative status sheet, the legislative history, or the Session Laws. HOUSE BILL 15-1184 BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Lontine, Conti, Fields, Ginal, Lundeen, Neville P., Pabon, Ransom, Rosenthal, Saine, Young, Duran, Klingenschmitt, Pettersen, Priola, Roupe, Sias, Tate, Van Winkle; also SENATOR(S) Hill, Baumgardner, Cooke, Crowder, Grantham, Heath, Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Roberts, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Todd, Woods, Cadman. Concerning the operation of charter school networks. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 22-30.5-104.7 as follows: 22-30.5-104.7. Charter school networks - authority - definitions. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, "charter school network" means a charter school pursuant to this part 1, an institute charter school pursuant to part 5 of this article, or a charter school authorized by the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind, any of which subsequently organizes an additional school or schools pursuant to the same statutory authority. A charter school network is responsible for governance, oversight, and monitoring of compliance and performance for each school, as required by the charter contract or contracts and by applicable state or federal laws. (2) Notwithstanding any provision of this article to the contrary, a charter school network: (a) May hold one or more charter contracts through one or more authorizers for purposes of operating more than one school; (b) May be governed by a single governing body; (c) May use one or more charter contracts if the charter school network operates more than one school through the same authorizer; except that, if more than one school holding a distinct school code assigned by the department operates under the same contract, the authorizer is: (I) Obligated to separately accredit each school; and (II) Legally empowered to not renew, revoke, or otherwise take action with respect to each school without being obligated to take action toward another school operated by the charter school network; (d) Is authorized to make necessary and appropriate expenditures from any lawful source for central office purposes and to allocate funds among the schools that it operates, as permitted by law and consistent with the terms of the charter contract. A charter school network: (I) Shall not spend additional local revenues authorized pursuant to sections 22-54-107.5, 22-54-108, and 22-54-108.5 or proceeds from bonded indebtedness incurred pursuant to article 42 of this title that are allocated for a school authorized by one authorizer to support a school authorized by a different authorizer; (II) Shall account for all additional local revenues authorized pursuant to sections 22-54-107.5, 22-54-108, and 22-54-108.5 or proceeds from bonded indebtedness incurred pursuant to article 42 of this title and their expenditure and shall report the expenditures separately, as needed, to demonstrate that the funds have been expended appropriately. (III) Commencing July 1, 2015, comply with section 22-44-304 (1) (d) in reporting expenditures at the local education provider and school-site level. (3) Nothing in this section affects the process for granting or denying a request for a separate or new school code to any one school within a charter school network. (4) Nothing in this section allows a charter school network to open a school without authorizer consent as part of the application process pursuant to section 22-30.5-107, 22-30.5-510, or 22-80-102 (4) (b). (5) The authorizer of a school that is part of a charter school network shall collect, analyze, and report data from state assessments in accordance with statute, state board rules, and school district or state charter school institute performance frameworks for each school operated by the charter school network. The charter school network shall report the performance of each school as a separate school and each school must be held independently accountable for its performance. SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 5, 2015, if adjournment sine die is on May 6, 2015); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2016 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor. ________________________________________________________ Dickey Lee Hullinghorst Bill L. Cadman SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PRESIDENT OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE ____________________________ ____________________________ Marilyn Eddins Cindi L. Markwell CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE SECRETARY OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE APPROVED________________________________________ _________________________________________ John W. Hickenlooper GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF COLORADO