Committee advances bill to stabilize funding and eligibility for alternative education campuses

Summary

The House Education Committee voted to send HB 11-67 to the Appropriations Committee after adopting amendments that change how Alternative Education Campus (AEC) eligibility and post‑October enrollment reporting are handled; sponsors and advocates said the bill protects small schools that serve high‑risk students.

The House Education Committee voted to send House Bill 11‑67, a measure aimed at stabilizing funding and preserving the designation of alternative education campuses (AECs), to the Appropriations Committee.

The bill would direct the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to give priority points to AECs when administering state grants, allow limited, temporary dips in the AEC high‑risk enrollment threshold without losing designation, require an annual study of enrollment that occurs after the official October count, and clarify that students up to age 21 remain eligible for AEC services.

AECs serve student populations that meet the state’s high‑risk criteria; proponents said the campuses are often the last chance to keep students on a path to graduation. Representative Monica Valdez, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee, “These are really important because, like I said, they are really, a last sometimes, stop for somebody before they leave our education system entirely.”

Supp…

Committee advances bill to stabilize funding and eligibility for alternative education campuses

Summary

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