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

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.”

Supporters said the measure addresses multiple funding and stability problems. Vice Chair Brett Martinez said the bill “directs Colorado Department of Education to allocate priority points to AECs when administering state grants, ensuring that administrative capacity does not become a barrier to securing much needed resources.” He and Valdez said the bill also protects AEC designation from short‑term enrollment fluctuations and orders CDE to study post‑October enrollment trends so late‑arriving students are not left out of funding considerations.

Panel witnesses said the bill responds to real, programmatic needs. Pratik Datta, vice president of policy for the League of Charter Schools, urged the committee to support the measure and told members a student success story as an example of AEC impact: “For Maria and students like her, I urge a yes vote on 11 67.” Steven Bartholomew, executive director of New Legacy Charter School, described his campus’s experience and asked lawmakers to prevent a one‑year dip from costing a school its AEC status: “A synonym for alternative is possibilities. Please give these amazing students the chance to see their possibilities.” Megan Raines, director of government affairs for the Colorado Education Association, said AECs “provide a lifeline” for students who struggle in comprehensive high schools.

Committee members debated fiscal and technical details. Anna Gerstel of the Legislative Council staff said the sponsors’ amendments would reduce the bill’s reporting component fiscal note to about $9,000. Representative Johnson and others pressed sponsors on how the amendments changed the fiscal exposure; sponsors said they had worked with CDE to lower the fiscal note. Committee amendment L2 (adopted) replaced a fixed percentage fallback with a negotiated compromise that allows a one‑year dip below the 90% high‑risk threshold by a small fixed number of students (up to three students) so that small AECs are not immediately disqualified by normal enrollment churn.

Advocates provided quantitative context during testimony: sponsors and witnesses said there are 94 AECs statewide serving about 22,000 students; one witness said a Thornton campus enrolled 43 students after the October count this year, representing roughly $500,000 in per‑pupil funding that the campus did not receive because those students arrived after the count.

The committee adopted the amendments and voted to refer the bill to Appropriations. The roll call recorded Representative Johnson as the sole “no” vote; the committee report was recorded as passing 12‑1.

Next steps: HB 11‑67, as amended, will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee. Committee testimony and the adopted amendments indicate the bill’s immediate focus is preserving small AECs’ access to grant resources, reducing a short‑term funding cliff caused by enrollment timing, and improving the state’s data on late enrollments so funding and policy can be adjusted in future sessions.