Budget panel orders RFI after staff flags low testing, big online‑school costs

The Joint Budget Committee on Thursday asked staff to draft a Request for Information (RFI) asking the Department of Education for detailed information about online education enrollment, assessment participation and costs.

Ms. Bickel, a staff analyst presenting the department packet, told the committee that many online schools have far lower assessment participation than brick‑and‑mortar districts — roughly 23% participation in some online programs versus about 91% statewide — and that nearly half of online schools had insufficient data to evaluate performance. "Mostly what we know is that we don't know very much," she said, arguing that the lack of data raises both accountability and fiscal questions for the state.

Committee members pressed staff on who bears costs and whether districts or private providers are profiting from online programs. Ms. Bickel described a common structure in which national course providers supply course content, a teacher of record is paid per student, and districts may collect per‑student payments that can substantially exceed the apparent cost of delivering the course. She recommended the RFI to examine unit costs, district revenue flows, use of Colorado Empowered Learning course pools and the adequacy of current oversight.

Representative Taggart asked the RFI to include post‑secondary outcomes for students who attend online schools. Ms. Bickel said transcript linkage and clearinghouse data could be used where available, but cautioned that data gaps will limit some conclusions.

The committee voted 6–0 to approve staff's motion to request the RFI. The item is intended to inform pending budget decisions and possible legislative changes in the coming session.