State board to hold rulemaking hearing, discussions at its March 11-12 meeting

Healthy School Meals for All Rulemaking Hearing

The Colorado State Board of Education will hold a hearing on proposed updates to the Healthy School Meals for All rules so schools can receive the most federal funding possible and use current revenue to calculate grants. 

• View the proposed rules on our website.
• Written comments are due by March 4,
• People who want to speak at the hearing must sign up between noon March 4 and noon March 10; hearing times will be posted in the March 4 agenda. 
  • If the board does not unanimously approve the changes at the March hearing, it will discuss and may vote on them in April.
     

Rules for student restraint and seclusion discussions and possible votes:

The board will discuss and may vote on updated rules for student restraint and seclusion, which clarify when seclusion can be used and strengthen training, reporting, and the complaint process. 

Rules for Senate Bill 25-315 Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Programs discussion and possible vote

The board will discuss and may vote on new rules that set a formula for start-up funding for college and career readiness programs. 

• View the proposed rules on our website.
• No additional testimony will be taken on these two items, but written comments will be accepted until the final votes.

State board to hold rulemaking hearings at its April 8-9 meeting

Administration of the Educator Recruitment and Retention Program Rulemaking Hearing

The state board approved a public notice of rulemaking for the rules for the Administration of the Educator Recruitment and Retention Program, 1 CCR 301-113. Based on stakeholder feedback, the proposal would lower the maximum financial assistance award from $10,000 to $7,500.

• You can review the draft rules and share input on the Educator Talent Rules Feedback webpage before the April meeting.
• If you were unable to apply before the 2025-26 ERR funds were depleted, complete this interest form to help us fully report program demand. 

Administration of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Sustain Funding Rulemaking Hearing

The State Board of Education approved a public notice of rulemaking for the rules for the  Administration of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Sustain Funding, 1 CCR 301-117. These rules support the implementation of SB 25-315 which set up a new way to fund college and career readiness programs, including money to keep existing programs going. For the 2025–26 through 2027–28 budget years, we will use a formula (to be defined in these rules) to give funding to local education providers for eligible expenses related to maintaining and expanding programs for student “Big Three” outcomes: earned 12 college credits; earned an industry-recognized credential; participated in a quality work-based learning experience.

• View the proposed rules on our website.
• Take the informal feedback survey by Friday, March 6. 
• Register to share feedback and ask questions during a Zoom discussion on Wednesday, March 4 at 8 a.m.

For both April hearings, you can 

• Submit written comments on the rules through the board’s online feedback form, preferably by Wednesday, April 1. 
• To provide in-person or remote testimony during the hearing, sign up between noon on Wednesday, April 1, and noon on Tuesday, April 7.

Measles Update: On 2/27/26, CDPHE updated their Colorado  measles exposures information to with new locations including sites in Broomfield, Denver, Lafayette, Littleton, Louisville, and Westminster.

Download our Ramadan fact sheet to learn strategies to support Muslim students during Ramadan and Eid.

Interested in establishing a Military Auxiliary program (JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, Young Marines, or Sea Cadets)?

• Visit Military Auxiliary Programs or email alex.nikiforoff@dmva.state.co.us and alex.nuckols@dmva.state.co.us.

Updates to Race/Ethnicity data field updates for 2026–27 collections: We will update race and ethnicity data collection beginning in the 2026–27 school year to align with new state and federal requirements. We are taking a phased approach to meet both state and federal timelines and will share additional guidance as implementation continues.

• Two new data fields will be added: South Asian and Middle Eastern or North African.
• For federal reporting, South Asian will be combined with Asian, and Middle Eastern or North African will be combined with White, based on current definitions.
• A new state reporting category will also be calculated, with more information coming later this summer.
• Collections affected:
  • Interchanges: Special Education IEP, Staff, Student
  • Periodic collections: Designated Agency, Kindergarten School Readiness, READ, Student Restraint and Seclusion, WIDA ACCESS SBD.

We are partnering with WestEd to explore the feasibility of a Statewide Student Information System. If you work with data and state reporting complete the Statewide Student Information System interest and input form by April 24 and register for an in-person or virtual feedback session:

• Grand Junction: Wednesday, April 15, 9:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 
• Pueblo: Thursday, April 16, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Denver: Friday, April 17, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Virtual Session: Monday, April 20, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Contacts for questions: Jason Armstrong at armstrong_jason@cde.state.co.us or Sara Kock at skock@wested.org.

The Ed‑Flex Program gives Colorado districts a streamlined pathway to request relief from specific ESEA requirements. 

• Common waivers include the Title I 15 percent carryover cap and Title IV apportionment rules.
• We accept applications for waivers on a rolling basis.

The National Lieutenant Governors Association invites Colorado educators to apply for the Lt. Governors’ STEM Scholarship Program, by Friday, March 6.

• The award of up to $1,000 supports STEM projects, equipment, curriculum, or programs. 
• Teachers and project advisors from preK–12 public, private, state-accredited, and tribal schools are eligible.

The new educator retention dashboard offers a data-driven view of retention trends across Colorado public schools to help leaders make informed decisions that support and retain educators. 

• The dashboard uses annual HR data from all LEAs and identifies patterns in educator movement and retention.
• Contact for questions: EdTalentResearch@cde.state.co.us

The UIP template will roll over on Monday, April 15, from the 2025-26 template to the 2026-27 template.  Quality criteria and customized requirements for plans will also be updated for 2026-27.

• After April 15 school users will only have edit access to the UIP template for 2026-27.
• District users can still access, edit, and post 2025-26 UIPs.

The Alternative Education Campus application and renewal collection will open on March 18. 

• The Data Pipeline system will automatically upload pre-populated data for AECs reapplying for the 2026-27 school year.

Register for mini-training opportunities from the Prevent School Violence Team. 

• Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. The Secret Sauce to Success: How Family Partnerships Promote School Safety 
• Wednesday, May 13 at 9 a.m. Empowering Youth Voice and Peer-Led Initiatives to Promote School Safety

Apply for the 2026-27 Early Literacy Assessment Tool Project by April 15. 

• The ELAT Project supplies a FREE State Board-approved early literacy assessment tool to a school or district so that teachers may obtain real-time assessment of the reading skill levels of K-3 students.

The U.S. Department of Education invites high school students to participate in the Presidential 1776 Award, a national civics competition celebrating America’s 250th birthday. 

• Top students advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C., in June, with three winners earning scholarships totaling $250,000.

Looking to boost your attendance and engagement in 2026?  Save the dates for a free three-part virtual series grounded in research-based practices, developed in partnership with Attendance Works.  

• Register for the series on Thursdays, March 19, April 2, and April 16, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
• Contact for questions: Martha Fischhoff at fischhoff_m@cde.state.co.us.

Now open! Accepting 2026 English Learner Professional Development waiver applications

• The updated annual list of districts and Charter School Institute (CSI) charter schools eligible for the ELPD waiver is published on our website.
• Per State Board of Education rule, superintendents from eligible districts and directors of eligible CSI charter schools may apply for a waiver from this requirement for their educators if they have had an average English learner population of 2% or less over a three-year period.