Teachers in Rural Colorado

C.R.S. tit. 23, art. 76
in effect

C.R.S. § 23-76-101 Legislative declaration

23-76-101. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds that: (a) Teachers have a great impact on student achievement. Evidence shows that the quality of teachers can account for the majority of variances in student learning and test scores. (b) The teaching and learning conditions under which teachers practice their profession, though often overlooked, are essential elements to student achievement and retention. These conditions must be systematically studied and addressed for Colorado to develop a critical mass of teachers who are well prepared to teach and who will remain in hardest-to-staff schools long enough to make a significant difference for students and their families. (c) Research demonstrates that the negative effects of shortages of teachers and special services providers, as well as distribution challenges, have a disproportionate impact on geographic areas of the state that are classified as "rural". As a result, children in rural areas are more likely to be taught by fewer teachers who must cover an increasingly larger number of subjects and have limited access to critical support services offered by special services providers. (d) Approved alternative teacher preparation programs are critical for filling teacher shortages in rural schools and school districts across Colorado. Rural school leaders are able to place qualified teacher candidates, including members of their own communities, in classrooms through these alternative teacher preparation programs. Such programs provide the necessary support and coaching to an individual during his or her year-long training and allow alternative teacher candidates to earn initial teacher licensure while serving in classrooms. By helping to fill immediate needs in hard-to-staff rural schools and school districts, and by receiving the necessary training, alternative teacher candidates are able to create a positive, longitudinal impact on students and their families. (e) Since the beginning of alternative teacher preparation pathways in Colorado, the number of alternative teacher candidates has increased steadily, with one out of every four alternative teacher candidates now completing an alternative teacher preparation program. (2) The general assembly further finds and declares that, for purposes of section 17 of article IX of the state constitution, implementation of measures designed to improve the quality, recruitment, and retention of teachers and special services providers in the rural areas of Colorado through this article 76 is a critical element of accountable education reform, accountable programs to meet state academic standards, and performance incentives for teachers and special services providers and, therefore, may receive funding from the state education fund created in section 17 (4) of article IX of the state constitution.

C.R.S. § 23-76-102 Definitions

23-76-102. Definitions. As used in this article 76, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Commission" means the Colorado commission on higher education created in section 23-1-102. (2) "Educator preparation program" means an educator preparation program approved by the department of education pursuant to section 22-60.5-121 and that upon completion leads to a recommendation for licensure. (3) "Institution of higher education" means a public, private, or proprietary postsecondary institution authorized by the commission to offer educator preparation programs. (4) "Rural school or school district" means a school or school district that the department of education has determined to be rural. "Rural school or school district" includes a charter school or institute charter school that falls within the geographic range of a rural school district, as determined by the department of education. (5) "Special services provider" means a person, other than a teacher, principal, or administrator, who provides professional services in direct support of an instructional program. "Special services providers" includes speech language pathologists, psychologists, audiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, counselors, nurses, and social workers.

C.R.S. § 23-76-103 Rural education coordinator - request for proposals - reporting requirements

23-76-103. Rural education coordinator - request for proposals - reporting requirements. (1) (a) On or before July 1, 2017, the department of higher education shall establish one rural education coordinator to represent a rural region of the state. The rural education coordinator must be based in an institution of higher education. The purpose of the rural education coordinator is to: (I) Provide an emphasis on access to teacher preparation programs that focus on rural education; (II) Increase rural teacher recruitment; (III) Develop an educator pipeline to rural schools and school districts; and (IV) Provide support mechanisms for rural schools and school districts, boards of cooperative services, and alternative educator preparation providers. (b) On or before September 1, 2016, the department of higher education, in collaboration with the department of education, the commission, and interested representatives from the education community and rural areas of Colorado, shall develop and release a request for proposals to fund a rural education coordinator. The request for proposals must include criteria for selection, timelines, data collection requirements, and reporting requirements. (c) On or before January 1, 2017, the department of higher education shall select an institution of higher education to house a rural education coordinator for five years, based on available appropriations. An institution of higher education that has an existing rural education coordinator is eligible to be selected by the department of higher education for funding pursuant to this section. (2) The selected institution of higher education shall collect data on the work of the rural education coordinator, as required per the request for proposals, and provide a written summary report annually to the department of higher education. Prior to the completion of the five-year funding period, the department of higher education and the department of education shall evaluate the effectiveness of the funded rural education coordinator and make recommendations for continued funding.

C.R.S. § 23-76-104 Student teachers in rural areas - financial incentives

23-76-104. Student teachers in rural areas - financial incentives. (1) Subject to available appropriations, the department of higher education shall provide financial stipends annually, not to exceed four thousand dollars per student, to offset tuition costs for individuals in approved educator preparation programs who agree to student teach in a rural school or rural school district of the student teacher's choice. The financial stipends awarded should, to the extent practicable, include persons with disabilities and take into consideration the geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the state. Money for the stipends must be allocated from the department of higher education to the institution of higher education to be credited to the student's account and does not constitute student financial assistance. A student teacher who receives a financial stipend pursuant to this section must agree to work in a rural school or rural school district for at least two years, unless he or she can demonstrate extenuating circumstances that such employment would impose a hardship on him or her. If a recipient of a financial stipend awarded pursuant to this section does not accept an offer of employment to teach in a rural school or rural school district after the completion of his or her student teaching, he or she may, as determined by the department of education on a case-by-case basis, reimburse the department of higher education for two-thirds of the amount of the financial stipend that he or she received. If a recipient of a financial stipend awarded pursuant to this section accepts an offer of employment to teach in a rural school or rural school district but only teaches in a rural school or rural school district for one year and not the required two years, he or she may, as determined by the department of education on a case-by-case basis, reimburse the department of higher education for one-third of the amount of the financial stipend he or she received. (2) For the 2020-21 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, of the total amount appropriated to fund the programs described in this article 76 and the teaching fellowship programs described in part 3 of article 78 of this title 23, the department of higher education shall allocate to the stipends described in subsection (1) of this section twenty-five percent of the amount remaining after the teaching fellowship programs described in part 3 of article 78 of this title 23 are fully funded for the applicable fiscal year; except that the department may adjust the percentage allocated based on the demand for the stipends described in subsection (1) of this section and for the stipends described in section 23-76-106 and on input received from representatives of rural schools or school districts.

C.R.S. § 23-76-105 Teacher cadet program

23-76-105. Teacher cadet program. On or before July 1, 2017, the department of higher education shall establish teacher cadet programs in identified rural schools and school districts. Money may be provided to local school districts, charter schools, or the charter school institute, any of which may contract with a board of cooperative services, to identify and support high school students who are interested in pursuing teaching careers in rural Colorado, including early childhood education. Teacher cadet programs are encouraged to identify students, including students with disabilities, who reflect the geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the state. The department of higher education and the department of education shall evaluate the effectiveness of the teacher cadet program every five years.

C.R.S. § 23-76-106 National board certified teacher stipends - concurrent enrollment stipends - continuing education stipends

23-76-106. National board certified teacher stipends - concurrent enrollment stipends - continuing education stipends. (1) The department of higher education shall annually provide financial stipends, not to exceed six thousand dollars each, to any: (a) Teacher in a rural school or school district who is seeking certification as a national board certified teacher; (b) Teacher in a rural school or school district who is seeking certification as a concurrent enrollment teacher and who needs additional course work or credentials to obtain such certification; (c) Teacher completing an alternative licensure program approved by the department of education pursuant to article 60.5 of title 22 that leads to initial licensure in the state of Colorado and full-time employment as a teacher in a rural school or school district that serves rural schools; (d) Individual seeking to complete the required course work leading to certification as a special services provider and employment in a rural school or school district that is providing services to rural schools; or (e) Teacher who is employed by a rural school or school district or a rural board of cooperative services and is seeking an additional license endorsement or a master's degree to meet a faculty need of the rural school, school district, or board of cooperative services. (1.5) If in any one fiscal year, the number of stipend applications submitted pursuant to this section exceeds the total amount appropriated for that fiscal year for stipends awarded pursuant to this section, the department of higher education shall give priority for stipend awards to teachers. After all teacher applications have been funded, stipends may then be awarded to special services providers, subject to available appropriations. (2) The stipends may be used to offset application fees, evaluation costs, tuition costs, and any additional costs associated with obtaining initial licensure or in support of a teacher's or special services provider's professional development plan; except that the stipends may only be used to offset costs associated with an institution of higher education or an alternative licensure program that is approved by the state board of education. A stipend awarded pursuant to this section does not constitute student financial assistance. (3) The financial stipends awarded should, to the extent practicable, include persons with disabilities and take into consideration the geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the state. (4) A teacher or a special services provider who receives a stipend pursuant to this section must commit to become or remain employed in a rural school or school district that serves rural schools in the state of Colorado for a minimum of three years. (5) (a) For the 2020-21 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, of the total amount appropriated to fund the programs described in this article 76 and the teaching fellowship programs described in part 3 of article 78 of this title 23, the department of higher education shall allocate, of the amount remaining after the teaching fellowship programs described in part 3 of article 78 of this title 23 are fully funded for the applicable fiscal year: (I) Twenty-five percent to the stipends described in subsections (1)(a), (1)(b), and (1)(e) of this section; and (II) Fifty percent to the stipends described in subsection (1)(c) of this section. (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (5)(a) of this section, the department may adjust the percentage allocations based on the demand for the stipends described in subsection (1) of this section and for the stipends described in section 23-76-104 and on input received from representatives of rural schools or school districts. The department may distribute any amount remaining after awarding stipends for teachers to fund the stipends described in subsection (1)(d) of this section.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-23.docxFetched: 10/6/2026