HB17-1089 Summary

• Identifies school districts accredited with priority improvement plan or turnaround plan for 5 consecutive school years as chronically low-performing and requires them to establish a parent choice program.

• School districts must create parent choice accounts and deposit per-pupil state funding and applicable categorical funding; districts may optionally deposit per-pupil local funding, but if not deposited, cannot collect property taxes while state funding is calculated as if property taxes were collected.

• Parents may withdraw account funds only to purchase educational services including instructional materials, private school tuition, enrollment in better-performing public schools, or institute charter schools; parents choosing to enroll in district schools receive no deposits.

• School districts must adopt procedures for account management and monthly receipt reporting; parents misusing funds must reimburse; after two misuses in one school year, deposits stop and parent must enroll student in district school.

• Chronically low-performing districts are automatically designated as districts of innovation, must submit innovation plans to state board, and continue operating the program until achieving accredited or higher status while remaining subject to accountability requirements for all enrolled students.