Colorado State Board of Education – Department of Education
1 Code of Colorado Regulations 301-38
Adopted: 			6-9-94, 3-6-08 
Attorney General Opinion:	6-29-94 
Statutory Authority:			22-44-105, 
					22-44-111,
					22-30.5-104, 22-30.5-503
					22-2-107(l)(c), C.R.S. 
AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET LAW
2244-R-1.00		Applicability. The rules stated herein shall apply to Colorado public school districts. The term districts shall include public school districts, the charter school institute, charter schools, and boards of cooperative educational services.
2244-R-2.00		Summary Budget Format. Districts shall 	utilize a Summary budget format in presenting their budgets.  The Summary budget format shall be understandable to any layperson and shall meet the following guidelines.
2.01	The budget format shall allow comparisons of revenues and expenditures among districts by pupil. 
2.02		The budget format shall itemize expenditures of the district by fund and by pupil. The budget shall describe the expenditure and show the amount budgeted for the current fiscal year, the amount estimated to be expended for the current fiscal year, and the amount budgeted for the ensuing fiscal year.
2.03		The budget shall ensure that the district holds unrestricted general fund or cash fund emergency reserves in the amount required under the provisions of section 20 (5) of article X of the state constitution.
2.04		The budget shall summarize revenues by revenue source and shall summarize expenditures by chart of account program, fund, and object.
2.05		The adopted budget shall not provide for expenditures, interfund transfers, or reserves, in excess of available revenues and beginning fund balances.
2.06		If the budget includes the use of a beginning fund balance, the district board of education shall adopt a resolution specifically authorizing the use of a portion of the beginning fund balance in the district budget. The resolution, at a minimum, shall specify the amount of the beginning fund balance to be spent under the district budget, state the purpose for which the expenditure is needed, and state the district’s plan to ensure that the use of the beginning fund balance will not lead to an ongoing deficit.
2.07		Each district shall annually prepare an itemized reconciliation between the fiscal year end fund balances based on a budgetary basis of accounting used by the district and the fiscal year end fund balances based on the modified accrual basis of accounting. The reconciliation shall include, but need not be limited to, the liability for accrued salaries and related benefits.  The reconciliation shall be included with the final version of the amended budget and the annual audited financial statements.
2.08		The proposed expenditures and anticipated revenues in the budget shall be supported as needed by explanatory schedules or statements of sufficient detail to judge the validity thereof, including a statement which summarizes the aggregate of revenues, appropriations, assets, and liabilities of each fund in balanced relations. The budget shall disclose planned compliance with section 20 of article X of the state constitution. 
2.09		The summary budget shall be presented annually to the community on the Summary budget report adopted periodically by the state board of education. The Summary budget report will reflect the criteria required by rules 2244-R-2.00 through 2.09.
2244-R-3.00		No later than July 1, 2008, the state board of education, with input and recommendations from the financial policies and procedures advisory committee created in the department of education, shall establish by rule the standard budget report format to be used by each board of education.
3.01		Each district shall submit its adopted annual budget to the department of education on or before January 31, 2009, and on or before January 31 each year thereafter. The budget shall include data available to the district as of December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year.
3.02		The adopted annual budget to be submitted to the department of education shall be in a format that summarizes the budget data as of December 31. For each fund budgeted by the district, the following information will be submitted: budgeted pupil count, beginning fund balance, revenues by grouped source, allocations to/from other funds, transfers to/from other funds, expenditures by program and object group, reserves, and non-appropriated reserves.
2244-R-4.00		Statement of Basis and Purpose. The basis for these rules is found in C.R.S. Article 44 of Title 22, School District Budget Law; Article 30.5 of Title 22, Charter Schools; as well as in Section 22-2-107(l)(c) which relates to the duties of the state board of education. School District Budget Law requires the state board of education to establish in rule and regulation a Summary budget format that meets certain criteria relating to the need for the public to be able to understand and compare school district budgets. These rules establish a Summary budget format and require school districts to utilize the summary budget report adopted by the state board of education in presenting their budget to the community and the adopted annual budget data to the department of education.