Colorado Ethics Watch has researched 177 Colorado school board websites to determine compliance with Senate Bill 14-182 and found that only 57% of school districts are clearly in compliance with the new law.
In June 2014, the law went into effect requiring school boards to post minutes of their meetings within 10 days of approving those minutes. While government entities in Colorado are generally expected to maintain meeting minutes as public documents, this was the first law that specifically directed public entities to post those minutes online.
To determine compliance with the posting requirements, Ethics Watch visited 177 Colorado school board websites to look for posted minutes from the period January through July, 2016. Ethics Watch discovered that 101 school districts (57% of the total) appear to be in full compliance with the posting requirement. These included large districts such as Denver Public Schools and Colorado Springs District 11 but also included numerous very small school districts.
Another 42 school districts, 24% of the total, appear to be out of compliance with the new law because the website reflects that meetings took place during the relevant time period, but minutes of those meetings are not posted on the website. The remaining 34 school districts (19% of the total), mostly very small districts, posted no information about meetings at all, perhaps indicating that no meetings were held during the relevant time period or that these districts may be out of compliance as well.
“We’re pleased that so many school districts are in full compliance, but the percentage is still too low,” said Luis Toro, executive director of Colorado Ethics Watch. “School board business is of great interest to those living and sending their children to school in that district, and those citizens have a right to easily access information about the decisions made by their elected representatives.”
The 101 school districts that appear to be in compliance include:
| Academy 20 |
Dolores RE-4a |
Lamar RE-2 |
Salida R-32 |
| Adams County 14 |
Douglas County RE-1 |
Lewis-Palmer 38 |
Sargent RE-33J |
| Adams-Arapahoe 28J |
Durango 9-R |
Limon Public Schools |
School District 27J |
| Akron R-1 |
Eagle County RE 50 |
Littleton 6 |
South Conejos RE-10 |
| Alamosa RE-11J |
East Grand 2 |
Lone Star 101 |
South Routt RE 3 |
| Archuleta County 50 JT |
East Otero R-1 |
Mancos RE-6 |
Springfield RE-4 |
| Aspen 1 |
Edison 54 JT |
Mapleton 1 |
St Vrain Valley RE 1J |
| Bennet 29J |
Elbert 200 |
Meeker RE1 |
Steamboat Springs RE-2 |
| Big Sandy 100J |
Elizabeth C-1 |
Miami/Yoder 60JT |
Strasburg 31J |
| Boulder Valley RE 2 |
Falcon 49 |
Montezuma-Cortez RE-1 |
Stratton R-4 |
| Branson RE 82 |
Fowler R-4J |
Montrose County RE-1J |
Summit RE-1 |
| Briggsdale RE-10 |
Garfield RE-2 |
North Park R-1 |
Swink 33 |
| Buena Vista R-31 |
Gilpin County RE-1 |
Norwood R-2J |
Telluride R-1 |
| Burlington RE-6J |
Granada RE-1 |
Park (Estes Park) R-3 |
Thompson R-2J |
| Calhan RJ-1 |
Greeley 6 |
Peyton 23 JT |
Valley RE-1 |
| Canon City RE-1 |
Gunnison Watershed RE1J |
Plateau RE-5 |
Walsh RE-1 |
| Cherry Creek 5 |
Hanover 28 |
Platte Canyon 1 |
Weld County RE-1 |
| Cheyenne Mountain 12 |
Hayden RE-1 |
Platte Valley RE-7 |
Weld County School District RE-3J |
| Clear Creek RE-1 |
Hindsdale county RE-1 |
Poudre R-1 |
West End RE-2 |
| Colorado Springs 11 |
Huerfano RE-1 |
Prairie RE-11 |
West Grand 1-JT |
| Cotopaxi RE-3 |
Ignacio 11 JT |
Primero Reorganized 2 |
Westminster Public Schools |
| Cripple Creek-Victor RE-1-J |
Jefferson County R-1 |
Pueblo County 70 |
Widefield 3 |
| Crowley Creek RE-1-J |
Johnstown-Miliken RE-5J |
Rangely RE-4 |
Wiggins RE-50(J) |
| Delta County 50(J) |
Kiowa C-2 |
Ridgway R-2 |
Wiley RE-13 JT |
| Denver County 1 |
La Veta |
Roaring Fork RE-1 |
Windsor RE-4 |
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Woodland Park RE-2 |
