Teacher Responsibility for Timely Renewal of the Colorado License
 
Our district has been experiencing a growing problem of teachers who are neglecting to adequately monitor the expiration date of their license. The net result of this is that many teachers do not have adequate time to properly renew their license. Some have had their licenses expire. Teachers who allow their license to expire are in direct violation of state law which requires every teacher to hold a valid Colorado licensed.
 
The DCSD HR department will be closely monitoring teacher licenses and take the following actions to be in compliance with state laws:
 
·   We will conduct a monthly check of licenses that will expire in the next 3 months and send a notice to the teachers impacted. They will be notified of the potential consequences of expired licenses.
·   CDE and DCSD will accept the re-application date as the renewal date rather than the issuance date as long as the current license has not expired.
·   If the license has expired, the teacher will be directed to take the next workday as a personal day to re-apply to CDE in person. If they do not have a personal day available, they will take a dock day. The paperwork and requirements differ depending on whether the teacher has an initial or professional license.
·   If the teacher cannot re-apply within 48 hours, a substitute teacher will be assigned to the teacher’s classroom to be a teacher-of-record while the teacher with the expired license continues to teach. The cost of that substitute teacher will be deducted from the contracted teacher’s per diem pay. The teacher must accomplish renewal of their license within 19 days.
·   If the teacher is not able to renew their license within the window of 19 school days, the teacher will be placed on an un-paid leave until such time as successful renewal is accomplished or the end of the current semester, whichever comes first.
·   If the license is not renewed by the end of the current semester, the teacher’s contract will be terminated.
 
The issue of a teacher’s license is a matter between the teacher and the Colorado Department of Education. The legal requirement for a teacher to be licensed cannot be compromised and should be treated as a serious matter. The district will continue to note the expiration date on the teacher’s electronic pay stub as a reminder of the teacher’s responsibility to keep it current.