A new charter school that wants to delay its opening for a year pleaded its case before the Denver School Board on Monday night.
But after a nearly hour-long discussion with the Denver Collegiate Academy board president, most board members walked away with concerns.
The charter middle school was approved to open this fall in Montbello, but school officials want the additional time to hire a principal and find a building to house the school.
Charter schools are public but operated privately under contracts.
Monday’s discussion was a departure from November, when the board – many members enthusiastic – approved the fall 2007 opening of the Denver Collegiate Academy.
At that time, DPS officials gave the school 12 conditions to meet by the end of February. These included putting together a budget and improving the plan for non-English-speaking students.
The Denver Collegiate Academy did not meet all of the requirements. It has since parted with its original principal.
The charter’s board, headed by Denver resident Heather Lamm, has asked the Denver school board to give it a year to get everything together and instead open in 2008.
“The frustration is that we are getting stuck in the process,” Lamm said. “There are no alternatives for middle- school students in Montbello. … There is such a need for a good school.”
School board president Theresa Pena said her concerns are not about the process but the leadership.
She said the situation is a “Catch-22” for both sides; she feels uncomfortable approving a charter with no principal but acknowledged it will be hard for the school to find a principal if it doesn’t have permission to open.
Board member Jeannie Kap lan opposed the delay.
“I think it’s a bad precedent,” she said. “I think they’re playing on an uneven playing field with other charter schools. … It’s not equitable.”
The board is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to give the school more time.
