On May 7, the Denver Post ran a great story called “Charter-school fans want more.” The article gave three Denver charter schools much-deserved attention and credit for the strides they are making with traditionally underserved students. Though the article focused on a handful of local charter schools, it provides an opportunity to elaborate on the value that Colorado charter schools add to the state’s public education system.
Today, nearly 57,000 students attend the 141 free, public charter schools in Colorado. This is over 7% of total K-12 public school enrollment in the State. They operate in communities across the state, from some of the most remote, rural communities, to urban and suburban locations along the Front Range.
Colorado’s charter schools are excelling by traditional measures of academic success (as highlighted in the May 7th article), and by less traditional measures, such as waiting lists, where an estimated 41,000 students await their chance to attend a local charter school.
For thousands of parents and students, charter schools offer choices within the public education system. To differing degrees, charter schools feature specialized academic programming and some serve students with unique educational needs. Because charter schools are self-governing public schools, nearly all rely heavily on parental and community involvement and support.
The fact that charter schools are doing so well is remarkable considering the challenges they face – especially regarding facilities. The average Colorado charter school spends $480 per student from designated per-pupil operating revenues on facilities costs. This is money that would otherwise be going towards teacher salaries, textbooks, and equipment.
During the recently completed legislative session, key leaders at the Capitol stepped up to help charter schools begin to overcome some of these obstacles. Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, Senate President Peter Groff, and State Treasurer Cary Kennedy worked to ensure that charter schools were included in the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) bill (HB 1335).
The annual School Finance Act doubled the amount of charter school facilities funding thanks in part to the policy-makers named above as well as Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany and House Minority Leader Mike May. We are grateful to all of the State leaders who stood up for charter school students.
As the President of the Colorado League of Charter Schools, an organization dedicated to improving student achievement and expanding choice among high-quality public schools, I urge you to learn more about our local charter schools and the unique programs they have to offer. It is our children who will ultimately benefit from having choices in the public education system.
Jim Griffin (jgriffin@coloradoleague.org) is president, Colorado League of Charter Schools. Guest commentary submissions of up to 650 words may be sent to openforum@denverpost.com. EDITOR’S NOTE: This online-only guest commentary has not been edited.
