DENVER—A Denver charter school official says he didn’t know it was illegal to offer gift cards to families who newly enrolled their children there before the state took its annual student census.
Enrollment numbers help determine how much state money each school gets.
KCNC-TV in Denver reported Northeast Academy offered families $400 worth of gift cards if they enrolled before the state counted its students. Academy leader George Sanker told The Denver Post he didn’t realize that a state law passed in 2009 forbids public schools from offering enrollment incentives.
Sanker says the gift cards brought in 10 new students. A Colorado Department of Education spokesman says the students will probably not be counted as part of the school’s enrollment.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
