Polis opposes charter school accountability bill
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DENVER (KDVR) — A controversial bill would make major changes to how charter schools operate in Colorado, and it’s already getting a lot of pushback — including from Gov. Jared Polis, who is now publicly against it.
The bill is called “Charter Schools Accountability,” and supporters say holding the schools accountable is exactly what it would do. Opponents say it would eliminate some laws that protect charter schools and could hurt school choice.
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Democrats sponsored the bill, but not all support it — including Polis.
“Colorado is a national leader in education access, innovation and choice,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “Public charter schools are a popular option in Colorado, serving around 15% of our school-age children. This bill would weaken, rather than strengthen, school choice in Colorado, and the governor strongly opposes it.”
This is a long bill — 55 pages — so here’s a quick recap of some of what it would do.
‘Charter Schools Accountability’ bill introduced in Colorado
House Bill 24-1363 would ensure that a third of a charter school’s board is parents and guardians of students who attend the school and reflect the community’s demographics.
It would ban automatic waivers for charter schools and ban them from waiving requirements for a personnel performance evaluation system.
Charter schools are not required to pay rent for public school district facilities, but that would end.
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The bill would also allow community members to appeal an approved charter school. Plus, it would allow districts to revoke a charter school’s charter if district enrollment is decreasing.
Charter schools are popular, and they continue to grow in Colorado. Last school year, Colorado had nearly 270 charter schools, and nearly 138,000 students attended them — more than double the number of students from 15 years ago.
Opponents say the bill will make it harder to create, expand and renew charter schools. But supporters say it makes the schools more accountable and increases transparency.
The bill has been introduced at the Colorado Capitol but has not been heard in committee yet.
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