State House Bill 24-1363 could change charter schools across the state

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — State House Bill 24-1363, introduced by Reps. Tammy Story of Evergreen and Lorena Garcia of Adams County, along with Sen. Lisa Cutter of Littleton is facing controversy across the state, including here on the Western Slope.

LauraJeans Downs, the director of Mesa Valley Community School says this bill, if passed, has many provisions that limit what charter schools would be able to do.

“This bill is aimed at restricting those freedoms for parents to choose, and really cutting down the quality of education that charters could provide because it cuts down on their resources.”

Mesa Valley Community School is part of District 51. Downs says one of her main concerns involves enrollment at D51, because the bill would give districts the power to revoke a school’s charter if the district enrollment went down not the charter school enrollment going down. Downs calls that a ‘unique’ part of the bill.

Pushback on the bill is expected to come from members of the state house as well as Governor Jared Polis who supports charter schools.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.