Public charter schools are an integral part of Colorado’s educational ecosystem. The Centennial State is now home to more than 260 charter schools that serve north of 130,000 students — more than 15 percent of the state’s total public school enrollment.
Now some state lawmakers want to see these innovative, autonomous schools disappear. Introduced in early March following months of rumors and threats, Colorado House Bill 24-1363 takes aim at nearly every aspect of the state’s 30-year-old Charter Schools Act. The bill’s sponsors — Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams/Jefferson, Rep. Tammy Story, D-Jefferson, and Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson — introduced the bill despite widespread pushback and concern with early drafts from both sides of the political aisle.
The sponsors’ intent is clear: to end Colorado’s longstanding, highly successful charter school movement. Effectively every line in the 55-page bill represents a full frontal assault on charters and the hundreds of thousands of families they serve across Colorado. Let’s run through just a few of the most damaging provisions.
Race-Based School Boards
The bill would dismantle charter autonomy by attacking the two features that allow these schools to operate independently: waivers from certain laws and policies and independent, school-level governing boards.
HB24-1363 would eliminate existing automatic waivers for charters that, among other things, grant these schools the freedom to determine how they hire and fire staff, set salary schedules, and make decisions about educational programming and materials. Instead, these (and all other) waiver decisions would be subject to the Colorado State Board of
