Welcome to our September Legislative Update newsletter. This e-newsletter comes out about once per month and more often during the Legislative Session. The session is only a few months away, and we’re busy getting ready. Read below for some important updates. 

Meet Prateek Dutta, Our New VP of Policy

On August 28th, the League/CLCS Action welcomed Prateek Dutta as the newest member of our strong and growing team. Prateek is a K-12 education leader with extensive experience in district, state, and federal policy, as well as direct engagement with students and families. Prateek grew up in Colorado and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado (Go Bears!) before teaching in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He later earned a doctorate in Education Leadership.

Returning to Colorado, Prateek has spent the past decade driving policy and advocacy efforts that have significantly impacted the education landscape. He has been instrumental in passing legislation to expand access to rigorous courses for low-income students, secure increased funding for school counselors to boost FAFSA completion rates, and protect public school choice for students across the state, including access to high-quality charter schools. Please join us in welcoming him to the Colorado charter school family, and see below for an introductory note from him as he takes the reins as our new VP of Policy.

A Focus on the Future and a Quick Look Back

By Prateek Dutta ([email protected])

The challenges in K-12 education can often feel overwhelming—persistent achievement gaps, learning loss from the pandemic, mental health crises, and an ongoing need for enhanced investment in our schools and students. The list could go on from there. But while we must never lose sight of these issues, I believe the lack of high-quality public school options represents the most pressing civil rights issue of our time, a conviction deeply rooted in my experiences as a teacher in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

At the same time, there is also so much going right in education that is often lost in the conversation. The schools you lead are at the forefront of these successes. That’s why I am thrilled to join the League team as VP of Policy—to focus on what works for our students and ensure we protect and expand on those successes.

And that is exactly what the Colorado League of Charter Schools has done under the leadership of Dan and this incredible team, and I look forward to continuing the momentum. 

On that note, I want to take a moment to look back and share some of the exceptional victories from last year, before pivoting to some real challenges that lie ahead and how we should best position ourselves for success. 

LOOKING BACK

This past year was exceptional, continuing a strong trend. Some notable victories: 

• CREDO’s reports that charter students nationally see significantly more days of learning each year than their non-charter peers. In Colorado, this translates into 13 additional days of learning gains in reading and 15 additional days of learning gains in math each year across all charter schools.
• An Ed Next report from Harvard researchers ranked the Colorado charter sector #2 in the country across multiple factors. 
• The decisive defeat of one of the most anti-charter bills (HB24-1363) in Colorado history.
• Funding equity for CSI Schools.
• Another year of significant PPR increases alongside historic investments in charter facilities funding as well as a new public school funding formula.
• A full summary of these wins in the legislature sits on our website.

IN THE FUTURE

But as I mentioned, daunting challenges lie ahead. The politics of charter school support are getting more contentious. We have built a robust advocacy coalition, but it’s certainly not bulletproof. We have the strong support of the Governor, but have work to do in the legislature. The uncertainty of upcoming election results, both nationally and in the state, is of critical importance to how we proceed within charter schools. 

RELENTLESSLY FOCUSING ON OUR STUDENTS

Given the challenges we face, we believe that maintaining a laser-like focus on student achievement and innovation is the most effective way to move forward. As we plan for the 2025 legislative session, it is imperative that we adopt an aggressive and proactive agenda centered on those two issues. On that note, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take five minutes and answer these two questions by replying to this email or sending to me at [email protected]: 

1. What district or state requirements do you find consume significant time but have minimal impact on students and families?
2. Are there any policies in particular (laws, rules, regulations) that you would like the League to pursue in the upcoming legislative session?

Your insights will be invaluable as we develop our legislative agenda and address the challenging political environment we find ourselves in. 

Lastly, I wanted to share how impressed I am by the power and unity of you, our membership. Few charter sectors in the country are as vast and diverse as ours. By continuing to harness our collective power and remaining united against the unprecedented attacks against us, we can keep demonstrating what is possible in public education.

I’m glad to be here and I hope we can connect soon, 

Prateek Dutta, VP of Policy 
for the Colorado League of Charter Schools

Policy Agenda for 2025 – Your Input Wanted

The League’s Annual Legislative Agenda
Each fall, the League releases an agenda of legislative priorities for the year after hearing from membership and stakeholders. The staff refine and align the suggestions to the Strategic Plan and bring to the board where our priorities are approved in December. 

The League’s Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC) comprises school representatives and policy partners and meets throughout the year and during the legislative session to assist the League in developing policy priorities and giving feedback on emergent policy topics.

Our member schools also play a critical role through your input. Your insights are invaluable in ensuring that our advocacy efforts align with the needs and aspirations of our students, teachers, and communities. We encourage you to actively engage with the League as we craft our policy agenda for the upcoming year. Your input will help us champion your interests effectively and create a more responsive and dynamic educational landscape. Together, we can make a meaningful difference for the 135,000+ students across 265 public charter schools in Colorado. Send us an email with your thoughts!

Quick Hits

Policy One-Pagers: Now Available

Our policy one-pagers highlighting and explaining new legislation from the 2024 session are now available on our website. You can access these files on our resources page through your League login as a member. Should you have any questions upon review, please don’t hesitate to contact [email protected]. 

Ballot Initiative 138

After careful consideration and deliberation at its most recent meeting, the League’s board of directors voted to take no position on Initiative 138 from this fall’s ballot. If you have any questions related to this decision, please contact Dan at [email protected].

Invitation to Present at the 2025 Annual Conference: Submit your proposal today

We are excited to extend an invitation to submit a proposal to become a workshop presenter at the upcoming 2025 Charter School Annual Conference. The conference will cover a diverse range of topics, and your expertise could greatly enrich the discussions. Preferences are given in judging proposals based on Quality, Relevance, Timeliness, Past Experience, Flexibility, and Partnership between different organizations (schools, vendors, partners, etc.). Workshop presenters do receive discounted registration rates. Submit your Proposal here starting September 3. Deadline: October 3, 2024.

Share Your Views on Colorado School Funding

In partnership with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), a team of researchers from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is evaluating the State’s public education funding system and will make recommendations for improvements to ensure equal educational opportunity for all students. As part of this study, the research team is seeking input from the public by encouraging those interested to attend a virtual town hall and take a short (10-minute) survey. To learn more, and find out how you can get involved, please see the Colorado Financial Adequacy Study website.

ACT Network: Act for Charters Today

The League's Act for Charters Today (ACT) Advocacy Network is a group through which we activate, educate, and engage our membership and all public charter school families, parents, and students for the common good. This action-oriented network strives to build knowledge, skills, and power to strengthen and support charter schools throughout the state. Please sign up or promote this network to your families to support charter schools.

Thank you all again for your work to make your charter school and your community so much better. Between us all, we can make the entire state of Colorado a better place by providing much-needed opportunities for students who need it the most. 

We’ll be back monthly with these Legislative Updates. If you ever need to update your League Email Preferences, please find them under My Account on our website, “Edit Profile/Contact Preferences.”

Sincerely, 

The League Advocacy Team
[email protected]