Good morning Charter School Supporters, 

This is a one-time email from the League about Great Schools Colorado. As you know from the announcement earlier this fall, the League was successful in its application for the Federal CSP grant, now called Great Schools Colorado. We’ve been working diligently over the past two+ months to prepare, plan, and execute the myriad behind-the-scenes items to launch this five-year, $68 million grant program. Join our e-newsletter HERE for future updates.

We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the why of the program and the staff who will be kicking this off in the new year. 

First, our "why" for the application and desired outcomes. The program is designed to focus efforts, support, and encourage growth for schools that serve students and communities who have typically been underserved. This is the driving force behind the program at the federal level, and we are dedicated to this mission. 

The Purpose, as stated through the USDOE is:

“The major purposes of the CSP are to expand opportunities for all students, particularly for children with disabilities,^[1] English learners, and other traditionally underserved students, to attend charter schools and meet challenging State academic standards.”

Applicants for the subgrants will be planning to expand, replicate, or launch new schools. The amount of growth, the locations, the models, the founders or school leaders’ history and qualifications will all be detailed in the yet-to-come RFA and evaluated by independent reviewers on the merits of each application.

But make no mistake that the League’s initial application was awarded based on performance measures designed to meet specific outcome goals. 

From the application 

• Performance Measure 1.5: During the project period, 75% of active GSC subgrantees will enroll educationally disadvantaged students at rates that meet or exceed state or local averages.
• Performance Measure 1.6: During the project period, at least 35% of funded applications receive Priority points for implementing a “diverse” model whose mission, curriculum, and culture are explicitly tailored to serve one or more of the following underserved student populations: Students with Disabilities; English Language Learners; High-Mobility Students (e.g., foster, homeless, and Alternative Education Campus (AEC)/Credit Recovery students); Rural Students; and High School Students.

Please stay tuned this spring for the specifics of how these measures play out in the upcoming RFA. 

Second, we wanted to highlight our staff who are working to prepare the framework, processes, documentation, and pathways for subgrantees to come on board. 

• Tanesha Bell—CSP Project Director:  Tanesha oversees the daily grant responsibilities, including federal compliance and reporting. 
• Bright Homawoo—CSP Project Manager: Bright oversees the delivery and execution of all technical assistance and monitoring activities. 
• Dawna Taylor—CSP Executive Lead: Dawna acts as the Certifying Official for all federal compliance and reporting. 

League Support staff: Caymin Harper, Bill Knous, Karolina Villagrana, Kim Chetty, Dave Mohr, a wide range of consultants, and other League team members will all lend expertise and support. More about all our staff.

Please check out updates on our current website pages here, and look for our new Great Schools Colorado website coming in early 2025. If you’re interested in possibly applying, or if you just want to “stay in the know,” please sign up for our Great Schools Colorado monthly newsletter. The first edition will come out soon.

Thanks, and please be in touch with us at [email protected].

Dawna Taylor and the Great Schools Colorado Team