From Momentum to Action

Earlier this month, hundreds of charter school leaders gathered for our annual Leadership Summit around a theme we chose very intentionally: Nexus.

A nexus is both a connection point and a crossroads — a place where different paths converge and where choices about what comes next matter.

That feels like an especially fitting description of where Colorado’s charter school community stands today.

There is much to celebrate. Nine new charter schools opened this fall. Charter enrollment grew last year even as non-charter public schools collectively lost more than 10,000 students. And preliminary SPF results show charter schools continuing a multiyear trend of promising academic performance, including for students who have historically been furthest from educational opportunity.

There is real momentum. Families continue to seek out the innovative, high-quality public school options our sector provides.

But momentum alone does not determine what comes next.

Advocacy is Leadership

Colorado is entering a period of significant political change, with a new governor next year, substantial turnover at the Capitol and the possibility of legislative supermajorities in both chambers. At the same time, we continue to see proposals that could fundamentally alter Colorado’s Charter Schools Act and make it harder for schools to open, expand or renew.

This is a moment when our community must be connected, united and engaged.

That message came through clearly during a Leadership Summit panel I moderated with four charter leaders who have made advocacy part of how they lead their schools.

Their experiences were different, but their message was remarkably consistent: Advocacy is relationship-building.

It’s inviting a legislator or school board member into your building before you need something from them. It’s helping elected officials understand who your students are and why families chose your school. It’s giving students and parents opportunities to tell their own stories. And it’s building those relationships over time so that when important decisions are being made, policymakers already understand the communities those decisions will affect.

As panelist Rick Hauan reminded us, advocacy isn’t simply going in to “fight for something.” It is about building connections with legislators, policymakers and community leaders — connections that can ultimately result in change.

And school leaders cannot — and should not — be the only voices in that conversation.

Building a Bigger, Stronger Voice

Colorado’s charter community serves more than 137,000 students. Behind those students are families who chose their schools for a reason. They know firsthand what those schools mean to their children and communities.

Imagine the impact if more of them were part of the conversation.

One way we are beginning to explore it is through CIVIC — Charter Involvement and Voice in Colorado.

CIVIC is a new pilot program designed to help participating schools engage more families in advocacy through the communication channels and trusted relationships they already have. The response from schools was immediate, and the pilot has nearly reached capacity.

The premise is intentionally simple. CIVIC is not about partisan politics. It is about civic participation — making families aware of opportunities to connect with elected officials, understand legislation affecting their schools and communities, and share their own experiences and perspectives.

The League will provide participating schools with timely information and content they can easily share with families through channels they already use. The goal is to learn from this initial group of schools while beginning to build something much bigger: a stronger, more connected network of charter school advocates across Colorado.

And there are opportunities for all of us to engage right now.

Join us for the League’s next Town Hall on Friday, October 16 at 10 AM., where we’ll look ahead to what the upcoming election could mean for Colorado charter schools and the 2027 Legislative Session. We’ll discuss issues on the 2026 ballot, how the League is preparing for the session ahead, the latest on the new federal tax credit and more.

Or consider bringing a group of students to our 2027 Advocacy Day at the State Capitol for a lesson on civics in action.

Because our strength isn’t simply that Colorado has hundreds of charter schools. It is the students, parents, educators, board members and communities behind them.

We are individual schools with different missions, models and communities. But we are also one statewide charter community. This is our nexus — and our opportunity.

At the Summit, I left our leaders with a question. I’ll leave you with the same one:

What can we accomplish next — and what becomes possible when we do it together?