Headlines from a Hallmark Year: Getting the Job Done for Our Schools and Students
With the legislative session behind us and summer break fast approaching, I wanted to take this opportunity to look back at the year that was and highlight some of the successes of our collective work together. Knowing how busy May can be – and therefore how little time most of you probably have for an in-depth read – I’ve summarized these successes in the form of five “Headlines from a Hallmark Year”:
Headline #1:
“The League Preserves/Advances Charter Funding Across All Major Revenue Streams”
Let’s not forget: There was a $1.2 billion hole in the state’s budget this year. Against this backdrop, legislators were looking anywhere and everywhere for places to cut. One of the places they didn’t? Charters. In fact, across virtually every major revenue stream, we managed to either hold the line or increase funding for our schools. This included a 3.6% increase to PPR, more than $5 million in additional funding for CSI Equalization, and millions of dollars in PERA savings for DPS charters. It also included protecting charters against threatened losses to at-risk supplemental resources, PPR, and part-time enrichment program funding.
Headline #2:
“League Efforts Lead to Historic Federal Investments in Colorado Charters”
The fall of 2024 can feel like a distant memory at this point, but it’s important to remember that that’s when League efforts delivered over $100 million in new federal funding to Colorado charters. $68 million of that came in the form of the new CSP grant (what we’re now calling Great Schools Colorado), while another $36M resulted from our push last year to get the state to commit to over $65M in new charter facilities funding over the next 5 years. That state commitment unlocked the $36M in federal match, which is now being distributed via CDE’s Charter School Facility Assistance Program.
Headline #3:
“With a $250M Moral Obligation Cap Increase, the League Helps Colorado Charters Take Another Step Forward on Facilities”
Recognizing the unique challenge Colorado charters often face when it comes to facilities, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways we can improve the landscape on this topic for our schools. This year that took the form of an increase to the cap on the state’s Moral Obligation Program. Without an increase, we would have quickly hit the limit, and no more schools would have been able to take advantage of this program’s significant cost-saving features. With it, we’ve now reached the point where the state can back up $1 billion in charter private market bonds, adding to the more than $100,000,000 in interest savings that this program has afforded Colorado’s charters over the past 20 years.
Headline #4:
“The League Fends off Anti-Charter Majorities and Anti-Charter Legislation”
It’s easy to forget, but back in the fall the League’s sister 501(c)(4) – CLCS Action – played a significant role in helping ward off the first anti-charter majority in the history of Colorado’s State Board of Education. As the appellate body that hears all cases involving disputes between charters and their districts, a loss in the November State Board election could have had disastrous consequences for the sector. Additionally, as a direct result of the League’s proactive work with partners and elected officials to keep such proposals off the table, no broad anti-charter legislation even made it to draft paper during the 2025 session. We also successfully blocked introduction of a proposal that would have handed the state legislature sweeping control over CSI decisions.
Headline #5:
“While Advancing Regulatory Relief, the League Protects Charter Autonomy”
The League took an important first step this session in reducing burdensome requirements and regulations by reforming the UIP process. Additionally, two bills when introduced this cycle wanted to create a statewide policy on cell phone use in schools and a process to remove and display library resources. In both of these cases, the League worked closely with sponsors to amend the bills and allow local charter boards to create their own policies, rather than be subject to the authorizing district’s or the state’s. The League also worked to amend bills that would have impacted dress codes, added new high school requirements around financial literacy, and imposed new financial reporting requirements, the last of which lost. As we head into the interim, we look forward to working with you to identify and unwind additional costly and unnecessary regulations that hamper innovation and student achievement.
The results of all this hard work? A sector that once again grew – by nearly 1,000 students to be exact – in the midst of an environment marked by widespread enrollment declines. In fact, since 2017, enrollment in public charters across Colorado has grown by 15,000 students while non-charter enrollment has declined by 45,000 students over that same time period. All this while the sector continues to get results. A Keystone Policy Center report this year found that, across many of Colorado’s most historically underserved communities, students are 33 percentage points more likely to attend a Green, or “Performance,” school when attending a charter versus not.
None of this would have been possible without you, your engagement with the League, and your commitment to the students and families you serve. Thank you for that and for all the hard work that has gone into making this year such a resounding success.
Sincerely,
Dan Schaller, President
Colorado League of Charter Schools
