The Board Corner: Our Impact at a Critical Nexus

I trust your summer was filled with resting, recharging, and planning for the coming year. My summer seemed to be dominated by World Cup watch parties, Danish rowing, and attempting to learn how offside actually works. At a Dutch supporter pep rally, my daughter and I learned the “Links Rechts” fan dance. It is the perfect blend for me of describing the motion and direction of each move (think Cha Cha Slide), but it was in another language. We needed translation, coaching, visual models, and encouragement.

Get Close – Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with friends or strangers in a tight crowd and hold onto each other's shoulders or waist.
Listen for the Cue – Wait for the heavy beat drop and the vocal cue “Naar links!” (To the left!) or “Naar rechts!” (To the right!).
Jump in Unison – Hop sideways together in the shouted direction.
Reverse – Switch directions immediately when the song calls out the opposite side, keeping the rhythm going back and forth.
(if you missed it, check it out here; it’s in English)

How will your team play?

What we later watched from the champion Spanish team was the result of years of implementing a specific style together. La Roja, as they are known, developed an intense defensive mentality which resulted in only one goal allowed throughout the entire tournament.

David Gutierrez, Director of the National School of Coaches and the Spanish Football Association, describes the mentality shift:

We’re probably neither the fastest nor the strongest, but there’s one area where we excel – which we emphasize heavily when we’re educating coaches – and that’s understanding how to play together as a unit.

David Gutierrez

Community and Togetherness

As we go into the school year I hope you have your own version of ‘Naar links,’ ‘Naar rechts,’ and ‘playing together as a unit.’ The charter community is both one large team and many smaller ones. Our own individual communities, schools, networks, and classes of students need their own coaching, sometimes a mentality shift and a huge team behind them doing the Links Rechts.

This year’s work at the League

This year, the League is beginning two important bodies of work that will help shape that future and help us support you by playing together as a stronger team.

First, we are developing the 2027 Legislative Agenda. This agenda will be critical in identifying the policy priorities that matter most to our schools and students. It must reflect the real experiences of our members, the challenges you are facing, and the opportunities we see ahead. It must be bold, practical, student-centered, and rooted in the belief that charter schools are an essential part of Colorado’s public education system.

Second, we are beginning work on a new strategic plan to guide the League in 2027 and beyond. This plan will help define where we focus our energy, how we support our members, how we strengthen the broader charter ecosystem, and how we measure our collective success in the years ahead.

Both efforts will require your voice.

The League cannot define the future of Colorado’s charter movement in isolation. Our strength comes from our members. It comes from the diversity of our schools, the expertise of our leaders, the commitment of our educators, the perspective of our families, and the outcomes of our students. As we build a legislative agenda and a strategic plan for the future, we will listen carefully, engage meaningfully, and remain grounded in the needs of the schools and students we serve.

The work ahead will require clarity, courage, and unity.

We must be clear about our impact. We must be courageous in advocating for the policies and conditions our schools need. And we must remain united around the shared purpose that brought so many of us into this work: ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality public education that meets their needs and helps them thrive.

Across Colorado, I see what is possible when school communities are mission-driven, student-centered, and committed to continuous growth. The collective impact of 262+ charter schools serving 136,000+ students is extraordinary. But the question before us now is how we build on that impact for the next generation through, might I say, a ‘Naar links’ mentality?

What will our impact be in 2027 and beyond?

I believe it will be powerful — if we shape it together.

Thank you for the work you do every day on behalf of students and families. Thank you for your leadership, your persistence, and your belief in what charter public schools can make possible. I look forward to working alongside you as we define, strengthen, and expand our impact in the years ahead.