6 more charter schools might be on way

By SHARI CHANEY GRIFFIN THE GAZETTE

Six more charter schools have been proposed for the Pikes Peak region in three school districts.

Charter schools are public schools run by parents, teachers or community members under a contract with a school board or the state Charter School Institute. Eighteen are already open in the region.

Last year, five charter applications were submitted in four districts. One application was withdrawn; one was denied and three were approved.

School districts have until mid-December to approve or deny the new applications. Denials can be appealed to the State Board of Education.

The proposed schools include:

– Science, Technology and Arts (STAR) Academy in Colorado Springs School District 11.

– Colorado Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (CDELA) in D-11.

– Transition 2 Success in D-11.

– Rolling Hills Charter Academy in Hanover School District 28.

– Banning Lewis Ranch Academy in Falcon School District 49.

– Rocky Mountain Classical Academy in D-49.

Organizers of three of the schools have applied previously. STAR Academy was denied by D-11 in 2003. CDELA and Transition 2 Success, under the name Project START, were both denied by the state Charter School Institute in 2004.

This year, CDELA and Banning Lewis Ranch Academy submitted their applications through both local districts and the state Charter School Institute.

The institute has 60 days to approve or deny the applications. Last year, it received four applications from the Pikes Peak area and approved one. The institute was created by the Legislature last year to provide an alternate way for charter schools to be approved.

The three other charter applications are new.

Rolling Hills Charter Academy, in Hanover School District, would put a school in the community of Rancho, which is a 45-minute bus ride away from other Hanover schools, said spokesperson Carol Stites.

If the proposed charter is approved, parents could be more involved at the school because it would be closer to where they live, Stites said.

Parents in D-49 have proposed a charter school based on The Classical Academy in Academy School District 20.

“We just want our children to have a quality education,” said Linda Berg, a member of the steering committee for Rocky Mountain Classical Academy.

The school, along with the proposed Banning Lewis Ranch Academy, could help relieve crowding in D-49.

School officials hope to begin construction on the Banning Lewis school in early November if it is approved, said Terry Gogerty, director of business services for Mosaica, the company helping to plan the school.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0394 or schaney@gazette.com

PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOLS

SPACE, TECHNOLOGY AND ARTS ACADEMY

District: Colorado Springs School District 11.

Grades accepted: The school would begin with kindergarten through fifth grade, then add a grade per year up to eighth grade.

Proposed enrollment: 350 students in the first year, growing to 600 students by 2010-2011.

Focus: Students would study reading, math and science in the morning, history, art and music in the afternoon. The school would team with the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration for arts and the Space Foundation for science.

COLORADO DISTANCE AND ELECTRONIC LEARNING ACADEMY

District: Colorado Springs School District 11.

Grades accepted: Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Proposed enrollment: 500 students the first year, growing to 2,500 students in five years.

Focus: Home-based curriculum using both textbooks and electronic material. Students, with a computer provided by the school, can access the curriculum at any time and work at their own pace.

TRANSITION 2 SUCCESS CHARTER ACADEMY

District: Colorado Springs School District 11.

Grades accepted: Ninth and 10th grades.

Proposed enrollment: 100 to 125 students.

Focus: Classes would revolve around a theme. Ninth-graders would focus on food studies, 10th-graders on horticulture. The school would offer a block schedule similar to that of Colorado College.

ROLLING HILLS CHARTER ACADEMY

District: Hanover School District 28.

Grades accepted: Kindergarten through eighth grade.

Proposed enrollment: 80 students.

Focus: Core Knowledge curriculum, which requires students to learn specific things in each grade and builds each year on prior knowledge. Parental involvement would also be key.

BANNING LEWIS RANCH ACADEMY

District: Falcon School District 49.

Grades accepted: The school would begin with kindergarten through fifth grade, then add a grade per year up to eighth grade.

Proposed enrollment: 450 to 500 students.

Focus: Students learn core subjects such as reading and math in the morning, then learn history and critical thinking skills in the afternoon, using Paragon curriculum. One teacher stays with students for multiple years. All students learn Spanish.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CLASSICAL ACADEMY

District: Falcon School District 49.

Grades accepted: Kindergarten through eighth grade.

Proposed enrollment: 432 students.

Focus: Similar to The Classical Academy in Academy School District 20, the school will use Core Knowledge curriculum and offer character education. Students will learn a second language — either Spanish or Latin; the steering committee hasn’t decided — beginning in kindergarten.