Colorado Department of Education
Charter School Institute Renews Two Charters, Closes One

The Charter School Institute (CSI) held a public hearing at its regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 to review three applications of charter schools seeking to renew their charters.
The three schools were:

• Colorado Springs Charter Academy
• Pikes Peak Prep
• Colorado Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (CDELA), a statewide online program.

The charters for the Colorado Springs Charter Academy and Pikes Peak Prep were renewed with new, five-year terms through unanimous votes by the CSI board of directors.

The renewal application from CDELA was denied by a unanimous vote by the CSI board of directors. As a result, CDELA will be closed at the end of the current school year. The decision to close the school was based on factors identified by the CSI staff and reviewed with the school’s board of directors during the hearing.

“A key part of the charter school movement is the ability to close a school that is not fulfilling expectations,” said CSI Board Chair Alex Medler. “It’s a difficult decision, taken with considerable care by this board, but it’s the right thing to do for the children of Colorado.”

Medler added that CSI will work with the school and its board of directors to ensure that the closure process is smooth and to assist the students and parents now enrolled in CDELA as they find new schools to attend. CDELA currently serves 437 students.

Charter schools in Colorado operate with fixed-term, performance contracts that are subject to review by their authorizing entity. The schools up for review by the CSI board had applied for renewal as part of the regular charter school process and the procedures of the institute.

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