Last election, Colorado voters approved $153 million in mill-levy overrides (property tax increases) to support education programming in their districts’ public schools. Funds from these and previous mill-levy overrides raise roughly $800 million in additional revenue for public schools. Unfortunately, not all public school children benefit from these funds. That’s because state law does not require districts to share such revenue with the public charter schools within their boundaries. Just 11 of the state’s 178 districts share mill-levy override revenue, according to the Colorado League of Charter Schools. This is unfair to students, schools and taxpayers who assumed all schools in the district would benefit when they voted to increase their taxes.
Fortunately, Sen. Owen Hill, R-Colorado Springs, Sen. Angela Williams, D-Denver, and Rep. Lang Sias, R-Arvada, have introduced bipartisan legislation to require districts distribute mill-levy override funds to charter schools that offer comparable programs. For example, if taxpayers approved a mill-levy override to support new technology or arts programs, charter schools that offer such programs would receive a share.
Nearly 13 percent of Colorado’s public school students are educated in one of the state’s 238 charter schools. While charter schools have been around since 1993, there is still some confusion about this growing sector of public education. I got an in-depth look at charter schools while I was a charter school evaluator for the Colorado Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education.
First of all, charter schools are public schools. Like other public schools, they rely on public funding, administer state tests and report the results, and abide by civil rights. Charter schools cannot discriminate in enrollment. They cannot cherry-pick students who excel or turn away struggling students or difficult parents. If anything, charter schools often draw more interest from families that have had a tough time in the traditional school system.
There are a few main differences between public charter schools and traditional public schools: Charter schools may have a longer school day, curricula that differ from the district’s (e.g., Core Knowledge or expeditionary learning), or specialized programming (for adjudicated youth, students dually enrolled in college courses), thematic focus (arts, dual language), or teaching methodology (online, project-based, highly structured).
Each charter school differs from the next. One school may be an inner-city school affiliated with a nationwide “brand” of schools like KIPP. Another may be part of a local network of high-performing urban schools like DSST Public Schools. Still another may be an independent school in the suburbs started by parents who wanted a liberal arts emphasis like Liberty Common School or Peak to Peak Charter School. And another may be a rural school like Georgetown Community School, the only elementary school in Georgetown.
Some charter schools are the top performers in the state. Six of the ten “Best High Schools” in Colorado, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2016, are charter schools. Some charter schools are mediocre and some perform abysmally. Luckily, districts can shut down poor performers by law.
Asking me if I recommend charter schools is like asking me if I recommend food. Of course I do, but I’d steer you away from certain restaurants. I don’t recommend traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, or home schooling; I recommend specific schools within each of these categories depending on the quality of the school and needs of the student. Students’ needs are the most important consideration.
This consideration, the well-being of students, also applies to the distribution of mill-levy override funds. Districts should share the revenue with all of its public schools including charter schools. For this reason, the General Assembly should pass Senate Bill 61. It’s only fair to students, schools and taxpayers.
Krista Kafer (tokrista@msn.com) is co-host of “Kelley and Kafer,” which airs 4-7 p.m. weekdays on 710 KNUS.
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