State Board Grants Poudre School District Exclusive Charter Authority, Orders Gateway HS Improvements
Summary
The Colorado State Board of Education voted 5-4 to grant Poudre School District exclusive chartering authority effective July 1, 2026, following the district's unanimous February request. This allows Poudre to approve or reject new charter schools within its boundaries; the ten existing charter schools are unaffected. The board also unanimously ordered Aurora Public Schools to continue implementing targeted improvement efforts at Gateway High School under state accountability law, with CDE monitoring annually and a State Review Panel evaluation in spring 2028 if performance does not improve.
What changed
The Colorado State Board of Education granted Poudre School District exclusive chartering authority effective July 1, 2026, allowing the district to approve or reject new charter schools within its boundaries. The state board also ordered Aurora Public Schools to continue implementing targeted improvement efforts at Gateway High School under state accountability law after consecutive years of low performance ratings, with CDE monitoring annually and a State Review Panel evaluation in spring 2028 if performance does not improve. Additionally, the board revised Educator Recruitment and Retention Program rules to lower maximum awards from $10,000 to $7,500.
These actions primarily affect Colorado school districts and charter schools. Poudre School District gains expanded autonomy over charter authorization decisions, while Aurora Public Schools must continue implementing Gateway's innovation plan with external support from TNTP and the Center for High School Success. The reduction in educator recruitment awards may impact the number of participants receiving financial assistance toward educator preparation programs.
Archived snapshot
Apr 17, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
News Release - State Board of Education grants Poudre School District exclusive chartering authority
For more information, contact:
Jeremy Meyer, Director of Communications, meyer_jeremy@cde.state.co.us, 720-668-6434
April 10, 2026
DENVER – During its April meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education granted Poudre School District’s request for exclusive chartering authority to take effect July 1.
In February, Poudre’s Board of Education voted unanimously to seek the authority, which would give it the right to approve or reject any new charter schools seeking authorization within its boundaries.
Per state law, the State Board of Education must hold a public hearing when a school district of more than 3,000 students asks for exclusive chartering authority. Ten charter schools already operate in Poudre School District, and the change in the district’s chartering authority does not affect the authorization of those previously approved schools – half of which are authorized through the district and the other half are authorized through the Colorado Charter School Institute.
The state board on Thursday voted 5-4 to support Poudre’s request.
State board directs continued improvement efforts at Gateway High School
With a unanimous vote, the state board ordered Aurora Public Schools to implement its proposed targeted improvement efforts at Gateway High School under state accountability law after successive years of receiving low performance ratings on the School Performance Framework.
Under the order, Gateway will continue implementing its innovation plan, strengthen its work with TNTP as a partial external manager, and add the Center for High School Success as a partner. TNTP’s work will focus on strengthening data-driven professional learning communities and improving teacher observation and feedback cycles as drivers of instructional change across the school. The Center for High School Success will support the development of stronger attendance routines and systems for ninth-grade students.
CDE staff will continue to monitor Gateway’s progress with site visits each year. If the school continues on performance watch, in spring 2028, the State Review Panel will evaluate the school’s progress and make recommendations to the state board. If Gateway does not improve to at least an “Improvement” rating or higher by that time, the board will hold a hearing to determine next steps. The order will remain in effect until Gateway High School earns a rating of Improvement or higher on the School Performance Framework for two consecutive years.
Board passes revisions to rules for the Educator Recruitment and Retention Program, 1 CCR 301-113
The state board unanimously approved revisions to the rules for the Administration of the Educator Recruitment and Retention (ERR) Program (1 CCR 301-113), to increase the number of people who receive financial assistance toward completion of an educator preparation program by lowering the maximum award from $10,000 to $7,500.
Additionally, the board delayed a vote on proposed rules for the Administration of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Sustain Funding (1 CCR 301-117) until May, requesting additional language that would include the ability for CDE to monitor local education provider use of the fund and possible additions to qualifying postsecondary credits.
In other action, the state board:
- Voted unanimously to deny an application for certification of a multi-district online school submitted by Education reEnvisioned BOCES on behalf of Colorado Virtual Tech Academy;
- Discussed an upcoming rulemaking hearing for 1 CCR 301-1, Rules for the Administration of Statewide Accountability Measures, for which written feedback is still being accepted;
- Voted to delay the inclusion of new Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness measures in School and District Performance Frameworks until 2028. The state board and CDE may pursue legislative changes to align with this revised implementation timeline next year; and
- Noticed rulemaking for the Rules for the Operation, Maintenance, and Inspection of School Transportation Vehicles and the Colorado Minimum Standards for Governing School Transportation Vehicles. ###
The Colorado Department of Education’ s vision is to create equitable educational environments where all students and staff in Colorado thrive. Our role is to improve student outcomes and ensure students and families across Colorado have access to high-quality schools by serving, guiding, and elevating our state’s 178 school districts and BOCES
** Para más información, contacte a:**
Jeremy Meyer, Director de comunicaciones, meyer_jeremy@cde.state.co.us, 720-668-6434
10 de abril de 2026
Comunicado de prensa
La Junta Estatal de Educación otorga al Distrito Escolar Poudre autoridad exclusiva para autorizar escuelas chárter
DENVER – Durante su reunión de abril, la Junta Estatal de Educación de Colorado concedió al Distrito Escolar de Poudre su solicitud de autoridad exclusiva para la autorización de escuelas chárter, con entrada en vigor el 1 de julio.
En febrero, la junta de educación de Poudre votó de manera unánime para solicitar esta autoridad, que le permitirá aprobar o rechazar cualquier nueva escuela chárter que busque autorización dentro de sus límites.
De acuerdo con la ley estatal, la Junta Estatal de Educación debe celebrar una audiencia pública cuando un distrito escolar con más de 3,000 estudiantes solicita autoridad exclusiva de autorización de escuelas chárter. Diez escuelas chárter ya operan en el Distrito Escolar Poudre, y el cambio en la autoridad de autorización del distrito no afecta la autorización de esas escuelas previamente aprobadas; la mitad de ellas están autorizadas por el distrito y la otra mitad por el Instituto de Escuelas Chárter de Colorado.
La junta estatal votó cinco a cuatro el jueves para aprobar la solicitud de Poudre.
La junta estatal ordena continuar esfuerzos de mejora en Gateway High School
Con una votación unánime, la junta estatal ordenó a las Escuelas Públicas de Aurora implementar sus esfuerzos propuestos de mejora dirigida en Gateway High School conforme a la ley estatal de rendición de cuentas, tras varios años consecutivos de bajas calificaciones de desempeño en el Marco de Desempeño Escolar.
Según la orden, Gateway continuará implementando su plan de innovación, actualizará su trabajo con TNTP, que pasará a ser un administrador externo parcial, e incorporará al Center for High School Success como socio. El trabajo de TNTP se centrará en fortalecer las comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje basadas en datos y mejorar los ciclos de observación y retroalimentación docente como impulsores de cambios en la instrucción en toda la escuela. El Center for High School Success apoyará el desarrollo de rutinas y sistemas de asistencia más sólidos para estudiantes de noveno grado.
El personal del Departamento de Educación de Colorado continuará monitoreando el progreso de Gateway mediante visitas al sitio cada año. Si la escuela continúa bajo supervisión de desempeño, en la primavera de 2028 el Panel de Revisión Estatal evaluará su progreso y hará recomendaciones a la junta estatal. Si Gateway no mejora al menos a una calificación de “Mejora” o superior para ese momento, la junta celebrará una audiencia para determinar los próximos pasos. La orden permanecerá vigente hasta que Gateway High School obtenga una calificación de Mejora o superior en el Marco de Desempeño Escolar durante dos años consecutivos.
La junta aprueba revisiones a las reglas del programa de Reclutamiento y Retención de Educadores (1 CCR 301-113)
La junta estatal aprobó por unanimidad revisiones a las reglas para la administración del programa de Reclutamiento y Retención de Educadores (ERR, por sus siglas en inglés) (1 CCR 301-113), con el fin de aumentar el número de personas que reciben asistencia financiera para completar un programa de preparación docente, al reducir el monto máximo de la beca de $10,000 a $7,500.
Además, la junta pospuso la votación sobre las reglas propuestas para la administración de fondos sostenidos para la preparación postsecundaria y laboral (1 CCR 301-117) hasta mayo, solicitando lenguaje adicional que incluya la capacidad del Departamento de Educación de Colorado para monitorear el uso de estos fondos por parte de los proveedores de educación locales y posibles adiciones a los créditos postsecundarios elegibles.
En otras acciones, la junta estatal:
- Votó por unanimidad para rechazar una solicitud de certificación de una escuela en línea multidistrital presentada por Education reEnvisioned BOCES en nombre de Colorado Virtual Tech Academy.
- Analizó una próxima audiencia de reglamentación para 1 CCR 301-1, reglas para la administración de las medidas estatales de rendición de cuentas, para la cual aún se aceptan comentarios por escrito.
- Votó para posponer la inclusión de nuevas medidas de preparación postsecundaria y laboral en los marcos de desempeño escolar y distrital hasta 2028. La junta estatal y el Departamento de Educación de Colorado podrían impulsar cambios legislativos para alinearse con este cronograma revisado el próximo año.
- Anunció el inicio del proceso de reglamentación para las reglas sobre la operación, mantenimiento e inspección de vehículos de transporte escolar y los estándares mínimos de Colorado para la gestión de dichos vehículos. ###
La visión del Departamento de Educación de Colorado es crear entornos educativos equitativos en los que todos los estudiantes y el personal de Colorado prosperen. Nuestro papel es mejorar los resultados de los estudiantes y garantizar que los estudiantes y las familias de todo Colorado tengan acceso a escuelas de alta calidad, sirviendo, guiando y elevando a los 178 distritos escolares y BOCES de nuestro estado.
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