Charter School Process

A charter school is a publicly funded school operated by a group of parents, teachers and/or community members.

The district's charter schools operate under a contract or charter, between the charter school Board of Directors and the Jeffco Public Schools Board of Education. The local charter school Board ensures student success through oversight of the school's educational program, financial planning and operational matters. The district provides support services for these Jeffco students while focusing on end results in student learning, fiscal management and other accountability requirements.

Jeffco Public Schools believes that charter schools strengthen our goal to provide high-quality educational choices for Jeffco families.

Letter of Intent

Letter of Intent for a Charter to Serve Students in Coal Creek Canyon - Fall 2023

Introduction and Background

Regional Opportunities for Thriving Schools is Jeffco Public Schools’ response to the Board of Education’s (Board) request for a comprehensive plan to ensure thriving schools and extraordinary student experiences across our district. 

On Thursday, August 24, 2023, district staff recommended that the Board consider a closure of Coal Creek Canyon K-8. Grades 6-8 will close at the end of the 2023-24 school year. Grades K-5 will close at either the end of the 2023-24 school year OR the 2024-25 school year.

The district will seek charter school interest in a quality educational option designed to serve students in the Coal Creek Canyon area beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The district may support a short-term agreement (1-5 years) for a charter school to use school space before starting the disposition process.

This process will inform the staff recommendation to the Board on October 12 regarding the timing of the closure of grades K-5 at the current Coal Creek Canyon school. This process will not impact the timeline for closure of grades 6-8, which will occur at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

9/22/2023 Update: The district has received notification that some charter partners are considering the possibility of beginning operations in the 2024-25 school year to serve the Coal Creek Canyon community. The district recognizes that this aligns more closely with the community's desire for a sustainable educational option. Charter schools that could open a school to serve Coal Creek Canyon beginning in August 2024 should attach a supplement to their letter of intent expressing their ability to do so.

Read a welcome letter from the Coal Creek Canyon community

Timeline

  • August 24, 2023: Letter of intent requirements posted online
  • August 25–September 29, 2023: Submission window open to receive letters of intent
  • September 29, 2023: Letters of intent due
  • October 2-10, 2023: Jeffco will review letters of intent
  • October 12, 2023: Applicants will be notified of the status of their submission by this date.
  • October 12, 2023: Based on the viability of the letters of intent received, Jeffco staff will update their recommendation for the timeline of when grades K-5 at Coal Creek Canyon will close, potentially allowing time for the community to transition to a charter school
  • Spring 2024: Charter application window opens
  • June 2024: Jeffco Board of Education votes on new charter school applications

This "letter of intent" will provide formal notice to Jeffco of an applicant’s intention to submit a new school proposal for the 2024-2025 or 2025-2026 school year. The information presented in this letter is non-binding.

Submission 

All submissions were due by 11:59 p.m. on September 29, unless charter schools negotiated an agreed-upon extension directly with the Executive Director of Charter Partnerships. Letters must be complete to qualify for consideration. If you need more space than provided on the PDF, please feel free to attach supplementary documents to your submission.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. 

Submitted Letters of Intent

Next Steps

  • A review team consisting of the Executive Director of Charter Partnerships and representatives from school leadership, finance, and strategic initiatives will read the letters of intent to prepare a recommendation on general viability of at least one submission. The review team is not making a judgment at this time about which proposal is most or least viable.
  • The review team will present a recommendation to Jeffco’s Cabinet Leadership team who will prepare materials for the October 12, 2023 Board meeting.
  • On Friday, October 6, the district will publicly release a memo regarding the results of the letter of intent process and send that memo directly to the Board of Education, organizations that submitted a letter, and Coal Creek Canyon K-8 staff and families.

Evaluation Rubric For Letters Of Intent Received For Coal Creek Canyon 

Rating Characteristics
Fully Developed 

The response reflects a thorough understanding of key issues, such that the reviewer has essentially no unanswered questions about the section. Key issues include: 

  • Financial sustainability to serve a small school community
  • Evidence of the capacity to provide quality education
  • Qualifications of individuals who form the steering committee

The response addresses the topic with specific and accurate information that shows thorough preparation; presents a clear, realistic picture of how the school expects to implement the criteria; and inspires confidence in the applicant’s capacity to carry out the plan effectively. Examples or evidence are provided for all appropriate sections. 
Mostly Developed  The response addresses or meets an appropriate level of expectation for addressing key issues, leaving only a few clarifying questions for the reviewer.  Examples or evidence are provided for all appropriate sections if available. If examples or evidence are unavailable, a timeline to include or submit this information is stated in the application.  
Partially Developed The response addresses key issues in some respects but has substantial gaps in several areas, leaving a number of questions remaining for the reviewer. Examples and evidence may be found in a few appropriate sections.
Not Developed  The response is wholly undeveloped or significantly incomplete; demonstrates lack of preparation; or otherwise raises substantial concerns about the viability of the plan or the applicant’s ability to carry it out. No examples or evidence are provided.

 


Charter School Procedure Manual

For more information about Jeffco charter school processes please refer to the Charter School Procedure Manual.

View a list of current Jeffco charter schools

New Charter School Application Process

Any group of parents, teachers and/or community members may develop a charter application. A minimum size is not defined in the charter school law. The school must be nonsectarian and non-home-based. Applications may not be submitted to convert an existing private school or non-public home-based educational program into a charter school.

As directed by district policy, letters of intent to submit an application for a new charter school must be submitted by February 1. Following the submission of a letter of intent, applicants may submit a full application by 4:30 p.m. on March 15, approximately 18 months prior to the charter school's anticipated opening. If March 15 is on a weekend or non-workday, the application is due the first workday following March 15. Applications not submitted by this deadline will not be considered. 

The Colorado Department of Education's website has additional information about the application process.

Pending Applications 2023

There are currently no pending applications.

Charter School Renewal

The Colorado Charter School Act stipulates that charter school operate under a contract agreed to by the authorizer's Board of Education (Jeffco) and each school's individual Board of Directors. The Jeffco Board votes on charter renewal on or before February 1 of the year in which the contract expires. 

Charter School Office

The district's Charter School Office acts as a liaison between approved charter schools and the school district. It assists charter schools with their interactions with the district, manages the negotiation of contracts and renewals of contracts, the delivery of purchased services to charter schools and the collection of required data and reports from the charter schools. The office also manages the new charter application process and provides the Board of Education with the information needed to make decisions relative to new applications.

Contact

The Charter School Office can be reached at [email protected] or 303-982-6805.

Omotayo Adeeko, PhD - Executive Director, Charter Partnerships, 303-982-1736

Sara Merkel – Executive Assistant, Charter Schools, 303-982-6611


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