Fatal shooting complicates future of charter school
DENVER >> Questions about security at a Colorado school where a shooting killed a student and wounded eight others have reshaped a battle over the charter school’s future, prompting emotional reactions from students and parents who consider it a haven for kids who struggled in traditional public schools.
STEM School Highlands Ranch and local education officials have negotiated for months over a new version of the school’s charter set to expire Saturday, and the May 7 attack deepened the tension amid a nationwide debate over charter schools’ independence.
The Douglas County Board of Education already was scrutinizing the performance of the science- and math-focused school over concerns about financial transparency, special education and administrators’ approach to parent complaints. The shooting led to new questions about security and operations.
Two teenage students have been charged in the attack and told police they knew which entrances to use because they would not be stopped, according to newly released court documents. One of the suspects also said he planned to target classmates who taunted him over his gender identity.
The shooting disrupted talks on a new multiyear charter agreement, so district officials proposed a one-year extension to allow time to reach a compromise.
Parents who recently packed a board meeting to oppose the short-term proposal described the school outside Denver as a place where kids feel challenged and supported after struggling elsewhere.
Others warned that a one-year extension would lower the school’s bond rating and hurt its ability to hire teachers, attract students or introduce new programs.
“It feels like our own school board doesn’t believe in us,” said Heidi Elliott, a parent of two students and a member of STEM’s board.
Charter schools are publicly funded but privately managed and designed to be free from heavy day-today oversight. Supporters say it allows charters to innovate and find new solutions to educate those who struggle in traditional public school systems.
Critics say the model has accountability and transparency problems that are ripe for abuse. It’s usually during authorization of the school’s contract, or charter, that those issues can be addressed in public.
Local officials with the power to authorize Colorado charter schools have a responsibility to parents and students, said Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center and a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
“A charter is the legal word for contract, and someone should be able to enforce that,” Welner said. “The authorizer has an important role to play and sometimes that means asking some tough questions and making some tough demands.”
District board members said leaders at STEM School Highlands Ranch failed to make changes after federal and state complaints were made about students with behavioral challenges lacking appropriate accommodations, putting “other students at risk,” Colorado Public Radio reported.
A letter to parents characterized several of the complaints as “test cases seeking to change federal law” and said STEM has more than the recommended number of staff for special education students.