Start a Colorado Charter Bootcamp

Start a Colorado Charter School: Bootcamp

Interested in starting a charter school in Colorado? The Schools of Choice Unit has put together a variety of resources and contacts to help support new school developers. Although this is not an exhaustive list, these resources could help provide guidance in the initial stages of exploring what is needed to begin the planning process.

An in-person event, Charter School Bootcamp, is held annually and hosted by the Schools of Choice Unit. Details on when this event will occur are to be determined at this time.

Crafting Your Mission and Vision

New School Workbook: Crafting Your Mission, Vision and School Culture (PDF): You have an idea to start a charter school, but where do you start? Check out this resource developed by Kia Murray at the Colorado League of Charter Schools to help you walk through how to craft the mission and vision of you school and ensuring it aligns with the school culture.

Writing Your Charter Application

Looking for support in writing your charter application? The Colorado League of Charter Schools can review your charter application prior to submitting it to your district or authorizer. Find out more by visiting their website.

Budgeting

Planning Your Operations Budget: 101 Worksheet (PDF): Want to know where to start when thinking about budgeting? Developed by Patti Glock at the Colorado League of Charter Schools, this worksheet will help guide you through a "back of the napkin" exercise to help you understand where to start when budgeting for a new school.
Cost Estimation Toolkit for Charter Schools (PDF): Developed by the National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance, the Cost Estimation Tool linked here was designed to help start-up charter school operators identify and estimate the range of costs and timing of expenditures they will be obligated to cover during start-up and the early years of operation.

Charter School Waivers

Charter School Waivers Requests: The Basics (PDF): Wondering what waivers are and how the apply to charter schools? Review this powerpoint to understand what charter waivers are, what their purpose is, and what the most commonly requested waivers tend to be for charter schools in Colorado.

School Safety

Colorado Schools Safety Act (C.R.S. 22.32.109.1): Updated from the 2019 Colorado Legislative Session, the Colorado Schools Safety Act is highly recommended to review in detail when in the planning stages.
Emergency Planning for Schools Course: This free course is offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This course covers basic information about developing, implementing, and maintaining a school Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). This course provides participants with an understanding of the importance of schools having an EOP and basic information on how an EOP is developed, exercised, and maintained.

School Nutrition

Charter School Meal Options (PDF): Developed by CDE's School Nutrition Unit, this resource walks through the options charter schools have for offering meals to students. Other resources for charter developers can be found on the following webpages:

Working With Your Authorizer

A crucial piece of starting a charter school in Colorado is developing a strong relationship with your district authorizer. To learn more about how charter schools in Colorado are authorized, see our FAQ webpage here. Below are initial contacts for several of the larger districts in Colorado.

Denver Public Schools
- New Quality Schools Process: See this site for resources for those intending to apply to DPS as a new or replicating school.
- Contact: CNQS@dpsk12.org to learn more.
Aurora Public Schools
- New APS Charter School Application Process: This site has detailed information, including timelines, for new school developers interested in opening in Aurora Public Schools.
- Contact: Paige Jovanovic (pejovanovic@aurorak12.org), Coordinator: Charter Schools
Jefferson County Public Schools
- Charter School Process Site: Looking to start a charter school in Jefferson County? See their website here for information regarding the charter school process, specific for this district.
- Contact: Tom McMillen (Tom.McMillen@jeffco.k12.co.us), Community Superintendent of Charter Schools in JeffCo.
Charter School Institute
- New Charter Applicant Site: CSI's webpage lists important deadlines for developers looking to work with them as an authorizer here.
- Contact:Janet Dinnen (JanetDinnen@csi.state.co.us), Chief of Staff at CSI.

Interested in developing in other districts? Reach out to our office (paga_p@cde.state.co.us) to help put you in touch with the right person.

Colorado Charter Schools Program Grant

The Colorado Charter Schools Program (CCSP) provides a grant and technical assistance for up to 4-years to new and expanding charter schools, which many new school developers apply for to secure funding in their beginning stages. . The Colorado Department of Education was awarded $55 million to administer annual sub-grant competitions from 2018 through 2023. For more information including the application process and the technical assistance required, see our webpage here.