Notorious Charter school-hater Sue Windells (D-Arvada) is back. This time Senate Bill 215 would regulate online schools under a new division of the state Education Department.
The Hope Online Learning Academy is at the center of the debate again, after last year’s poor showing in an audit of online schools. Under the bill approved yesterday,
districts like Vilas (Hope’s district) would need approval from the new state agency to authorize programs outside their boundaries. The new agency would draft guidelines for which districts may authorize such programs and quality standards for the programs themselves. All of the new regulations would take effect on approval by the Colorado Board of Education.
I’m actually okay with a bit more oversight, although I have little confidence in Colorado’s Education Department to oversee charter schools without negative bias.
More here on 2 of the amendments that were attached to the bill, which I don’t feel so good about.
One Trackback
[…] action against Hope Online Learning Academy and the Colorado State Board of Education. Hope has had problems in the past but not any that have been specifically manufactured out of thin air. Where would the […]