Harrison approves charter school

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Dec 10, 2004 by SHARI CHANEY THE GAZETTE

Parents of elementary students have a new alternative to what some of them say is the poor education their children are getting in other public schools.

The Harrison School District 2 board voted 3-1 Thursday to approve James Irwin Charter Elementary School.

Board member Jan Bruner cast the dissenting vote, saying after the meeting, "I've never voted yes on a charter school. I don't believe in them."

Kay Mast, Steve Hester and Bill Zalman voted to approve the school. Board member Henry Blackwell was absent.

Charter schools are public schools run by parents, teachers or community members under a contract with a school board. They receive about 95 percent of the state funding other public schools do.

The elementary school is set to open next fall with kindergarten through fifth grade. Charter officials plan to add the elementary school to the middle and high school campus at 5525 Astrozon Blvd.

Parent Janice Rohde said her son was considered highachieving at Pikes Peak Elementary School in Harrison. When he began school at James Irwin, he was considered remedial, she said.

She's concerned that her younger son, now a highing student at Pikes Peak Elementary, isn't getting a good education, Rohde said.

She's looking forward to having the James Irwin Charter Elementary School as an option for her children, she said.

Parent Tracie Dixon praised James Irwin Charter High School, saying enrolling her daughter there changed her life, making her a better student excited about learning.

Many people have talked with Dixon, she said, about how to enroll at the charter school because of crowding in Falcon School District 49 where she lives.

The school will use Core Knowledge curriculum and Direct Instruction. Core Knowledge is a curriculum that helps students master basic skills and build on them. Direct Instruction is a way of teaching that uses unison responses from students and scripts for the teacher.