A few years ago, I found myself presenting before the Aurora Public Schools’ Long Range Facilities Advisory Committee as the district prepared a bond measure for voters. 

Alongside two other charter schools, I outlined Aurora Academy’s facilities needs, which centered on safety and security for the students at my school, and explained how bond funding could help us address them. A few months later, we learned our projects would not be funded, with no explanation and no opportunity to address concerns or answer questions. 

That lack of transparency was frustrating, but it wasn’t unique to Aurora. Charter schools across Colorado have faced similar challenges for years. But now, thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 145, things are changing.

This new law, recently signed by Gov. Jared Polis, represents a major step forward for Colorado’s charter schools and the more than 136,000 students we serve. It helps level the playing field by ensuring charter schools are meaningfully included when school districts develop bond measures, and it gives voters the transparency they deserve to understand how their tax dollars will be invested.

We hope it will also address an inequity that has persisted for years: despite serving more than 15% of Colorado’s public school students, charter schools have received only about 3% of the more than $15 billion in bond revenue collected by districts over the past decade.  

In Aurora Public Schools alone, charter schools serve 14% of students but have received just 1% of bond dollars.

Colorado’s charter schools are public schools. They’re tuition-free, open to all students, and held to high standards of accountability. Our families pay the same property taxes that fund these bonds. But when bond measures went before voters, our schools were often left out of the conversation entirely, and voters had no way of knowing which schools would actually benefit from their yes vote.

Senate Bill 145 changes that dynamic. 

The legislation requires districts to solicit capital construction proposals from their charter schools when they’re considering a bond measure. It requires school boards to notify charter schools whether their needs will be included and, if not, to provide clear reasons in writing. It gives charter schools an opportunity to respond to concerns. And critically, it requires districts to post detailed information on their websites about the process used to consider all schools’ needs and the reasoning behind which projects were prioritized or excluded.

These requirements represent a fundamental shift toward fairness and will help ensure every public school student in Colorado is considered when we invest in school facilities. 

This victory didn’t happen by accident. It took leadership from Senators Cathy Kipp and Scott Bright and Representatives Andrew Boesenecker and Lindsay Gilchrist, who championed this bipartisan legislation from start to finish. It took hours of testimony from charter school principals, parents, and students who shared their stories, and partnership and persistence from advocates who refused to accept the status quo.

And importantly, it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Every child deserves a great public school, and the type of public school they attend shouldn’t determine whether they get a fair share of resources. This bill is a reminder of what’s possible when we focus on what matters most: working together to make all Colorado public schools a better place to learn.

Amy Tracy serves as Principal of Aurora Academy, the first charter school authorized by Aurora Public Schools.

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