{"id":2811,"date":"2026-06-25T13:04:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2811"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:04:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:04:05","slug":"pikes-peak-state-college-exit-threatens-controversial-erboces-co-op","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2811","title":{"rendered":"Pikes Peak State College exit threatens controversial ERBOCES co-op"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. <\/em><\/p>\n

DENVER<\/strong> | A controversial public education co-op that spearheaded a \u201cpublic Christian school\u201d in southern Colorado last year will lose a member in August, putting its existence in jeopardy for the second time this summer.<\/p>\n

Pikes Peak State College will withdraw from the co-op \u2014 Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services or ERBOCES \u2014 effective Aug. 15, Matt Radcliffe, a spokesperson for the college, said by email on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cWe do not have anything further to add,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The Elizabeth School District withdrew from ERBOCES in early June. The only other school district member \u2014 District 49 in El Paso County \u2014 also considered dropping out this month but ultimately opted not to.<\/p>\n

State law requires co-ops like ERBOCES to have at least two members, either two school districts or a school district and a college. Once Pikes Peak State College leaves the co-op, ERBOCES would need another member to keep operating in accordance with the law.<\/p>\n

ERBOCES has been at the center of two major controversies over the past year, and both its members and state lawmakers have taken notice. Last summer, the co-op authorized Riverstone Academy, a tiny school in Pueblo County that emails show was created at the behest of a conservative law firm that wanted to spark a religious liberty lawsuit that would go to the U.S. Supreme Court. ERBOCES has also fueled massive growth in publicly funded home-school enrichment programs across the state, using private contractors and subcontractors that keep many details hidden from the public.<\/p>\n

In May, Colorado lawmakers sharply curtailed the power of such co-ops to operate schools or programs outside their member districts. The changes prompted the permanent closure of Riverstone and could lead to the closure of other schools and some home-school enrichment programs authorized by ERBOCES.<\/p>\n

Asked how ERBOCES will continue operating once Pikes Peak drops out, Ken Witt, the group\u2019s executive director, was vague.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe routinely welcome new members, just as we understand when political and administrative changes lead to affiliation changes,\u201d he said by email Wednesday. \u201cWe will continue to do all in our power to ensure parents have access to the programs and schools they want for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

ERBOCES authorizes several schools, most of them online schools. It also has dozens of home-school enrichment programs, which typically provide six hours a week of tuition-free classes or activities.<\/p>\n

When the District 49 school board, which is ERBOCES\u2019 fiscal agent, discussed whether to drop out of the co-op in early June, board members were divided. Some, like Mike Heil, who drafted a presentation highlighting his concerns, questioned the \u201creputational impact\u201d of District 49 being associated with the co-op.<\/p>\n

Board member Lori Thompson, who recently joined the ERBOCES board, said Heil\u2019s presentation told an incomplete story.<\/p>\n

School Board President Marie LaVere-Wright, who used to be a member of the ERBOCES board, urged the District 49 board to stick with the co-op for another year at a minimum.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we leave, because their funding flows through us, too, that creates a structural problem for them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd you have a whole set of families that are depending on this who would immediately lose something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

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This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. DENVER | A controversial public education co-op that spearheaded a \u201cpublic Christian school\u201d in southern Colorado last year will lose a member in August, putting its existence in jeopardy for the second time this summer. Pikes Peak State College will withdraw from the co-op \u2014 Education reEnvisioned Board […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[3565,3566,3568,4568,4569,2934],"class_list":["post-2811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-district-49","tag-elizabeth-school-district","tag-ken-witt","tag-matt-radcliffe","tag-pikes-peak-state-college","tag-riverstone-academy"],"yoast_head":"\nPikes Peak State College exit threatens controversial ERBOCES co-op - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2811\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pikes Peak State College exit threatens controversial ERBOCES co-op - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. 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