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Board raises concerns about charter-school enrollment not mirroring district demographics
Summary
Board members pressed for action after staff said two authorized charter schools'Carbondale Community School and 2 Rivers Community School'serve smaller shares of Latino students than the district; staff advised contract language and outreach rather than immediate policy penalties.
Board members asked district leaders on Tuesday to press charter schools to better reflect district demographics after staff showed the two district-authorized charters enroll fewer Latino students than the district overall.
Director Tyler noted the district's overall student population is about 58% Latino and said Carbondale Community School and 2 Rivers Community School enroll roughly 30% and 35% Latino students, respectively. "That is something that we need to have as a continued conversation," Tyler said.
Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole said the district and the two charter schools share a priority to serve a student body that reflects the community but that the practical challenge is recruiting a sufficiently diverse applicant pool. She said both charters already use weighted lotteries that prioritize students of color, students from low-income households and emerging bilingual students to improve equity in admissions.
Cole said legal counsel advised that enforcing demographic outcome targets is limited under state law and that the contract is the stronger place to set enforceable expectations. "The place for that is the contract," she said, adding that both schools' contracts are up for renewal in the 2026-27 school year and the district intends to start conversations next year.
Board members asked staff to return with information on charters' current outreach and recruitment efforts and demographic trends over recent years so the board can evaluate contract language and practical supports that would increase applicant diversity.
Ending: Staff said it will engage charter leaders, compile application- and enrollment-demographic trends, and bring recommended contract language and outreach steps to the board during the charter-renewal cycle beginning next year.
