Superintendent Kimsey told the board she is recommending nonrenewal of Chavez Huerta K‑12 Preparatory Academy’s (CHPA) charter authorization based primarily on fiscal concerns identified by the district review team.

"After reviewing the application for myself, in addition to reviewing all of the recommendations from the review team, I am recommending to the board, nonrenewal of this charter application," Kimsey said.

CHPA dispute and context

CHPA representatives led by a Mr. Segura told the board they were surprised by the district recommendation and said the district did not request clarifying information before recommending nonrenewal. "We are a Hispanic serving institution that provides an opportunity for our kids to participate in maria folklorico dance, and Hispanic and cultural studies," Segura said, and asked the board to allow CHPA time to respond or to release the charter so CHPA could seek authorization elsewhere if the district recommendation stood.

District review findings

Assistant Superintendent Tom Johnson summarized the district review team's process and ratings. Key findings included:

- Introduction/staffing: "mostly developed" with concerns about limited staffing detail and rising staff turnover (staff turnover rose from 17.46% in 2020 to 30.61% in 2024 in materials the team reviewed).
- Academic performance: concerns at the elementary and middle levels. The district noted declines in framework points and that some levels earned a turnaround plan classification; CHPA’s high school performance was stronger by comparison.
- Educational program and professional development: the review team found inconsistencies in the application about achievement and growth statements and limited specificity about professional development and follow‑up.
- Special education / MTSS: partially developed with limited detail on tiered supports and counts of students receiving Tier 2/3 interventions.
- Budget and finance: not developed. The district said the submitted budget failed to follow Colorado Department of Education (CDE) templates and omitted key items such as beginning fund balance and a clear contingency plan. The district's fiscal analysis identified a projected deficit in future years (district analysis cited approximately $4.3 million in estimated deficit projected for FY26‑27 tied in part to loan/balloon payments) and said some budget tables were incomplete or unclear.

Johnson explained the review team used a rubric to mark elements as "fully developed," "mostly developed," "partially developed" or "not developed." He said the budget presentation in the application used a raw export of financials in the school's internal format rather than the CDE uniform budget summary, which made comparison and analysis difficult.

CHPA response and leadership remarks

Segura and CHPA board members argued the district did not follow its own practice of asking for clarifying follow‑up before making a recommendation, and CHPA said it had provided supporting material after the December 2 application deadline that arrived too late for the district review team to analyze before their recommendation.

CHPA’s leadership said the school has seen an enrollment decline of roughly 100 students in the recent year and that the organization is exploring retention options including an online program and a proposed dual‑immersion program as ways to stabilize or grow future enrollment. In the application materials the school said it had cut approximately $1,030,000 from its budget and proposed enrollment assumptions of about 838 students for the coming year, and referred to planned residential development near the campus as a rationale for longer‑term enrollment growth.

Legal and procedural notes

District legal counsel and staff warned the board that if it votes to nonrenew a charter that has issued bonds or related facility debt, state statute requires notification to state officials and may permit the commissioner or treasurer a hold of up to 120 days while the state reviews options — a protection tied to bondholders’ interests.

Superintendent's conditional renewal options

Kimsey offered alternatives the board could consider other than straight nonrenewal: shorten the charter term to one year; require separate school codes and separate frameworks for elementary, middle and high levels; prohibit expansion (for example, an online offering or a dual‑immersion program) until current performance is stabilized; require CHPA to use district templates, reporting tools and professional resources; require timely quarterly financial statements and audits; and require return of district real and personal property if the school vacated district facilities.

Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences (PSAS) annual report

Before CHPA’s renewal presentation, the board received the annual report for Pueblo School for Arts and Sciences (PSAS). Charter liaison Tom Weston and PSAS executive director Michael Martin described PSAS as "in good shape" financially with solid reserves and significant facility investments; Martin said the network has invested about $1,000,000 in both the Jones and Fulton Heights campuses. Weston summarized that Fulton Heights earned 52.6 framework points (an improvement classification) and Jones earned 32.9 points (turnaround classification), and he and Martin described instructional and staffing steps to improve performance, including an instructional coach and targeted interventions.

What’s next

The superintendent’s recommendation is advisory; the board must still act if it wishes to nonrenew CHPA’s charter. Board members asked for more detail about asset handling, debt assumption and student transfers if a nonrenewal is adopted. Legal counsel said statute governs notice and potential holds related to bonds; the board also has the option to condition a renewal and require benchmarks and reporting.

Quotes

"We are a Hispanic serving institution that provides an opportunity for our kids to participate in maria folklorico dance, and Hispanic and cultural studies," said Mr. Segura for CHPA.

"After reviewing the application for myself ... I am recommending to the board, nonrenewal of this charter application," Superintendent Kimsey said.

Ending

The board did not vote on renewal or nonrenewal at the Jan. 14 meeting. District staff will provide additional budget and legal analyses, and the board will consider next steps — conditional renewal language, a vote to nonrenew, or other options — under the timeline required by statute.