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Pueblo County School District 70 board approves revised settlement allowing PCA to seek a new authorizer with audit condition
Summary
The board approved a revised settlement allowing the PUO School of Arts and Sciences (PCA) to be released from District 70 authorizing duties and seek a different authorizer, with a requirement that PCA deliver a balanced audit for Districts 60 and 70 by Sept. 15 or face a $300-per-day penalty.
Pueblo County School District 70 approved a revised settlement on June 27 that will release the PUO School of Arts and Sciences (PCA) from District 70’s authorizing oversight and allow PCA to seek a different authorizer.
Staff presented the settlement and said it requires PCA to provide a balanced financial audit for both District 60 and District 70 by Sept. 15. According to staff, failure to deliver the audit by that date would trigger a monetary consequence of $300 per day. The settlement text also allows PCA to pursue a new authorizer; ER Bosis was mentioned in the meeting as the only currently identified entity willing to accept PCA under its charter.
Board members pressed staff on accountability and oversight. One board member said releasing PCA would transfer responsibility to another authorizer and called that “passing the buck,” saying, “this is where it feels like we're just passing the buck along.” The same member said allowing PCA to move to another authorizer without stronger guarantees risked “rewarding bad behavior,” while acknowledging concerns about displacing students and staff if the charter were revoked.
Staff responded that ER Bosis had indicated it would accept PCA and that ER Bosis would be responsible for monitoring educational quality and revoking a charter if the authorizer found PCA out of compliance. Staff also noted PCA has recently hired a principal and that the settlement preserves the Sept. 15 audit requirement and associated consequences.
The board moved to approve the revised settlement and the accompanying action to release PCA to another authorizer; the motions were seconded and recorded as carried. The board also approved a separate motion explicitly endorsing release to ER Bosis while retaining the audit deadline and penalty in the settlement language.
Next steps: PCA must provide the audit by Sept. 15 as required in the settlement, after which the district will evaluate compliance and any stipulated consequences. The board did not vote on revocation during this meeting.
