Dear LPS Parents, Staff, and Community Members:

At the end of 2019, the League of Charter Schools, a special interest group, asked the State Board of Education to revoke LPS’ exclusive ability to authorize charter schools in our district because we weren’t treating charter school students in a fair and equitable manner. This accusation couldn’t be further from the truth. At LPS we strive to make sure all of our more than 15,000 students receive a top notch education regardless of which building they learn in. It is important to know that LPS’ charter schools - Littleton Academy and Littleton Preparatory - are not involved in this complaint. The League of Charter Schools is acting on its own.

On March 11th, we will go in front of the State Board of Education and demonstrate how much we value all students. We look forward to presenting how we do business in LPS and expect the State Board of Education to agree with us that we follow the law and treat all of our students equitably.

The main allegation of the League’s complaint stems from how our district has chosen to share our mill levy override dollars with our charter schools. In the past, our voters have generously supported LPS by passing multiple mill levy overrides. In 2017, the State Legislature passed House Bill 1375 which required our district to put together a plan on how to share these mill levy override dollars with our charter schools and put this money to work where it was most needed by students.

Our mill levy sharing plan was thoughtfully developed to first fund a portion of our special education costs across the entire district including our charter schools. The remaining funds were split up 100 percent equally on a per student basis and shared with the charter schools. 

The truth of the matter is that LPS only receives about $2 million in state funding every year to cover $22 million in special education costs. Therefore, all LPS schools must help defray these unfunded special education costs, including charter schools. 

LPS is one, unified district of schools committed to excellence on behalf of the students and schools we serve – not a collection of competing interests. We look forward to the dismissal of these proceedings and getting back to what we do best – providing an excellent education and developing the next generation of Colorado’s workforce.

Respectfully,

Jack Reutzel, LPS Board of Education President
Brian Ewert, Superintendent