April 3, 2020
Dear School Leaders,
With the weekend just hours away, I hope you will take the time to marvel at what you have accomplished in such a short time. Many of you are leading the way with remote learning and some of you are getting ready to launch next week. Let’s remember to connect and learn from each other. Charter leaders are especially creative and always willing to learn from each other as well as other experts. In the early years, charter leaders would say that if Bill Gates wants to come in and teach my technology classes, then let’s welcome him and not worry about teacher licensure. That “can-do” attitude and willingness to glean knowledge from all sectors are some reasons that I’m convinced that all of you will soar. To help you accomplish this herculean task of moving to remote learning, remember to reach out to the CSI team and let us know what we can do to provide support or connect you to resources.
Earlier today, I joined another Superintendents Call with the Governor and Commissioner. There wasn’t too much new information. The Governor discussed the new Executive Order that has
extended school closures through April 30
. Governor Polis reiterated that it remains unlikely that schools will return to in-person learning this school year and said that districts are allowed to extend remote learning past the April 30 deadline. As you may have seen, over 15 districts in the metro area and in northern Colorado have communicated they will extend remote learning through the end of the school year, and we expect more announcements from other districts to come.
Charter schools should align with their geographic district’s decision. In cases where the charter school would like to make a decision prior to the geographic district to extend remote instruction through the end of the school year, they are able to do that.
Please visit our
Coronavirus Updates web page
for the latest updates and guidance from this week's Executive Order, this morning's Superintendent call, and more.
Click the button at the top of the web page for a comprehensive list of updates organized by department and topic,
including details on:
These topics and more will be included in the agenda for Monday's regional virtual meetings, so please come with any questions you have. (See below for more details, including call-in information for Monday's regional meetings.) We will also discuss when the legislature will resume and how to plan for the upcoming school year. The Governor stated today that he believes that the state budget and K-12 funding will be determined before June 30 which means that schools will be able to meet the same timeline, although you may have a short timeline for submitting your budget.
Don’t forget to send us your stories – successes as well as challenges! These are meaningful to us and we want to ensure that your voice is heard with stakeholders that are making decisions that impact your communities.
With deep gratitude for your dedication to all CSI students,
Terry
