Preparatory academy in Pueblo wants D60 to ‘let them go'
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A preparatory academy in Pueblo is protesting for Pueblo School District 60 (D60) to 'let them go' after the district decided not to renew the charter for the academy's schools.
In January 2025, the D60 Board of Education voted to deny the renewal of Chavez-Huerta Preparatory Academy's (CHPA) charter contract, which ends on June 30, 2025. The school board listed various reasons for the denial, such as material and contract violations, failing to meet progress toward achievement, and failing to meet accepted standards of fiscal management.
The board also claimed there was decreased enrollment that created a risk of mid-year school closure and could disrupt student learning.
'Is the school financially healthy at this time? No. Therefore, my vote will be to not renew,' said school board member Bill Thiebaut in January's meeting.
Three schools in Pueblo are under CHPA, including Cesar Chavez Academy, Erislia Cruz Middle School, and Dolores Huerta Preparatory High. In February, CHPA addressed the 'rumors' via a statement on Facebook.
'District 60 is incorrect in their statements they have made saying CHPA will cease at the end of this year,' the statement said. 'That information is false, and we are confirmed to be here next year and in the future to educate your children to make a difference in the world and our community. We have the highest graduation rate in District 60, the highest attendance rate in D60, and 2nd lowest dropout rate in D60! We also have the most Associate degrees in Pueblo with no cost to our parents. We want your child to succeed! Trust in CHPA, and we will make it happen.'
Now, the charter is trying to get D60 to 'let them go.' On Tuesday, April 8, CHPA held a demonstration in front of the D60 building to 'make a statement' about releasing CHPA after not approving their charter contract for the 2025-2026 school year.
'D60 needs to release our school in order for us to move on to another authorizer and grow with more programs such as our dual immersion and online courses for credit retrieval and much more,' CHPA wrote on Facebook. 'The district refused to let us grow with more programs, and we look forward to moving on to bigger and brighter things.'
When asked, the D60 Board of Education said that it is their policy to not comment on 'pending or contested matters'.
During the demonstration, several individuals sang 'Let it Go,' and various people spoke over the next steps the school plans to take. D60 said the board's decision was appealed to the State Board of Education on Feb. 28. According to the Colorado Department of Education, CHPA will come before the State Board of Education on Thursday, May 15.
'The State Board of Education rules control the procedures and timeline, and we are following that process,' a spokesperson with D60 said.
FOX21 News reached out to CHPA for comment but has not received a response.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Who is Anastasios Kamoutsas? DeSantis makes pick for Florida Commissioner of Education
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn't look far for his pick to be the new Florida commissioner of education. On June 3, he recommended one of his top aides , deputy chief of staff Anastasios Kamoutsas, for the job to replace former commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., who was elected a week prior to be interim president of the University of West Florida. 'Stasi Kamoutsas has delivered on important issues like parental rights, school choice, and fighting back against radical ideologies in education,' DeSantis said in a release. 'I am confident that he will continue to serve our state well as the next Commissioner of Education, and I thank Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. for his dedicated and productive service.' Diaz, the latest in a line of DeSantis allies put in charge of higher education institutions in Florida, was delighted with the choice. "Great pick Governor!" he posted on X. "Stasi will be a huge advocate for students and families in Florida." The State Board of Education is meeting Wednesday, June 4, at 10:30 a.m. to consider appointing a commissioner. Anastasios I. Kamoutsas, 36, has a fairly low-profile presence, but he has been involved in many of DeSantis' key initiatives and was described by Florida Politics as "one of the most feared staffers." Kamoutsas, who holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Florida International University and his juris doctor from Regent University School of Law, a private Christian university. He joined the Florida Department of Education in 2019 to be general counsel and then chief of staff during the state's battle against mandated COVID masks in schools before he was tapped to be one of DeSantis' deputy chiefs of staff. 'Under my tenure, the Florida Department of Education will remain committed to student safety and success, empowering parents, and supporting teachers,' Kamoutsas said in DeSantis' press release. 'I look forward to working with the State Board of Education to ensure that Florida remains the education state.' While most of his work has been behind the scenes, Kamoutsas has popped up in the news. NBC News reported in March that Kamoutsas was one of DeSantis' aides who had made calls to state lobbyists, asking them not to donate to Florida 2026 gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds. First lady Casey DeSantis has not announced her own run, but has been rumored to be considering it for months. Kamoutsas denied NBC's allegations. He was also named in 2023 as the person who called then-FDLE Chief of Staff Shane Desguin to deny the promotion and raise for an attorney who disagreed with DeSantis' aides about what parts of the governor's travel records were public information because she "was not on our team," according to former FDLE deputy chief of staff Patricia Carpenter. When Desguin asked if he could give Robinson another position and salary increase, he 'was told 'no, she is lucky she even has a f—ing job,'' Carpenter said, according to The News Service of Florida. Carpenter was fired after she sought whistleblower protection. Last October, Kamoutsas raised a stink in his homeowner's association in Tallahassee for posting signs against a proposed abortion amendment on his lawn and reportedly gaming HOA rules by removing them before a meeting, avoiding hundreds of dollars in fines, and then replacing and increasing them the next day. Kamoutsas' wife is a lawyer for the State University System. Diaz was selected to replace UWF president Martha Saunders, who chose to step down after a contentious board of trustees meeting where newly appointed member Zach Smith grilled her about "diversity, equity and inclusion" issues he had identified when combing through UWF's social media. Smith had been appointed by DeSantis days earlier. Diaz joins a growing rank of DeSantis allies to head universities and colleges in Florida as the governor continues to leave his mark on education in the Sunshine State. On June 2, Jeanette Nuñez, formerly DeSantis' lieutenant governor, was named president of Florida International University. The appointment remains subject to approval by the state university system's Board of Governors. Marva Johnson, who served as a political appointee in the administrations of Governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, was picked in May to be president of Florida A&M University despite massive and sustained objections from the FAMU community of students, teachers and alumni. Richard Corcoran was the state commissioner of education and one of Desantis' most dependable and effective supporters when he was named president of New College of Florida as part of the governor's efforts to overhaul the liberal arts college into a conservative institution. Contributing: Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis picks Florida education commissioner. What to know
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
The "Stitt Show" in the Legislature is over, but the governor mostly got his way
The curtain fell on the 'Stitt Show' last week. Because if there's one thing that defined Oklahoma's 2025 annual legislative session, Gov. Kevin Stitt finally played a starring role after six years in a row of lackluster performance. The Republican adroitly exercised his power to relegate even lawmakers from his own party to supporting roles in their own production. For better or worse, pretty much every major policy passed during the 60th legislative session had his fingerprints all over it. Income tax cuts. Creation of business courts. Four new appointees to the State Board of Education. Stopping the education department's effort to collect information on students' citizenship. Extending the school year by a day. Banning cellphones in schools. Largely ending virtual school days. Flat agency budgets. Check. Check. And more checks. These victories represent an amazing turn of events for the governor, who year after year, has seen some of his major policy priorities — like calls to cut taxes — stymied by fellow Republicans. In prior years he employed one of the few tools a governor has in the Legislature: forcing lawmakers to return to the Capitol to reconsider his top agenda items during special sessions. But his efforts were futile, and those useless special sessions wasted taxpayer dollars with little to show. In fact, Stitt was so pleased with this session's outcomes, he said last week he doesn't see a reason to call a special session. Lawmakers, meanwhile, sat mutely for days as Stitt vetoed their bills or insulted their priorities. As of Thursday morning – the second-to-last day of session – the governor had vetoed nearly 70 bills, the majority of which were authored by Republicans. He also let an astounding number of bills — over 300 at last count — passively take effect without his signature. When asked about his decision to not sign bills, Stitt said those are the measures that he doesn't 'think are going to move the needle.' He also said the people think it's 'super weird' that there are over 500 new laws proposed each year. This is the same governor who vetoed measures that increase women's access to breast cancer screening or that aim to improve Oklahomans' access to the public records. But later Thursday, lawmakers suddenly emerged from their self-imposed supporting role and spent the final full day of session criticizing the governor's decisions. Against Stitt's wishes, they took the rare step of firing his commissioner of mental health after the agency's finances fell into disarray. Allie Friesen's removal marked one of their final actions and sent a clear sign that the honeymoon is apparently over and it might be a rocky interim. They also overrode nearly four dozen of Stitt's vetoes, including the breast cancer and public transparency measures. But it was too little too late. Stitt astutely took advantage of the legislative power vacuum that existed for most of the session to flex his muscles. Republican lawmakers seemingly wandered into session with no large-scale priorities of their own, and even the House speaker acknowledged early Friday that Stitt had emerged from session with what he wanted. Stitt's clear goals must have been a much needed beacon for a rudderless Republican legislative caucus led by new leadership trying to gain their footing and rein in state Superintendent Ryan Walters. Walters, by the way, was the session's biggest loser amid a meteoric fall from grace and the end of his storied bromance with Stitt. The two men found themselves exchanging escalating verbal jabs over the path forward for public schools. Stitt fired the three education board members that backed Walters, and after closed door budget negotiations, lawmakers revealed that they'd rejected most of Walters' budget requests, including spending $3 million on Bibles. Lawmakers also dealt Walters' citizenship collection rule the coup de grace. But whether the 2025 'Stitt Show' will go down in infamy or herald a renaissance remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, this session will certainly be the one that defines Stitt's legacy in years to come. Only time will tell if he's remembered as the ultimate champ or biggest chump. Janelle Stecklein is editor of Oklahoma Voice. An award-winning journalist, Stecklein has been covering Oklahoma government and politics since moving to the state in 2014 This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: No special session needed. Governor got what he wanted | Opinion
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Oklahoma's legislative session went Gov. Kevin Stitt's way, even with minor revolts at the end
Gov. Kevin Stitt jokingly shakes Rep. Trey Caldwell's hand on Wednesday after learning that he hadn't yet vetoed any of Caldwell's bills during session. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) The curtain fell on the 'Stitt Show' last week. Because if there's one thing that defined Oklahoma's 2025 annual legislative session, Gov. Kevin Stitt finally played a starring role after six years in a row of lackluster performance. The Republican adroitly exercised his power to relegate even lawmakers from his own party to supporting roles in their own production. For better or worse, pretty much every major policy passed during the 60th legislative session had his fingerprints all over it. Income tax cuts. Creation of business courts. Four new appointees to the State Board of Education. Stopping the education department's effort to collect information on students' citizenship. Extending the school year by a day. Banning cellphones in schools. Largely ending virtual school days. Flat agency budgets. Check. Check. And more checks. These victories represent an amazing turn of events for the governor, who year after year, has seen some of his major policy priorities — like calls to cut taxes — stymied by fellow Republicans. In prior years he employed one of the few tools a governor has in the Legislature: forcing lawmakers to return to the Capitol to reconsider his top agenda items during special sessions. But his efforts were futile, and those useless special sessions wasted taxpayer dollars with little to show. In fact, Stitt was so pleased with this session's outcomes, he said last week he doesn't see a reason to call a special session. Lawmakers, meanwhile, sat mutely for days as Stitt vetoed their bills or insulted their priorities. As of Thursday morning – the second-to-last day of session – the governor had vetoed nearly 70 bills, the majority of which were authored by Republicans. He also let an astounding number of bills — over 300 at last count — passively take effect without his signature. When asked about his decision to not sign bills, Stitt said those are the measures that he doesn't 'think are going to move the needle.' He also said the people think it's 'super weird' that there are over 500 new laws proposed each year. This is the same governor who vetoed measures that increase women's access to breast cancer screening or that aim to improve Oklahomans' access to the public records. But later Thursday, lawmakers suddenly emerged from their self-imposed supporting role and spent the final full day of session criticizing the governor's decisions. Against Stitt's wishes, they took the rare step of firing his commissioner of mental health after the agency's finances fell into disarray. Allie Friesen's removal marked one of their final actions and sent a clear sign that the honeymoon is apparently over and it might be a rocky interim. They also overrode nearly four dozen of Stitt's vetoes, including the breast cancer and public transparency measures. But it was too little too late. Stitt astutely took advantage of the legislative power vacuum that existed for most of the session to flex his muscles. Republican lawmakers seemingly wandered into session with no large-scale priorities of their own, and even the House speaker acknowledged early Friday that Stitt had emerged from session with what he wanted. Stitt's clear goals must have been a much needed beacon for a rudderless Republican legislative caucus led by new leadership trying to gain their footing and rein in state Superintendent Ryan Walters. Walters, by the way, was the session's biggest loser amid a meteoric fall from grace and the end of his storied bromance with Stitt. The two men found themselves exchanging escalating verbal jabs over the path forward for public schools. Stitt fired the three education board members that backed Walters, and after closed door budget negotiations, lawmakers revealed that they'd rejected most of Walters' budget requests, including spending $3 million on Bibles. Lawmakers also dealt Walters' citizenship collection rule the coup de grace. But whether the 2025 'Stitt Show' will go down in infamy or herald a renaissance remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, this session will certainly be the one that defines Stitt's legacy in years to come. Only time will tell if he's remembered as the ultimate champ or biggest chump. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
