Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — An application for a charter school in north Routt County expected to be reviewed by Wednesday will be delayed yet again so the charter school board can further work out its proposal to the Steamboat School Board.
Representatives of the North Routt Charter Board attended the school board meeting Monday and asked for an extension on their application.
The next date has been set for Jan. 31, when the North Routt board will have to present its application. The charter school was initially proposed in June, but delays have already pushed the school board's decision back twice.
The applicants have made steady progress but still have a lot to work out, said Joanne Palmer, the director of communications for the Steamboat School District.
"I think they're very committed," Palmer said.
Shaunna Watterson, a member of the charter board, is optimistic about the group's chances.
"Once we go public with it, it's going to be a really good application," she said. "We've been negotiating particulars of the application. The next step is to take that application to the District Accountability Committee on Monday for review."
Watterson said the group will also hold public meetings, one of which will likely take place in Steamboat, with another one in north Routt.
The proposed charter school would be on a three-year contract and would cap at 25 kindergarten to third-grade students.
The school could potentially expand to include students as old as eighth-graders.
The charter group is requesting 95 percent of per-pupil funding from the Steamboat Springs school district.
The charter group also wants district funding to cover its special-education administration, liability insurance, payroll functions and transportation costs.