Colorado

Colorado lawmakers defeat charter school overhaul

Published

2 years ago

April 12, 2024

Colorado lawmakers defeat charter school overhaul

A bill that would have significantly changed how Colorado charter schools operate, making it simpler for local districts to close them, was defeated by state lawmakers Thursday in its first hearing.

After hours of testimony in the House Education Committee, the bill failed on a 3-8 vote.

Several Democratic lawmakers joined Republicans to defeat the bill, although some Democrats said they supported parts of the bill and would welcome a rewrite.

Students, teachers, parents, many charter school leaders, and some advocates testified against the bill for several hours. Far fewer people spoke in support of the bill.

Rep. Lorena García, one of the bill sponsors, accused opponents of “fear mongering” by telling parents and others that the bill would cause charter schools to close. García said she encountered a mom who was going to testify against the bill because doing so would fulfill her school’s parental engagement requirement. All the mom had been told was that the bill would close her child’s charter school, García said.

When García told her more about the bill, she said the mom told her that the bill was needed and that her own child’s special education plan wasn’t being followed. But García said the mom told her she was afraid to change her testimony, or of being named in Garcia’s recounting of the conversation, because she feared retaliation for her child.

“Yes, there are great charters,” García said. “No, not all are great. The great charters that are in it for our kids will prevail.”

The bill, had it been approved, would have made a number of changes, including prohibiting charter schools from getting any of their waivers automatically. It would have allowed districts with declining enrollment to create moratoriums to prevent new charter schools from opening, and it would have allowed districts to keep a larger share of charters’ per-student funding.

Districts would also have had final say in charter school appeals, preventing the State Board of Education from being able to override local decisions. Supporters who testified in favor of the bill included teachers, parents, former students, teachers union leaders, and a lawyer and a school board member for the Adams 14 school district.

Sponsors of the bill said the proposal was meant to put charter schools on a “level playing field” with traditional district-run schools, and that the goal was accountability and transparency for families.

Rep. Tammy Story, one of the sponsors and a member of the education committee, questioned charter school leaders who testified about why the bill would harm them.

Story suggested that the bill was not meant to be a threat to charter schools that were operating good programs. She said the proposed rules about conflicts of interest and preventing personal financial gain, for example, were aimed at bad actors who probably wouldn’t show up to testify.

Some who testified against the bill said that the problems identified by sponsors weren’t unique to charter schools.

Rep. Ron Weinberg, a Republican who was filling in on the committee and voted against the bill, said that if the true intent was not to harm schools that could be doing good work, the bill should have been written in coordination with the leaders of those schools.

Yesenia Robles is a reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado covering K-12 school districts and multilingual education. Contact Yesenia at yrobles@chalkbeat.org.

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Colorado

What I’m Hearing: Colorado keeps retooling, another Liga MX bid and more around MLS

Published

27 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

What I’m Hearing: Colorado keeps retooling, another Liga MX bid and more around MLS

The offseason in MLS is in full swing and The Athletic has you covered on all the latest breaking news.

Here’s the latest I’m hearing around the league…

Colorado Rapids to acquire Sealy

The Rapids are finalizing a deal to acquire Trinidad and Tobago international winger Dante Sealy from CF Montréal, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic. Montréal will receive around $2 million GAM from the Rapids, sources add.

Sealy, 22, was a highly rated graduate of FC Dallas’ academy and moved to Montréal ahead of the 2025 season, enjoying a breakout campaign with nine goals and two assists.

Colorado is among the most aggressive teams in the trade market, seeking young, domestic-based talent, and Sealy is the latest example. He previously spent two seasons with PSV’s second team as well, where he made 54 appearances.

It’s a busy winter of change for the Rapids, who will name Tottenham assistant Matt Wells their next head coach, The Athletic reported last week. He has been involved in player acquisition decisions.

CF Monterrey bid for Orellano

Liga MX’s Monterrey has submitted a bid to sign Luca Orellano from FC Cincinnati, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic. Orellano was the subject of bids from Cruz Azul last winter, but ultimately signed a new contract to stay.

Orellano, 25, is a natural winger who has excelled in a wingback role for Cincy. He had a strong debut season with 10 goals and seven assists in 2024 but didn’t match that output this past year as he struggled with injury. He had two goals and six assists in just under 2,000 minutes.

Monterrey is one of the highest-spending Liga MX clubs and has acquired talent from MLS clubs before – including from Cincinnati, when Los Rayados signed forward Brandon Vazquez in 2024.

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Orlando City to sign Coronel

Orlando City is finalizing a deal to sign Paraguay international goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, sources briefed on the deal tell The Athletic.

Coronel is a free agent after departing the Red Bulls this winter. He was one of the best players in this free agency class.

Orlando was looking to sign a new starting goalkeeper after longtime backstop Pedro Gallese departed this winter when his contract expired.

Coronel, 28, made 180 appearances for the Red Bulls, an anchor for their playoff run to reach MLS Cup in 2024, where they fell to the LA Galaxy. He made 31 MLS appearances in 2025.

Coronel has nine caps for Paraguay, starting the first six matches in World Cup qualifying. Paraguay, which will open the 2026 World Cup as the co-host U.S.’s first opponent, secured qualification in September.

Orlando has been busy to kick off its offseason, with The Athletic previously reporting the club is finalizing deals for a pair of highly-rated young Brazilian talents via the U-22 initiative: Tiago from Bahia and Luis Otávio from Internacional.

Red Bulls sign Che

The Red Bulls have signed American defender Justin Che from Brøndby, sources briefed on the deal tell The Athletic.

Che, 22, is a graduate of Dallas’ academy and a former U.S. youth international. He has bounced around in recent years, including stints in Germany with the youth setups at Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim.

The versatile defender, who can play right back or right centerback, gives the Red Bulls – and new manager Michael Bradley – options in defense.

Che made 15 MLS appearances for Dallas before heading to Europe. He made 24 appearances for Hoffenheim’s second team.

It’s a busy winter for the Red Bulls, with The Athletic previously reporting the club is finalizing deals to send Peter Stroud to Minnesota United and Lewis Morgan to San Diego FC.

Bartlett asks D.C. to speak about future

D.C. United center back Lucas Bartlett is attracting interest on the trade market and has asked the club to discuss his future, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic.

Teams around MLS have called D.C. about a potential deal, as well as a club in Europe, sources say. Bartlett, 28, joined D.C. United ahead of the 2024 season and has been a key starter the last two years, making 67 appearances.

The aerially dominant center back spent time with FC Dallas and St. Louis City in his career as well.

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Colorado

United States Postal Service offers reward after mail carrier robbed in Denver

Published

13 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

United States Postal Service offers reward after mail carrier robbed in Denver

December 14, 2025 / 5:14 PM MST
/ CBS Colorado

The United States Postal Service is offering a reward for information on the person who robbed a Denver mail carrier this weekend.

According to the USPS Inspection Service, a man approached the letter carrier around 9:45 am.n. on Friday near Roslyn Street and 8th Place. Officials said he was around 5’5″ and was wearing a black mast, black jacket, blue jeans and black shoes. The USPS says a possible firearm was tucked in his belt.

CBS

They are offering a $150,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the robbery.

The USPS encouraged anyone with information on the case to contact their inspection service at 1-877-876-2455 or make a report online.

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Colorado

Medina Alert issued after hit-and-run crash seriously injures motorist in Denver

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Medina Alert issued after hit-and-run crash seriously injures motorist in Denver

DENVER — Authorities issued a Medina Alert Sunday following a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a motorist.

Police said the driver of a gold 2008 BMW X3 SUV struck another vehicle at the intersection of Sheridan Boulevard and W. 17th Avenue in Denver around 4:37 p.m. Saturday.

The crash left the driver of the victim vehicle with serious bodily injuries, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

CBI

The BMW driver fled following the crash, traveling northbound on Sheridan Boulevard, CBI said in a bulletin.

The gold BMW X3, with Colorado license plate ECB F17, sustained heavy damage on the driver’s side from the collision.

If seen, call 911 or the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000.

This was the second hit-and-run crash and Medina Alert in Denver on Saturday.

Earlier Saturday, a pedestrian in a crosswalk was seriously injured after being struck by a 2010 white Toyota Corolla, Colorado license plate EDM U42, at the intersection of Federal Boulevard and W. Kentucky Avenue.

The driver of the Corolla left the scene—heading northbound on Federal Boulevard.

No arrests have been announced.

A Medina Alert honors the memory of Jose Medina, a 21-year-old valet driver who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2011.

A taxi driver witnessed the event, followed the driver, and gave the police the license plate number, leading to the capture and arrest of the suspect.

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