Indian Peaks Charter School Makes Governor's Distinguished List

The bastard child of the East Grand School District--Indian Peaks Charter School (IPCS)--received the honor of being in the top eight percent of Colorado schools to show the highest rates of student longitudinal growth.

From the Colorado Department of Education Press Release:

"The Colorado Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Awards recognizes the top 8 percent of public schools that demonstrate the highest rates of student longitudinal growth, as measured by the Colorado Growth Model. A list of schools is available at:http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/govdistinguishedimprov.htm"

Grand Lake Elementary was also on the list, but a major distinction must be made. Indian Peaks Charter School spent just $6,000 per student last year compared to Grand Lake's $10,000 per student.

What's funny about IPCS is that it receives it's money from the district, yet has independent management and budgetary responsibility. Even with all the mill levy overrides the East Grand School District has received from voters over the years, IPCS gets only the per student allotment set by the state. Last year, that amounted to $6200 per student. Due to an increase in enrollment after the state count though, IPCS made due on $6000 per student. I'd like to see EGSD pull that off.

IPCS is a public school that receives public funding. It's also an excellent example of how the business of education should be run in Grand County.