At a Summit School District Board of Education meeting in the evening Thursday, May 21, Superintendent Tony Byrd will recommend that members deny a request from High Rockies Community School to relinquish its chartering authority — a decision that could impact the charter school’s interest to expand into Summit County. 

High Rockies Community School, which recently completed its first full year of operating at Sacramento Creek Ranch in Fairplay, has expressed interest in opening a Summit County campus. Just a couple days after the Board of Education voted to close Breckenridge Elementary School and consolidate its students with Upper Blue Elementary starting in the fall of 2027, the High Rockies Community School sent a letter to the board requesting its support in establishing a secondary location within the Summit School District. 

The first step, according to the letter, would be for the board to release its chartering authority to the Colorado Charter School Institute, a statewide public charter school authorizer. 

High Rockies school leaders have reported interest from families representing more than 100 prospective Summit County students, according to Head of School Laurel Dumas. 

Byrd’s recommendation comes on the heels of school district discussions of countywide enrollment declines and general budget pressures. 

In an interview Thursday morning, Byrd described the timeline of charter school’s request as rushed. 

“It’s not me saying I’m against charter schools, I think it’s important to say that,” Byrd said. “And it’s not a recommendation against innovation.”

Under Colorado law, charter schools can either be authorized by local school districts or by the Colorado Charter School Institute if a district votes to relinquish its authority. If approved through the state agency, High Rockies would operate mostly independently from the district, though the school’s letter to the board indicated wanting to form a partnership. 

Laurel Dumas, co-founder and head of school at High Rockies in Park County, confirmed with the Summit Daily on Thursday afternoon that she and other faculty and community members plan to attend the meeting this evening to address the board during public comment. Dumas said she had hoped to present the proposal to the board of education before Byrd delivered a recommendation. 

“We have great respect for Superintendent Byrd, but we believe his recommendation is premature given that we haven’t even had a chance to formally present our information,” Dumas wrote in an email. 

Byrd evaluated his recommendation using nine criteria, including fiscal impacts, operational considerations, community consensus and student services. His recommendation cites concerns including enrollment trends, High Rockies’ limited operating history, as well as financial implications for the district, which would lose per-pupil funding if students in the district were to opt to attend High Rockies. 

The board is expected to discuss the recommendation around 7:40 p.m. at its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, May 21. A vote on the matter isn’t scheduled for the same evening but will likely occur in the coming weeks. 

The meeting begins at 5 p.m. with public comment set to begin at 5:15 p.m.All board of education agendas are made available at SummitK12.org.