Update on Jan. 28, 2025: The Boulder Valley Board of Education voted on Jan. 28 to reject Grove Elementary’s charter application. Grove would have been the first charter approved in BVSD since 2002.
A proposed new charter school emphasizing inclusivity for neurodiverse and special education students is under review by the Boulder Valley Board of Education. Grove Elementary would be an offshoot of Bal Swan, a private preschool in Broomfield, with its educational philosophy extending to the new publicly funded charter school.
The Boulder Valley School District has five charter schools, four approved between 1996 and 1999, and the most recent in 2002. Grove’s proposal is the first charter application in five years. The latest, submitted by Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons in 2019, was denied on many grounds, including its intent to waive the district’s nondiscrimination policy.
Most BVSD board members have not previously reviewed a charter application and spent nearly two hours at the board’s Jan. 14 meeting discussing Grove’s proposal.
While board members were generally positive about the school’s message and philosophies, they raised concerns about its reliance on paraprofessionals — who are not licensed teachers — to support its program and its high percentage of expected special needs students. The school is aiming for 30% of its student population to fall under its description of special needs. For Grove, this includes students without diagnosed disorders who still need special support, as well as those with diagnoses requiring complex, individualized accommodation.
BVSD is currently facing a 12% funding shortfall for its special education program, leaving the district’s general fund to cover the gap. Meanwhile, the number of students in special education has increased 7.4% over the last five years, reaching about 3,900 students. Some parents argue the new school is much needed to support this population.
Stephanie Cerrone, a mother of a child who is autistic, said trying to get her son into the right school has been a struggle.
“I am a parent trying to enroll my son with autism into BVSD and finding a lot of obstacles due to his needs. Literally, nobody wants him. It is incredibly upsetting as a Boulder native,” Cerrone said.
After meeting with two districts and being told the only suitable school for her son was 45 minutes away, she landed at Bal Swan. She has since gathered other parents in similar situations to establish an advocacy group seeking equitable education for their kids. At a December meeting, the group shared stories about students not being properly diagnosed, parents suing districts for resources, families being “invited” to leave schools, and others being turned away without explanation after being accepted, according to meeting notes shared with Boulder Reporting Lab.
Cerrone wrote a letter to BVSD in support of Grove, which her son could transition into after preschool at Bal Swan. In the letter, she described why their approach is so good for her child.
“It is amazing to sit in a room with others and little friends that also have a speech tablet, or are on the same meds, or is working towards the same therapy goals,” she wrote. “I am no longer alone trying to give him the confidence to succeed. I have Bal Swan to thank for that.”
Bal Swan has a private therapy clinic with speech pathologists and other specialists who help students in one-on-one settings once a week. However, this model won’t apply at the elementary school. Instead, Grove plans to adopt an “insurance model,” paying BVSD about $1,200 per student to access special resources like speech pathologists. To maintain its focus on inclusive education, Grove intends to provide teachers extensive training on incorporating those specialized elements into the curriculum.
Gabrielle Johnson, a preschool teacher at Bal Swan, gave an example of how its approach works. When a student needed help enunciating the “p” sound, they designed a classwide curriculum centered around penguins. This flexibility and student-driven programming, she said, are what make the school unique.
The board also raised concerns about the proposed budget, which would not allow for market-rate salaries or benefits for its teachers. The Grove team said they have already received interest from teachers who are drawn to their approach and culture. Charters aren’t typically able to match district compensation. BVSD’s average teacher salary as of 2022–23 is $89,000 — 30% higher than the state average for non-charters and 54% higher than the state average for charters.
The Grove founding members repeatedly mentioned during the meeting that they were only allowed to engage with one BVSD employee, Bianca Gallegos, who oversees strategic partnerships, during the application process. They said greater collaboration with BVSD staff, including discussions about securing more grant money and utilizing BVSD resources, would only be possible once the application is approved and the school becomes authorized.
One issue that underpins so many BVSD decisions is declining enrollment. One board member raised concerns about adding a new elementary school when at least a handful of existing elementary schools in the district face unsustainably low enrollment.
According to the Grove team, their model seems to resonate with homeschooling families, so they suggested the school could be an asset.
The board will hold a special work session on Jan. 21 to make a final decision on the application. Public comment will be allowed but only from BVSD residents.
