Huge homeschool program closes in Colorado, following authorizer’s demise, stricter rules

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A publicly funded homeschool enrichment program that last year enrolled nearly 2,800 Colorado students will cease operating after a turbulent summer in which its authorizer dissolved and the state launched a strict approval process for such programs.

Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, or CHE, sent an email informing families of the decision Thursday evening.

“We have recently become aware that there was no path forward for the state to approve our application,” wrote Renee Miller, the group’s CEO. “As a result, CHE will not operate this season.”

CHE’s demise is notable because over four years it had grown into one of Colorado’s largest publicly funded homeschool enrichment programs, last year receiving around $15 million in state dollars to operate dozens of campuses and microcampuses. The offerings varied widely by location, with some providing lessons in subjects like reading and science, and field trips to farms or zoos.

But other offerings illustrate the excesses that recently prompted lawmakers to crack down on homeschool enrichment programs. In addition to activities like skiing, taekwondo, and horseback riding, some campuses provided public funding for private school students.

CHE was authorized by a controversial public education group — Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services — until the group dissolved in August. To continue operating, CHE would have had to quickly find a new authorizer, then get its application approved by the state.

This fall, in response to a recent law change, state education officials are drafting new rules for publicly funded homeschool enrichment programs. One version under consideration would require all such programs to be operated by public providers like school districts or charter schools. Another version would still allow private operators like CHE, but with some restrictions.

Miller said in the email to families that CHE will wait for the new rules before deciding whether to revive its operations next year.

“We encourage you to never relinquish your responsibility for your child’s education,” she wrote. “Children are an extraordinary gift from God, and the responsibility to raise and educate them is not something to take lightly.”

Miller said by email on Friday she’s not doing interviews at this time.

Homeschool enrichment programs typically offer six hours of class a week and are meant to give home-schooled students socialization opportunities or access to courses that are hard to provide at home. Some school districts and charter schools have long operated such programs but after the pandemic, ERBOCES fueled massive growth in homeschool programs that were publicly funded but privately operated.

Often that meant little public transparency about what was being offered to home-schoolers, who was offering it, and where the money went. ERBOCES officials repeatedly declined last spring to provide Chalkbeat a list of their more than 50 homeschool enrichment programs.

In addition, when Chalkbeat asked CHE in an open records request to provide contact information, enrollment numbers, and state funding by campus, Miller declined, saying the group’s lawyer had determined CHE is not subject to Colorado’s open records law.

“Thus, CHE will not provide the requested information,” she wrote.

But a trove of detailed information came out this summer when ERBOCES submitted 44 homeschool enrichment applications to the Colorado Department of Education as part of the state’s new approval process. The applications were for programs operating outside of ERBOCES’ one member school district in El Paso County.

According to application materials, CHE campuses together use 430 contractors and operate at about 1,300 locations around Colorado. These include private homes, rented classroom space, parks, and museums like History Colorado, and historic sites like Bent’s Old Fort.

But they also include less conventional destinations: indoor skydiving centers, trampoline parks, climbing gyms, skating rinks, batting cages, and ski resorts. In addition, some CHE groups visit pickleball complexes like Chicken N Pickle, indoor water parks like Great Wolf Lodge, and hotel resorts like Gaylord Rockies. One CHE campus offers a trip to a local whiskey, rye, and gin distillery — a business that offers some production process tours that don’t include alcohol tasting.

The CHE campus leader who listed the distillery as a location for her program in western Colorado did not respond to Chalkbeat’s request for additional information about what students learn during the distillery visit.

Part of the law change passed last spring barred public funding for homeschool enrichment activities that are not generally available to public school students. Perhaps in response to this criteria, CHE leaders attempted to show how some activities are comparable to public school courses.

CHE’s application claims a trip to iFly, an indoor skydiving center in Lone Tree, supports instruction in the physics of flight, and compares to high school aviation or aerospace classes. A visit to Ouray Hot Springs supports instruction in earth science and geology, and compares to high school earth science or chemistry classes. A trip to the Aspen Snowmass ski resort supports instruction in snow sports and outdoor recreation and is similar to a high school class in adventure sports and leadership.

Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.