If you have been following along with our blog for the last few months, we have been covering the passage of rapidly expanding school choice policies that benefit homeschooling families. In our last blog, Disappearing Account Funds and Court Challenges: Wyoming’s Bumpy Education Savings Account (ESA) Rollout, we predicted that more backlash may be around the corner for policies that have swept across the nation which financially support alternative schooling.
Well, that backlash is here in Colorado. In response to Colorado’s rapid expansion of homeschooling enrichment programming and the controversial organization behind much of that growth, the state has ordered the dissolution of that BOCE group and is cracking down on homeschool enrichment programs across the state with an aim to curb further expansion of publicly funded homeschool programming. So, how did Colorado get here? What are homeschool enrichment programs, what is a BOCE, and what does this mean for homeschool funding nationally?
The History of Homeschooler Enrichment in Colorado
Six decades ago, Colorado lawmakers made it easier for school districts to band together and offer services that they couldn’t afford to provide on their own, like teacher training, sports programs, or special education services. These cooperative structures are called Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, or BOCES.
Originally, homeschool enrichment programs were a way to give homeschooled students socialization opportunities and provide certain courses that were hard to offer at home through the school district. They were never a universal measure, and even today only about 30 out of 179 districts offer homeschool enrichment at the schools that govern the BOCES. For a long time, there was relatively little controversy about homeschool enrichment, beyond the homeschooling community wanting wider options. However, one BOCE emerged following the pandemic that took an entirely different approach to this: Education Re-envisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services, better known as ERBOCES.
Why did ERBOCES Get Dissolved?
For a long time, ERBOCES authorized charter schools, some online schools and a small amount of enrichment programs. However, following COVID, their approach radically shifted, with its homeschooling enrichment aims growing at an extraordinary rate.
Colorado officials directed scrutiny toward the public cooperative (BOCE) after they fueled exponential growth in homeschool enrichment programs across the state following the Covid-19 pandemic, an uncharacteristic approach that meant that in the months leading up to the dissolution this September, the education cooperative oversaw $45 million in funding which was sent around the state, an unusual move as many BOCES restricted their funding and homeschool enrichment program to the locality in which the BOCE operates. This led to a 10x growth of homeschool experiential learning students from the 2022-2023 school year that ERBOCES managed. That rapid growth drew the attention of state officials, but the co-ops authorization of a controversial “public Christian school” led to outcry and investigations into how ERBOCE was utilizing funds, as data showed that enrichment programs were getting reimbursed at a higher rate that the actual number of hours they were providing.
This has all left homeschool families caught in the middle. The aftermath of ERBOCES’ dissolution has been disruptive for the families who relied on its programs, who are now in limbo this year, right as it begins.
What Does this mean for Homeschoolers Nationally?
Colorado is a cautionary tale about what happens when school choice programs expand faster than oversight or community input can keep up, which can lead to potentially harmful consequences for the longevity of pro-homeschool policies, and reputation of such policies. As with Wyoming’s Steamboat Legacy Scholarship rollout, the homeschooling families caught in the middle are the ones who pay for rapid rollout and political controversy, and the lesson is the same: it’s critically important to monitor what policies are happening in your own state, to stay one step ahead of policy makers as you plan for your year.
As always, we will continue to provide simple, clear information on national homeschool news and policy changes. We update our blog weekly every Monday, so be sure to check back regularly for the latest homeschooling news, with practical insights for families.