Group urges probe into Hope Online's funding

Anti-Defamation League points to mix of taxes and religion

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News, November 30, 2006

A civil rights group Wednesday called on the Colorado attorney general to investigate reports that tax dollars are being spent on religious education through the Hope Online Learning Academy Co-Op.

In a separate development, the southeastern Colorado school district that chartered Hope Online came a step closer to losing state academic accreditation. State education commissioner William Moloney said Wednesday that the Vilas School District in Baca County will go on academic probation after several years of poor student performance. That step precedes loss of state accreditation.

Vilas Superintendent Joe Shields said he accepts the decision to put the district on probation.

"I totally understand," Shields said. "We have accreditation standards and we have to find a way to bring our kids up in achievement."

Hope officials could not be reached for comment.

Vilas enrolls only about 100 students in the tiny farming community. But the district also is accountable for the progress of 3,700 students enrolled through Hope, a Littleton- based charter school that oversees 81 "learning centers" statewide, mostly in the Denver area.

On Tuesday, the Rocky Mountain News reported that budgets at some Hope learning centers, many of which are located in churches and private religious schools, show hefty overhead costs and a lack of oversight. Reporters also found public money being spent to assist the religious schools.

On Wednesday, Bruce DeBoskey, director of the Anti-Defamation League's Rocky Mountain States Region, issued a statement that the ADL has "serious concerns" about Hope funding.

"If media reports are true, this program directly contravenes the principle of the separation of church and state, and violates Colorado's constitution, which expressly bans the use of state funds for religious education."

Attorney General John Suthers could not be reached immediately for comment.

Hope students, many of whom were doing poorly in traditional schools, work on computers using learning materials provided by Vilas over the Internet. Their troubles were reflected in dismal scores on statewide achievement tests administered last spring under the Colorado Student Assessment Program. The education department counts those results as part of Vilas' scores. Shields said he has placed Hope on academic watch and will ask Hope officials for an improvement plan.

Vilas was in trouble before the Hope charter was issued last year. The district has been on "academic watch" - the step that precedes probation - since March 2003. Michael Clough, the education department's supervisor for the eastern part of the state, cited poor test results and the failure of many students to show up for the mandatory tests.

Fair Use Statement: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.