Colorado Charter Skills Still Fight Education Establishment over Turf, Money.

Byline: Monte Whaley

Oct. 5-- Ten years after charter schools arrived in Colorado, they are still fighting much of the education establishment over turf, money and control.

Three school districts have slapped on moratoriums to keep the alternative schools from growing. The planned birth of a charter school in Steamboat Springs has split the community and could soon be settled in court.

Charges also persist that charter schools -- which are public schools that work independently of local school districts -- skim the best students and funding from struggling neighborhood schools to create de-facto private schools at taxpayer expense.

"It seems very straightforward to me that affluent children are easier to teach than poorer children," said state Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder. "And charter schools separate those two groups."

State Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada, wants to use the 10th anniversary of charter schools in the state as a springboard to investigate whether they have delivered what their proponents promised.

"I want to look at where we began with charter schools, where we are now and where we should be," Windels said. "Sometimes, if we never stop and evaluate something, we stray off course and not always in the best direction."

Charter schools were created to let parents, former teachers and administrators pick the curriculum and hire the teachers they want with little oversight from school districts.

Proponents say Colorado's foray into charter schools has worked so well that they can stand any scrutiny.

Students in elementary and middle charter schools generally perform better on the annual Colorado Student Assessment Program exam than their public school counterparts.

Also, a greater percentage…