FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Local Charter Leader to
Represent Colorado on Capitol Hill
Yet
another honor has been bestowed upon Durango’s Animas High School as Head of
School Michael Ackerman heads to Capitol Hill to represent Colorado during
National Charter Schools Week in Washington DC, May 7th through 9th. Traveling with the Colorado League of Charter
School’s Vice President of Public Affairs Vinny Badolato,
Ackerman has been selected to represent the state and serve as an advocate for
Schools of Choice nation wide.
No stranger to the delicate politics surrounding the charter
movement, Animas High’s founding executive will be among 90 educational leaders
representing 40 states in congressional meetings on Capitol Hill. In addition
to sharing his experiences at Animas High, Ackerman will be working with the
National Alliance for Charter Schools in articulating key positions related to
the upcoming re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Specifically,
leaders will be focused on recommendations for policy changes to three
programs: the Public Charter Schools
Program, the State Facilities
Incentive Grants and the Credit
Enhancement for Public Charter Schools program. Additionally, advocates
will be calling on congress to consider increasing appropriations for the
Federal Charter Schools Program in the upcoming 2013 fiscal year as well as
pushing for the continued right of charter school teachers to participate in
state retirement funding systems.
“It is an incredible opportunity to have been selected by the Colorado
League of Charter Schools to participate in this important experience” says
Ackerman. “Not only am I excited to represent our state, I’m humbled to have
been asked to advocate on behalf of the 5,600 charter schools across the country and the more than
two million children who attend them!”
As Head of School for Animas High, Ackerman’s ability to
champion the charter cause has proved exemplary. “I know the success and impact
we are having locally here in Durango can be replicated nationwide. Having seen
the changes that Schools of Choice have had on public education here in Colorado,
I’m inspired to share what’s working with our nation’s leadership and challenge
them to do more. There’s no reason why any student in 2012 should not have
access to an education that works for them!”
Animas High School, a public school of choice, opened
it’s doors in 2009 and in a very short time has experienced remarkable success.
With both students and staff achieving acclaim at both state and national
levels, Animas High and it’s commitment to rigorous academics and a school wide
Culture of Excellence continues to make it’s mark. In 2011, Animas High School
was named among the top 8 percent of all Colorado public schools and received
the John Irwin Schools of Excellence Award, which recognizes schools for high
achievement on statewide assessments. The school offers high school programming
for 266 students in grades 9 through 12 and will graduate its first class in
the spring of 2013.