Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Responding to recent changes in state law, Colorado officials are scrutinizing 42 homeschool enrichment program applications submitted by a controversial education group whose past practices spurred the changes.The Colorado Department of Education on Thursday sent a four-page letter to the group — Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or ERBOCES — requesting additional details so a six-member review team can determine if the enrichment programs comply with the new rules. The department’s letter provides a glimpse into the state’s new harder line on publicly funded programming for home-school students. It also illustrates ERBOCES’ effort to maintain its stable of enrichment programs around Colorado in the face of state efforts to crack down on the group. 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 offer at home.The state’s tougher stance on homeschool enrichment comes after lawmakers passed strict limits this spring, aiming to curb rapid growth fueled by ERBOCES, increase transparency, and bar certain kinds of offerings, such as ski passes, karate lessons, and sports camps. Last year, the state spent around $100 million on homeschool enrichment programs. The law change requires homeschool enrichment authorizers like ERBOCES to get approval from the state or a local school district if they want to continue operating an enrichment program outside their boundaries. As of Thursday, the education department had received 45 applications for out-of-boundary enrichment programs, according to a department spokesperson. Forty-two of the applications came from ERBOCES for programs operating outside the group’s only member school district, District 49 in northeast Colorado Springs. One application came from the Aurora school district and two came from charter schools: Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Denver and Colorado Military Academy in Colorado Springs. ERBOCES does not have to get state or school district approval for homeschool enrichment programs operating within District 49.Ken Witt, executive director of ERBOCES, said by email on Friday that the education department’s review of his group’s 42 applications “encompasses a significant number of our wildly popular programs.”He said the review will require some back and forth with the department, and he expects it to be completed in the next few weeks. During the 2025-26 school year, ERBOCES had more than 50 homeschool enrichment programs around the state. Some offered math, reading, and electives like music and physical education. Others had a specific focus: outdoor adventure, career training, aviation, golf, or horsemanship. Witt has declined to provide Chalkbeat a full list of its homeschool enrichment programs, some of which have dozens of sub-campuses and subcontractors.In Thursday’s letter, education department officials warned ERBOCES that its 42 applications were incomplete and would need to be resubmitted. Items missing include:Information on whether homeschool enrichment applicants are located on private school campuses. Such co-locations are no longer permitted.Information on whether homeschool enrichment applicants are located at the same place as private fee-based programs. Such co-locations may not be permitted because the new rules bar the state from subsidizing private activities or purchases for home-schoolers.A full list of sub-campuses or subprograms operated by a single applicant.In the letter, education department officials cited specific problems with some applications. For example, it noted that Enrich Colorado, a homeschool enrichment program based in Pueblo, had not included information on a contractor operating in 28 locations around the state. That contractor is Forging Education, a group that operated a now defunct “public Christian school” that created a storm of controversy last school year.The letter also cites discrepancies in application paperwork for a program called Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, with one form saying the group has 68 campuses across Colorado and another form saying the number is 75. In June, ERBOCES provided a partial list of Colorado Homeschool Enrichment campuses to Chalkbeat. Most of the 30 items on the list simply say “Micro-Campus” with an individual’s name next to the entry. Others have names like St. Stephen Catholic School, Global Ex Academy, and Adventure Learning.Several homeschool enrichment programs that last year operated under the ERBOCES umbrella have discontinued their offerings in Colorado, according to their websites. They include programs such as Front Range Construction Academy, Alpine International Prep Academy, and Colorado Agribusiness and Equine Sciences Academy.Ann Schimke is a senior reporter at Chalkbeat. Contact Ann at aschimke@chalkbeat.org.
