OUR SCHOOL
About Our School​
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We are very proud of our little school in the mountains, and excited to share with you a little bit about who we are. The following will give you important information about us, but we would like you to understand us from a broader view as well. We enjoy several important qualities that make us special.
We are surrounded by natural beauty. The forests, river, lake, wildlife, and spectacular views all contribute to our unique school environment. The experience of standing on the playground and watching a bald eagle encircle the sky, or glancing out the window to see a herd of deer grazing is very significant in all of our lives, including the students.
We are small. We have nine classrooms including preschool, most of them with less than twenty students. Our size allows each staff member to know every student and their family. The family atmosphere is immediately evident as soon as one enters the school.
We are truly a community school. Many of our programs exist solely because of parents and community volunteers. The parents and teachers work side by side in a commitment to offer an excellent educational program to our students.
We have an exceptional staff with a commitment to excellence. They are not only highly professional with extensive experience and education, but they are unusually dedicated. The strength of the individual teachers is multiplied by the fact that the whole staff works together to meet the educational needs of the students.
As the surrounding population continues to grow, we will certainly be challenged to grow with it. We intend, however, to always support the qualities of natural beauty, small size, community commitment, and educational excellence which we now enjoy.
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​The LGCS charter is authorized by
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Location and History
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Lake George Charter School is located in Lake George, Colorado, about an hour west of Colorado Springs along Highway 24. We are nestled in the Pike National Forest. Our elevation is about 8200 feet, and our snowfall averages 63 inches per year. The sun shines over 300 days of every year.
We are in the Park County Re-2 School District, but our school is near the county line between Park and Teller Counties. This creates a unique situation in that we serve both Teller County and Park County students, and our school community is a blend of the Florissant and Lake George communities. With our district central office located in Fairplay, 45 miles away, it takes extra effort sometimes to keep communications open across the geographical expanse of our district.
The first Lake George Elementary School was built in the 1950’s. Classes from earlier years were held in various other locations. The school building has been added on to four times since the 1970’s with the last time being in 1996.
Lake George has a lion for its’ mascot and the school colors are red and blue. ​A Lion is confident, patient, social, courageous, compassionate, and serving. ​
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The school became a Charter School in the spring of 1996. The Charter School at that time had classrooms from preschool through sixth grade.
The school has been on a four-day week since the early 1980’s. School is in session Monday through Thursday. There is no busing available to students. There is a wonderful breakfast and hot lunch program.
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Our new school was built in 2012 and offers state of the art classrooms and technology. We have a turf soccer field and safe playgrounds for all ages. The view of the mountains is out every window in the school. We are away from the traffic and surrounded by beautiful pine trees. We offer classes from Preschool to 5th grade and then our Academy program is for 6th through 12th grade.
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What is a charter school?
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One of the questions we hear most frequently is “What is a Charter School?” Although the answer varies from state to state, in Colorado it is a school that is funded through district revenues but governed by a separate board. Colorado charter schools also vary from district to district, depending upon what happens to be the intent of the group that applies for the charter contract. Sometimes the intent might be to establish an unusual or atypical curriculum. Sometimes the intent might be to serve a certain special population. In some cases it might be that a private corporation or a university might want to try operating a public school. NONE OF THESE APPLY TO OUR SCHOOL.
Our school became charter when the community expressed a desire to operate its’ public school separately from the district. The intent was to allow our community greater autonomy in governance, finances, and general operations due to the fact that the school district headquarters is located nearly an hour’s drive from the school.
We are funded by district revenue at 100% of our per pupil funding allotment. We are still considered a public school, but our employees are charter school employees, and our budget, policies, and procedures are determined by the local Charter School Board.
We have a five member Charter Board, consisting of parents, community members, and staff. The Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:00 PM in Lake George.
We are unique in the state of Colorado in that we were one of the first charter schools to be formed from previous district schools, operating in district buildings. Because of our unique status, we are considered “pioneers” among rural Colorado communities who wish to establish greater local autonomy for their schools.
Being a Charter School is just one more way that our school establishes itself as a true community school.
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Our Charter Board
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Click on the board member to e-mail.
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Julie M. Gilley - President
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Jim Beall - Vice President
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​Amanda Redd - Secretary / Treasurer
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Fred Zuercher - Representative
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David Bretag - Representative
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Meeting Schedule and bulletin
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1/17/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
2/21/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
3/21/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
4/18/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
5/16/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
6/13/2023 Board Meeting- Bulletin
7/18/2023 Board Meeting - no meeting
8/15/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
9/19/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
10/17/2023 Board Meeting - Meeting notes
11/14/2023 Board Meeting - Bulletin
12/20/2023 Board Meeting - no meeting
1/9/2024 Board Meeting - Meeting notes
2/20/2024 Board Meeting
3/19/2024 Board Meeting
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Board Meeting Information
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Please click here for our LGCS board meeting agendas. Click on the clock to navigate to the meeting date.