Judge dismisses lawsuits challenging private management in two Colorado school districts

By Yesenia Robles, Chalkbeat Colorado

A Denver judge on Friday dismissed two union lawsuits that challenged the state’s orders to Adams 14 and Pueblo school districts requiring them to hire an outside manager.

David H. Goldberg, a Denver district court judge, ruled that the union failed to establish how the order had caused injury and so lacked grounds to sue.

In the case of Adams 14, the State Board of Education in November ordered the district to hand over much of its authority to an external management company, the first district in the state forced to do so. The district has long struggled to raise student achievement.

In the case of Pueblo, the State Board had ordered the district to hand over management of two of its lowest performing schools. The district then closed one of the schools and signed a contract with a management company for one school.

In both cases, a Florida-based for-profit company, MGT Consulting, has taken over that role. In each case, the local teachers union sued the state and claimed the orders violated the state constitution, which grants local school boards the authority to make most decisions for their districts.

The cases were combined and presented to a judge in Denver in August.

Read more at chalkbeat.org.