Colorado Springs District 11’s board of education discussed a proposal to potentially expand its school portfolio and fill an ongoing workforce gap.

The board was presented with a possible innovation school in partnership with Pikes Peak State College to expand early college and career learning in health care during a March 18 work session.

If fully realized, PPSC would teach 9th- through 12th-grade students courses focused on licensed practical nurse training and use an innovative school approach similar to the Colorado Springs School of Technology (CSST), which opened this past fall.

Like a charter school, an innovation school is a public school with greater flexibility for specialized curriculum and independent governance. Innovation schools also allow for greater flexibility in other areas, such as instructional and operational times.

PPSC President Lance Bolton told the board that operating as an innovation school would allow students to earn credentials during clinical hours outside of typical school hours. The school would likely offer internship opportunities with local UC Health and CommonSpirit hospitals.

If approved by the board, the college would invest $5 million to lease space at a D-11 campus and round out its coursework, faculty and lab work. Bolton explained that freshmen and sophomores would complete more traditional coursework before moving on to college and credential work during their junior and senior years.

The school district would not make any financial investments in the school under the proposal.

Bolton noted that the concurrent enrollment opportunities paired with the D-11 Promise Program, which covers tuition, fees, and support services at the college for eligible district graduates, could serve as a cost-free pathway for students into the health care field following two years at the college.

“The hospitals’ (in Colorado Springs) core operations are in District 11. Their administration is here, their main hospitals are here, they exist right here in your district,” he told board members. “And many of the young people who are our No. 1 targets, who we want to serve, who sit farthest from opportunity, are right here in District 11.”

If the school is successful, Bolton said he would like to expand its coursework to include dental assistant and emergency medical technician (EMT) pathways in subsequent years. Like CSST, the school’s first year would start with a freshman class and add the following grade in subsequent years.

All board members came away impressed from a tour of the existing PPSC health care programming earlier in the day and approved further exploration into the potential school.

“This is something, from my perspective, I always wanted … that full health care pathway,” board director Parth Melpakam said. “We have bits and pieces of that in District 11 right now, but this is something that is going to complete that health care pathway.”

The board will ultimately approve or deny a final contract for the proposed school once all its logistics are completed and the innovation zone plan is approved by the Colorado Board of Education.

If approved, the school would open in fall 2027 to incoming freshmen and juniors and seniors eligible for concurrent enrollment classes.

Other board business

• During a special meeting before the work session, the board unanimously approved a five-year contract renewal for CIVA Charter High School.

• Board members received a planning update regarding a $750 million bond the district will likely present to voters in November. School leaders and district liaisons are gathering public feedback on what the bond should go toward, while the district recently created an interactive webpage to answer questions and present different scenarios for the bond’s investments.

• The board discussed a new pay scale model to add to the existing scale regarding teacher professionalism and the strategic allocation of new state funding.