[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 156 (Saturday, November 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2228-E2231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         LIBERTY COMMON SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 7, 1997

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, on September 2, 1997, in 
Fort Collins, CO, the Liberty Common School, opened its' doors for the 
first time. The school's headmaster, Dr. Kathryn A. Knox greeted 393 
children and their parents in the yard of the newly renovated facility 
at 1725 Sharp Point Drive. For me it was greatly inspiring to be there 
that first day. As a Member of Congress, and a parent of three children 
in public school, I can tell you that it was truly exciting to observe 
such enthusiasm about the first day, and grand opening of a brandnew 
public school.
  Liberty Common School is a charter school. It is one of 23 charter 
schools in Colorado, and the first in Larimer County in northern 
Colorado. Colorado was the third State to enact a statute creating 
charter schools. The late State representative, John Irwin of Loveland, 
CO, first proposed the idea, but did not live to see his dream for 
Colorado children become a reality. Today, there are tens of thousands 
of Colorado schoolchildren who enjoy brighter futures because of 
Representative Irwin's vision and bold leadership.
  The founding of Liberty Common School was a heroic effort in and of 
itself. Owing its establishment to the determination of Dr. Randy 
Everett and Ruth Ann Everett, Liberty Common School began as an idea 
conceived in the Everetts living room. There a small group of 
educators, community leaders, and parents convened a discussion of 
public school reform possibilities in Fort Collins. The Everetts led 
those early discussions and formulated a bold plan which they 
championed through to the establishment of Liberty Common School. It is 
due chiefly to the Everetts vision and passion for equitable, high 
quality public schooling in Fort Collins that Liberty Common School 
exists today. Quite clearly, their devotion to the community at large 
and to the concept of education excellence, has touched the lives of 
not only the Liberty Common students of today, but for generations to 
come.
  Of course Randy and Ruth Ann Everett were not alone. Led by Phil 
Christ, chairman of Liberty Common's first governing board of 
directors, and entire legion of parents and community leaders joined 
the Everetts in seeing their vision to fruition. The band of volunteers 
convened countless evening meetings, met with school district officers, 
moderated public forums, and petitioned the Colorado State Board of 
Education before winning approval for Liberty Common's charter.
  Mr. Speaker, on September 2, 1997, the eager children left the 
schoolyard, found their new classrooms, and became acquainted with 
their new teachers. These educators met the full definition of 
professionals. From across America, Liberty Common drew upon the best 
talent in the education field to assemble its faculty. Because of the 
liberties created by Colorado's charter legislation, Liberty Common 
School is able to treat its teachers like the real professionals they 
are. Each hired at will, each considered according to merit, the 
professional educators at Liberty Common began to engage their skills, 
their craft, and their passion for teaching, in an intellectual 
exchange with their new students.
  Sharon Jones was the first kindergarten teacher. Other teachers 
include Glynis Tidwell, and Christy Coufal in the first grade; Gretchen 
Jeffers, Victoria Palmer, second grade; Beth Helmers and Cherie 
Pederson, third grade; Jeffrey Seiner and Linda Dunn, fourth grade; 
Constance Behr, fifth grade and history;

[[Page E2229]]

Frances Polster, fifth grade science; Paul Stoda, sixth grade and math; 
Maxwell Fransson, sixth grade and English; Marie-Louise Borok, seventh 
grade and art; Kyndra Spitler, music; and Gary Schwartz, physical 
education. Linda Berry, Melissa Copp, Beth Olsen and Tina Shocklety 
helped deliver the academic program to the children as the school's 
first teachers' assistants.
  With the guidance of business manager Paris Thomas, and 
administrative assistant Sally Hutchinson, Liberty Common's teachers 
and staff began the process of teaching in Fort Collins in a most 
unique way.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no other program of this type in Colorado. The 
school has selected the Core Knowledge Foundation's Curriculum Sequence 
as the framework of its curriculum. The Core Knowledge sequence is 
distinguished by planned progression of specific knowledge in history, 
geography, mathematics, science, language arts, and fine arts.
  Parents actually govern the school. They drafted and proposed the 
charter to the Poudre School District Board of Education. Parents make 
the hiring decisions. They selected the headmaster. They establish 
school policies, and they maintain parental involvement and community 
support in the school's operation.
  The expanded science curriculum is based on Project 2061, guidelines 
developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 
This project builds on and goes beyond Core Knowledge Sequence in 
science. The science program is allotted more time than is usual in the 
local school district, and a science specialist, with a science degree, 
has been hired to deliver the curriculum. No other local school has a 
definitive plan like Liberty does for using higher order thinking [HOT] 
skill, including the teaching of habits of mind in the various 
subjects. To summarize HOT: the students learn to know, understand, and 
use knowledge across the curriculum. In addition students develop 
skills of patterning, likeness/difference; modeling, reproducing; and 
creating, producing uniqueness across the curriculum. The result is 
that the students absorb the curriculum thoroughly as well as develop 
thinking skills to be lifelong learners. Habits of mind are more 
specific critical thinking skills unique to each discipline.

  The school is teacher focused. The program directly meets the desires 
of teachers to have more planning time, more training in certain 
subjects, and more help in the classroom. Additional hours are built 
into the weekly schedule so teachers can prepare lessons, coordinate 
plans and ideas with one another, and consult with the specialty 
subject teachers in the upper grades. There is a teaching assistant for 
every two classes in the lower grades. Teachers are paid competitively.
  Liberty Common makes use of a unique plan to encourage at-risk 
students to attend the school. No other school is required to do so, 
but Liberty Common believes its program can truly benefit students from 
a broad background. The plan includes holding meetings targeted to 
certain neighborhoods, and making Spanish translation available. At-
risk students and parents deserve to have a choice too. The school 
assists with transportation as needed.
  The school has agreed to take any districtwide standardized tests, 
including math and reading level tests. It is important to be 
accountable, and provide data to verify the success of the program. The 
school will also participate in the Johns Hopkins University study of 
the Core Sequence.
  The program consists of grades K-7 the first year, expanding to 8th 
and 9th grade in consecutive years. This is an essential part of the 
plan, both in terms of effective use of teachers and coherence of the 
entire school program. There is evidence that K-9 programs are common 
among charter schools, and are successfully meeting the demands of 
elementary and junior high age students. The K-9 plan is one of the 
innovations of the program, and parents deserve to have this choice as 
well. This curriculum, teacher development model, school day, and 
budget work most effectively together.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Everett's vision is today a thriving example of the 
value of parental choice. Dr. Everett himself has become noted as one 
of Colorado's foremost leaders and authorities on the topic of school 
reform. I submit for the Record the following statement of philosophy 
by Dr. Randy Everett, M.D., which illustrates his commitment to the 
children of Fort Collins and perhaps best describes Liberty Common 
School:

       Assumptions about how one learns, the purposes and goals of 
     learning, and what constitutes effective teaching define an 
     educational philosophy. The School's educational philosophy 
     is known as agency education. It informs our decisions on how 
     knowledge, skills, and democratic values should be taught and 
     how students, parents and teachers should work together to 
     accomplish that part of education that occurs in schooling.
       The individuals which have most clearly identified and 
     characterized the most significant issues of educational 
     reform as well as put forth the best solutions are: E.D. 
     Hirsch, (``Schools We Need and Why we Don't Have Them''), 
     William Kilpatrick, (``Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from 
     Wrong''), Neil Postman, (``The End of Education, Amusing 
     Ourselves to Death, The Disappearance of Childhood''), Diane 
     Ravitch, Thomas, Sowell, (``The Conflict of Visions''), and 
     Jacques Barzun, (``Begin Here''). All parents are requested 
     to read ``The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them'' 
     and ``Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong.''
       Agency education has as its metaphor a journey. The journey 
     is the individual's own quest in life and includes a 
     responsibility for one's own education, which is a lifelong 
     endeavor. The purpose of a liberal education is to lead young 
     people on just such an odyssey of the mind and heart, which 
     is to lead them to self-reliance. The classical allegories 
     for a liberal education, such as the journeys of Odysseus, 
     Aeneas, and Faust, represent a journey of the soul from one 
     particular time, place and attachments to the universal and 
     back again. The beauty of this journey is its applicability 
     to the actual development of mind, heart, skills, and 
     knowledge in each child.
       Children begin their cognitive development by first 
     developing a broad framework of knowledge through early 
     acquisitional curiosity, much like they acquire their early 
     spoken vocabulary. After they have gained a wider familiarity 
     with literature, history, science, math, music, people, and 
     places, as one does in the early years of Core Knowledge, 
     they begin to appreciate patterns and forms. Following this, 
     particularly when trained in Thinking Skills, or Habits of 
     Mind, the student is able to engage in mental modeling, which 
     is possible only when one's broad background knowledge, 
     enables one to solve problems and exercise judgement.
       The beginnings of the moral journey are along a similar 
     course. At first the focus is obedience to parental 
     authority. Later the child focuses on rules, or the required 
     patterns of expectation. As in writing or thinking, it is 
     only through the formation of good habits that the ability to 
     act, and act wisely becomes instinctive. As those habits 
     become more and more internalized, the student journeys 
     closer to self-reliance.

  Mr. Speaker, this philosophy has become manifest in the Mission 
Statement and Declaration of Liberty Common School's principles which I 
hereby submit for the Record:

       The mission of the School is to provide excellence and 
     fairness in education for school children through a common 
     foundation by successfully teaching a contextual body of 
     organized knowledge, the skills of learning including higher 
     order thinking, and the values of a democratic society. The 
     School recognizes the value of inclusiveness, or providing 
     access to a broad cross-section of the community, so that 
     students from all backgrounds can benefit from the School's 
     educational offering. The School acknowledges the leadership 
     of teachers in the classroom, and recognizes the 
     responsibility of each student for his/her academic effort.

  Mr. Speaker, I would like to include the Declaration of Principles 
the school has adopted:

       1. Children yearn for more meaning and require a basis of 
     solid contextual common knowledge for the development of 
     mature literacy and critical thinking, for growth and 
     communication in a diverse society.
       2. The educational ``playing field'' between students of 
     differing backgrounds should be level to provide all students 
     a basis to the greatest degree practicable, upon which they 
     can build further knowledge and to develop the skills 
     necessary to communicate and succeed.
       3. The skills of learning reading, writing, speaking, 
     calculation, and higher order thinking are most meaningfully 
     learned from the knowledge or content of the curriculum, 
     modeling, coaching and sensible practice.
       4. To thrive in work, citizenship, and personal growth, 
     children must be taught the values of a democratic society. 
     These values include: Respect for others; their property and 
     rights; Responsibility for actions, honesty, and social 
     justice; Resourcefulness being ready to learn, to serve, and 
     to share.
       5. Inclusiveness is fundamental in responding to the 
     diverse needs of children and raising academic standards. All 
     parents, regardless of economic status, should be free to 
     choose this educational program for their children.
       6. Teachers are professionals, which implies considerable 
     autonomy, mastery and independence. Having accepted the 
     academic and philosophic mission of a school, the teacher 
     needs to be free to exercise informed judgement in order to 
     fulfill his/her primary role as an educator.
       7. The principle determinants of individual academic 
     success are individual ability and effort. The policies of 
     the School (grading, discipline, homework, pedagogy) must 
     support the student's adoption of a personal quest for 
     academic growth using the clearly marked path of expectations 
     in knowledge, skill, and character. The guiding philosophy of 
     the School acknowledges that children can and should be held 
     accountable for their own school work and behavior with the 
     support of teachers and parents.

  Mr. Speaker, the academic program of the school was stated in the 
charter as follows:


[[Page E2230]]



                            Academic Program

       Our goal is to provide a rich and balanced educational 
     opportunity for all students. High standards are at the heart 
     of our expectations, although we recognize every learner has 
     unique abilities, interests and motivations. Parents 
     encourage their child's success by monitoring progress in 
     school and at home, and participating as fully as possible in 
     the school community. Classwork and homework are designed to 
     challenge each student to make the most of his/her talents.


                               Knowledge

       The School has selected the Core Knowledge Foundation's 
     Curriculum Sequence as the framework of its curriculum. The 
     Core Knowledge Sequence is distinguished by planned 
     progression of specific knowledge in history, geography, 
     mathematics, science, language arts, and fine arts.
       Children learn by building on what they already know. Thus, 
     it is important for them to begin building foundations of 
     knowledge in the early grades when they are most receptive to 
     attaining an organized body of knowledge. Children are by 
     instinct driven to construct a contextual view of the world. 
     Thus, it is important to provide them an educational 
     framework that assists them in developing the constructs upon 
     which their viewpoints will be based. Academic deficiencies 
     in these areas in the first nine grades can permanently 
     impair the quality of later schooling.
       By specifying the knowledge that all children should share, 
     one can achieve equal access to that knowledge. At risk 
     children especially suffer from low expectations, which often 
     translate into watered-down curricula. In schools using the 
     Core Knowledge Sequence, however, all children are exposed to 
     a coherent core of challenging, interesting, interwoven 
     knowledge. This knowledge not only provides a foundation for 
     later learning, but also defines a common heritage and 
     establishes a common ground for communication and cooperation 
     in a diverse society.
       In addition to its specificity, the Core Knowledge 
     curriculum is characterized by knowledge that is shared, 
     solid, and sequenced. Literacy in every subject requires a 
     set of mechanical skills and shared background. The shared, 
     many-cultural knowledge that promotes effective classroom 
     learning also promotes cooperation and respect among 
     students, both in the classroom and in society. Because 
     Liberty teachers will be able to rely on shared background 
     knowledge amongst their students, they will be able to build 
     sequentially on that knowledge year by year.
       As used above we define knowledge not in the simplistic 
     sense of mere facts but in the fuller sense of the word 
     historically. Knowledge consists of the facts, the relations 
     between them, the thinking about them, and the effort to 
     understand and connect them. It is not out of ignorance that 
     we discover understanding. It is exactly because of what we 
     already know that we can know more, that we can discern 
     organizing principles, make and test hypotheses and act 
     rationally.


                                 skills

       The skills of learning, namely, reading, writing, speaking, 
     listening, calculation, problem solving, and exercising 
     critical judgment, are best taught through the content of a 
     body of organized knowledge.
       The development of literacy will be one of the primary aims 
     and focuses of effort at Liberty. This will include a great 
     deal of reading from a variety of both fiction and nonfiction 
     primary literature. Particularly in the early grades, Liberty 
     will emphasize reading and more reading. In the early grades, 
     students will receive explicit, systematic phonemic awareness 
     and phonics instruction. Children will be provided 
     deliberate, coherent, direct instruction in letter-sound 
     correspondences. Practices which teach children to rely on 
     word-memorization (the look-say method) and guessing (through 
     illustration and/or context) will be avoided.
       Mature literacy develops as students become acquainted with 
     a broad and rich body of knowledge and become familiar with 
     many well-written, diverse and meaningful works of 
     literature. The literature suggested by the Core Knowledge 
     Sequence, as well as other literature that will be introduced 
     is chosen not only for its place in the core body of 
     knowledge, its representation and various cultures, and its 
     rich use of language, but also because it provides access to 
     deeper meaning of universal human problems, particularly 
     those which preoccupy children's minds.
       Liberty will acknowledge the central role of language in 
     thought and action. Liberty students will be taught to write 
     and speak through example and sensible practice. Grammar, 
     logic, and real spelling learned from real literature will be 
     part of these skills.
       Liberty will teach thinking skills not as a stand-alone 
     course, but rather as instruction integrated within the 
     content. Students often receive knowledge disconnected from 
     features that make it understandable and meaningful.
       Additionally, we will teach the more specific thinking 
     skills unique to each discipline, called ``Habits of Mind.'' 
     The Habits of Mind to be taught for scientific literacy are 
     found in ``Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy'' from the 
     American Association for the Advancement of Science. The 
     Habits of Mind for historical literacy are found in the 
     book Historical Literacy, which is a report of the Bradley 
     Commission on History. The Habits of Mind for math 
     literacy are identified in ``Children's Mathematical 
     Development.'' Habits of Mind specific to literature, 
     language, art, and music will also be taught.
       The development of skills requires time, thought and active 
     engagement of the visual and verbal imagination. We will 
     encourage students to replace non-instructional television 
     watching, which is passive and discourages creative play, 
     with the myriad of activities which will foster the 
     development of imagination and skills. Because television 
     viewing is diametrically opposed to reading, may stifle 
     cognitive development and imagination, trivializes 
     information, undermines values, distorts cause and effect, 
     and is unable to portray thought, we discourage excessive 
     (greater than 10hr/wk) viewing.


                                 VALUES

       The purpose of public education in a democracy is to 
     prepare people for the demands of work, the duties of 
     citizenship, and the obligation of each individual to make as 
     much of herself or himself as possible. For this to be 
     accomplished, our youth must be taught the values inherent in 
     a democratic society, such as devotion to human dignity and 
     freedom, equal rights for all, social and economic justice, 
     the rule of law, civility and honesty, self-respect, and 
     self-reliance. These values will be taught from the content 
     of the curriculum by inference and example, and also in how 
     we teach.


                         STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY

       All students are capable of learning to accept 
     responsibility for their own education. The philosophy and 
     practices this school will acknowledge that young people are 
     free to act and are hence moral agents and can be held 
     accountable for their actions. Our policies will encourage 
     discipline, hard work, cooperation, making decisions and 
     living with the consequences. Such policies, and a clear 
     understanding of academic expectations, will help our 
     students to choose a personal quest for intellectual and 
     personal growth. The students' sensing of an alignment 
     between their personal educational goals and those of their 
     school's will further reinforce their desire to accept 
     responsibility for their education. Such an approach to 
     student accountability has been termed ``agency education.''


                PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY

       Liberty is a School of Choice. This means that parents have 
     the option to select Liberty's educational philosophy for 
     their children. Liberty believes that its design will result 
     in parents wanting to play a strong role in their children's 
     education. When parents have the opportunity to choose the 
     kind of education they prefer, they will find the necessary 
     energy, time, and resources to devote to their children's 
     education. Liberty anticipates that parents will be directly 
     engaged in tutoring, coaching, classroom instruction, 
     preparing resource materials, and providing other necessary 
     and invaluable assistance.
       The family naturally provides the most influential and 
     effective context for basic life long learning and teaching.
       For this reason, and at the discretion of the classroom 
     teacher, parents will be invited to teach or assist with 
     lesson plans or learning projects in all subjects, depending 
     on their interests and expertise. Parents will also be 
     encouraged to spend time reading aloud to children at school 
     and/or in the home, coaching them in skill development, and 
     otherwise contributing time and talents in a variety of ways.
       Liberty Common School is a charter school. As such, there 
     are many new ideas being implemented. The classroom itself is 
     the context for several of these innovations. There is great 
     emphasis on parent volunteers in this school. There is also a 
     need to establish a learning environment that best serves the 
     students. At Liberty Common School we have defined the 
     general parameters for parent volunteering in Liberty School 
     classrooms.
       1. Parents volunteering is an integral part of the Liberty 
     Common School. Parents are not only welcome, but also crucial 
     if we are to have high quality teaching of the entire 
     curriculum in this first year.
       2. The teacher's ``individual teaching style'' sets the 
     tone for the classroom. This will include everything from 
     delivery of the educational program to classroom management. 
     The teacher has primary responsibility for the classroom and 
     student learning within the classroom.
       3. Parents who wish to be volunteering in the classroom 
     need to learn the teaching style of the teacher they wish to 
     assist. Each teacher will be giving a brief explanation of 
     their style at the orientation before school starts. If the 
     teaching style conflicts with the parent's volunteering 
     style, the parent will need to either adjust their style or 
     find a more compatible setting within the school to 
     volunteer.
       4. There will be a ``Liberty Volunteer Tutorial'' that each 
     parent who wishes to work within the classroom itself will 
     need to attend, including curriculum development, copy 
     machine 101, centers, reading overview, laminator, etc. Even 
     though a parent wishes to volunteer in one specific area of 
     the classroom, it is best for all involved that each 
     volunteer have an overview of the whole classroom.
       5. There will be a ``curriculum assistant'' for each 
     teacher. This person will work directly with the teacher to 
     prepare resource materials and support the curriculum needs 
     in accordance with the teacher's individual delivery style. 
     The Core Knowledge Sequence

[[Page E2231]]

     is just that, a sequence. Each teacher will be filling out 
     the sequence for their grade level. The Curriculum Committee 
     has amassed the materials necessary to succeed at this task 
     and there is a Curriculum Resource Room where this work 
     will be done.
       6. There will be a volunteer coordinator for each 
     classroom. This person will be responsible for organizing and 
     delegating the volunteer needs both of the teacher/classroom 
     and the parents.
       7. Any grievance or concern a parent has with a classroom 
     or a teacher will be handled by the procedures defined in the 
     school handbook.
       8. Under no circumstance is it ever acceptable for a 
     parent/volunteer to confront a teacher on an issue in the 
     classroom when the children are present.
       Liberty will encourage every adult--parents, step-parents, 
     grandparents, aunts and uncles--to take a special interest in 
     the lives of Liberty's students, to act as mentors and 
     tutors, and to instill in every student a love of learning.
       Parents will work in conjunction with the staff to ensure 
     the most effective education possible for their children. To 
     this end, parents will be responsible for knowing and 
     understanding the contents of Liberty's Charter, and be 
     encouraged, but not required, to participate on school 
     committees and provide other volunteer services as they are 
     able.

  Mr. Speaker, Liberty Common School's reliance on parental involvement 
is the epitome of local control. The original parents who volunteered 
to coordinate other classroom volunteers are Rachele Maffett, Felicia 
Coddington, Annie Groth, Lorena Lighthart, Karla Wild, Tina Durham, 
Beth Mizer, Beth Chilson, Joanne Deleon, Tatjana Swihart-Wyns, Melissa 
Massey, Susan Strong, Donna Regethoff, Judy Peterson, Kim Miller, and 
Mohamad Kalaaji.
  Parents playing the primary role in founding the Liberty Common 
School, securing its charter, and planning its opening include: Greg 
and Jane Anderson, Diane Campbell, Steve and D'Ann Chorak, Phil and 
Carol Christ, Wade and Kim Darrow, Randy and Ruth Ann Everett, Tim and 
B.J. Gilmore, Francie and John Glycenfer, Phil and Sally Hutchinson, 
Peter and Penny Kast, Thomas and Dru Ledder, Larry and Mindy Moore, 
Marty and Cheryl Olson, Gil and Cindy Paben, Gary and Judy Peterson, 
Jacci Peterson, Carol Ricciardi, Del and Cathy Sandfort, Rolando and 
Kathy Santos, Maureen Schaffer, Susan Strong, Alberto Squassabia, Dan 
Norhues and Monica Sweere, Richard and Laura Szanto, Mike and Susan 
Thatcher, Becky Trentlage, Laurel and David Van Maren, and Harry and 
Kathy Williams.
  Mr. Speaker, It is clear that Liberty Common School could not have 
opened had it not been for the generosity of several parents who 
committed significant personal finances to purchase the school 
facility. There are several parents who cosigned loans for the 
renovation of the former manufacturing facility which is now a school.
  In particular Mr. David Neenan of Fort Collins deserves special 
recognition. It was indeed his own company that renovated the facility. 
Mr. Neenan himself made possible the financing of the project. A former 
school board member, Mr. Neenan's dedication to education excellence is 
well known and his personal involvement in Liberty Common School has 
truly resulted in enhanced opportunity for all children of Fort 
Collins.
  Additionally Peter and Penny Kast, and Randy and Ruth Ann Everett 
have sacrificed long hours and personal fortune to secure the location 
and finances that have made Liberty Common School possible.
  Mr. Speaker, the enthusiasm of the Liberty Common community is 
positively changing the entire city. Parental choice has reestablished 
a marketplace of educational opportunity and healthy competition. One 
parent captured the essence of the pride and enthusiasm all parents 
felt when Liberty Common opened its doors and it is here that I submit 
her comments for the Record. Mrs. Sally Hutchinson's words were printed 
by the Fort Collins Coloradoan on September 17, 1997.

                   New Charter School Sets Open House

       We're open! Yes, Liberty Common School opened for its very 
     first day of school on Sept. 2. And an exciting day it was! 
     Fort Collins' first charter school is under way. Let me 
     remind you that we are a public school without tuition.
       I have been part of this effort for more than a year now, 
     and will continue to see the plan through as part of the 
     administrative staff. It has required hard work for many, 
     many people (and will require more), but seeing the vision of 
     having a school like this come to pass is a tremendous 
     reward. Fort Collins has finally joined the ranks of many 
     cities in Colorado and across the country who see the value 
     of allowing parents to choose a public school, and to 
     participate in running the school. Not only does Liberty 
     offer the complete Core Knowledge Curriculum for grades K-7 
     this year, but we have outlined a method to deliver the 
     curriculum and use teachers that is unique.
       In addition, we offer parents and students a ``relaxed 
     uniform,'' not only to make it easier to choose what to wear 
     to school, but to add a sense of importance to school, 
     improve student appearance and promote an atmosphere more 
     conducive to learning. Our science program has been enhanced, 
     our depth of study in history and literature is excellent, 
     our reading instruction is phonics based and our expectations 
     and standards are high. We have separate teachers for art, 
     music and physical education, and are currently organizing an 
     extracurricular band program for fifth through seventh 
     graders. Our property includes a huge playground, and a 
     separate gym and multi-purpose room. Liberty is located at 
     1725 Sharp Point Drive, off of East Prospect.
       If this describes the type of school you've been looking 
     for, please call the school at (970) 482-9800, and plan to 
     attend our Open House from 5 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. today. 
     We have openings in several grades, and are open to all 
     students.
       We encourage those of you looking for a Core Knowledge 
     program to get enrolled now. As we plan to continue through 
     ninth grade, enrolling now in fourth or fifth grade means you 
     will still have four to five more years of this rich, 
     content-based curriculum.
       Call, or stop by for a tour and additional information. 
     We're very excited about the program that's been developed 
     here at Liberty, and are looking for others with a spirit for 
     excellence in education, and a desire to be part of the 
     charter school movement taking place throughout the nation.
       Sally Hutchinson is an administrative assistant at Liberty 
     Common School.

  Mr. Speaker, there is clearly no more important topic in northern 
Colorado than the topic of education, for without question, the 
stability of our republic and the strength of our Nation rely upon a 
well-educated electorate and productive economic participants. I 
commend Poudre School District, its board of education, its 
superintendent and staff for extending parental choice in Fort Collins 
to include Liberty Common Charter School.
  The expanded opportunity for varied academic settings signals the 
district's commitment to enhanced equity and education fairness. 
Moreover, the district's commitment to true site based management and 
its deference to parental authority has inspired more opportunity for a 
professional teaching environment, and effective schooling.
  It is for these reasons Mr. Speaker, that I urge my colleagues to 
look with favor upon the charter school movement, and to consider the 
families served by Liberty Common School. This new institution is a 
suitable model for successful, innovative, competitive schools 
throughout the country. It is a model that ought to be duplicated. I 
urge my colleagues and the public at large to further explore the 
remarkable features of this institution and celebrate another success 
in America's efforts toward excellence in public education.

                          ____________________