Frequently Asked Questions

We are seeking at least two additional board members who can support Prospect Academy in opening. The Prospect Academy of Colorado Board of Directors will have full fiduciary responsibility for the school and is charged with providing academic, financial, and operational oversight and to ensure legal compliance. The governing board will hold the charter contract with Jefferson County Public School District. The founding board is made up of Colorado-based parents, educators, and community advocates, who have each been touched by autism and similar diagnoses. They are a dedicated group who bring passion, experience, and commitment to their work as board members. Qualifications for Board membership shall include, but not be limited to: (a) an interest in children and their education; (b) enthusiasm for Prospect Academy of Colorado and conviction in its purpose; (c) willingness to give time and energy to Prospect Academy of Colorado including a commitment to make every effort to attend all board meetings and required trainings; (d) individuals with specific skill sets, including, but not limited to, experience in education, accounting, finance, or law, as may be qualifications sought by the Board of Directors from time to time; (e) ability to represent the community and interpret community needs and views; (f) willingness to accept and support decisions democratically made; (g) ability to represent Prospect Academy of Colorado to the community; and (h) willingness to comply with any requirements for qualification, including, but not limited to, reading certain books, as may be prescribed in Board policy. Each Director of the Board of Directors must comply with the conflicts of interest policies in these bylaws and adopted by the Board. Prospect Academy seeks board members that have diverse backgrounds in a number of areas critical for having a high-functioning governing board. Specifically, we are building a board to reflect experience with: autism spectrum disorder, other learning disabilities, education, finance, fundraising, organizational development, charter school governance, marketing, and community outreach. We also seek diversity in terms of race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity, socio-economic level, home community, and age.

The Advisory Board consists of individuals committed to the school’s mission and vision who have specific expertise relevant to the school. These individuals have provided consultation during the development of the charter application and we anticipate continuing to seek their advice and perspective as the startup process continues. The Advisory Board meets once per quarter (four times per year) to stay engaged with the school’s work, but its primary task is providing periodic consultation to the school’s leaders, board members, and committee members as needed. The Advisory Board also has an important voice during annual development of the unified improvement plan. It is important to note that the advisory board does not have any decision-making authority.

The Finance Committee shall be responsible for oversight of the fiscal matters of Prospect Academy. The Finance Committee is commissioned by and responsible to the Board of Directors. It has responsibility for working with the school leader to create the upcoming fiscal year budget; presenting budget recommendations to the Board; monitoring implementation of the approved budget on a regular basis and recommending proposed budget revisions; recommending to the Board an auditor to perform an annual third-party financial audit; oversight of the annual audit; and recommending to the Board appropriate policies for the management of the school’s assets. The Finance Committee has no decision-making authority; it is a working committee that makes recommendations to the full Board of Directors in order to financial oversight.

The Outreach Committee is focused on getting the word out to the community about Prospect Academy and ensuring equitable access for all families in the community. We hold outreach meetings, attend community events on behalf of the school, oversee the website, manage social media, and more.