(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Colorado Springs School District 11 has relocated Orton Academy, a charter school, into the Trailblazer Elementary building. The co-location during the first week of classes has prompted concerns from several Trailblazer parents regarding facility space and public funding allocation.
Trailblazer Elementary serves students from preschool through fifth grade and has a capacity of 550 students, though current enrollment sits at approximately 240 students. Orton Academy, which teaches students in second through eighth grade, previously operated out of a church basement. District 11 officials moved the charter school into the building to optimize unused space and broaden options for students with differing learning needs.
Students returning for the new school year experienced immediate changes to the building’s footprint. Eisley, a fifth grader at Trailblazer Elementary, noticed the modified environment during her first week. “Having Orton here is kind of weird, like because we split the school and we only have half of it,” Eisley said…