The number of Colorado charter schools has grown from one in 1993, the year the legislature passed the Charter Schools Act, to ninety-six in 2004. Over this time period, Colorado’s education policy has become increasingly favorable toward charter schools. Among the significant changes from the original charter school bill that have since been enacted are these: removing the original cap of 60 on the number that could be created; increasing the per pupil funding that local school districts are required to pass on to the charter school (from 80% to 95%); and requiring that local districts share virtually all forms of funding with charter schools, including capital construction and Amendment 23 dollars. The implementation of the state-level Charter School Institute in 2004, which provides new or existing charter schools with complete autonomy from local school districts, is the latest and most far-reaching legislation. It virtually abandons the principle of local control and is likely to further accelerate the pace of charter school growth in Colorado