ACLU of Colorado Sues Elizabeth School District Over Book Bans | ACLU Colorado

The ACLU of Colorado, representing C.C., a student at Elizabeth High School, E.S., a student in the Elizabeth School District (ESD), the NAACP – Colorado – Montana – Wyoming State Area Conference (NAACP), and the Authors Guild, sued the Elizabeth School District for removing books
— Read on www.aclu-co.org/en/press-releases/aclu-colorado-sues-elizabeth-school-district-over-book-bans

Derrick Wilburn files lawsuit against Academy D-20 parent | Courts | gazette.com

Academy District 20 school board member Derrick Wilburn has filed a lawsuit alleging that district parent, Bernadette Guthrie, has waged a public, multi-pronged smear campaign against him for almost a year.
— Read on gazette.com/news/courts/colorado-springs-school-board-member-files-lawsuit-against-district-parent/article_36b89a80-be28-11ef-825e-2b48ed47cef0.html

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Note, a GoFundMe has been set up to help with the legal defense costs for this parent. The prosecuting attorney bringing this case against this parent is David Illingworth, the Woodland Park school board member soundly defeated by Keegan Barkley in the last election. The D20 board president is Aaron Salt, who you’ll recognize as Ken Witt’s right-hand man in WPSD.

A ‘new breed’ of charter schools is spreading Christian nationalism — at taxpayers’ expense – Alternet.org

Charges that public schools are subjecting children to leftwing indoctrination are proving to be mostly over-hyped or not at all based in fact. Yet, there’s evidence, according to a new report, that a fast-growing sector of the charter school industry is engaged in indoctrination, only, in this case…
— Read on www.alternet.org/christian-nationalism-2661573247/

The Imperative for New Leadership in Academy District 20 | by Rob Rogers | Nov, 2024 | Medium

Looks like the COO Aaron Salt is looking to leave the area. A quote from the article linked to here:

In his superintendent application to a district in Arkansas, Salt explicitly states his intention to move back east and closer to family. This acknowledgment raises concerns about his commitment to the community he currently serves. Making significant decisions while planning to leave calls into question the motivations behind his actions and their alignment with the community’s best interests.
— Read on rob-subterra-insights.medium.com/the-imperative-for-new-leadership-in-academy-district-20-dd2239411d55

Specific reasons to remove the sales tax

From the 10/30/2024 Courier:

People of Woodland Park School District: It is time for truth. It is time for actual, factual honesty. The current school board has caused over 40% of teachers and staff to leave the district in the last three years. It has just recently removed many or most benefits from the teachers currently employed, so likely more will leave unless that is rescinded. It has caused parents to transfer over 100 students to other schools. It has caused the NCAA to state twice that athletes from WP cannot receive scholarships because of the social studies “standard” (American Birthright) it adopted that the CO State Board of Education declared not worthy of adoption by any public school district. It has refused millions in grants for mental health services, and some have questioned whether they have violated federal mandates in regards to service for students with special needs. Yet to date, the SB has never provided full and transparent accounting for how and where it has spent the money from the tax revenue it was given.

The way to get that accountability is to take that tax money away at this time. Because you surely care about where your tax money is spent for the school district, it means VOTING YES on the ballot measure is essential so this SB has no access to that money until a fully transparent accounting occurs. The tax can be reinstated when that happens.

Some are saying, (disingenuously?), this action will hurt the students—but they and their parents have already been hurt as those who left demonstrates, and none of those speaking of hurt now said a word of concern as it happened. Those same folks say it will “hurt the teachers and staff” when they have already been devastatingly hurt as all who left demonstrates, and those remaining are still being hurt. When a school board’s leaders intentionally damages a school district it has not earned the trust of the voters in the district. Nor have they earned respect to be trusted to truthfully and transparently report the use of public tax money. Have they been hiding something, and if so, why? The City Council decision is likely the very last opportunity to know with any degree of certainty how that tax money was or will be spent. That is why this ballot measure exists.

So, again I say, for the greater good of all in the school district, VOTE YES on the ballot measure to remove the tax money from this school board. The people of the school district deserve truth and honesty, because truth with actual, factual honesty of how public tax money is spent is not a matter of perspective.

The above is the truthful opinion of this United Methodist Pastor, Retired.

Rodney Noel Saunders