Last Week:

• Colorado Public Radio published a great, in-depth article about the current state of our school district, called: Gag orders on teachers, cutting mental health support, operating in the dark — what’s happening in Woodland Park?
• The district has made a number of changes to policies affecting staff, such as changing the grievance policy, and requiring only “natural hues” for staff hair color.
• At Thursday’s City Council meeting, ten community members spoke out against the actions of this board and superintendent in the public comments period of the meeting.
• Via the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) we gained insight into board director Sue Patterson’s view on grant money.
• We published two letters the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent to the district, regarding the district’s failure to maintain separation of church and state.

Here’s what’s coming up this week:

• No meetings are currently scheduled. However, if the board was going to schedule a work session or special meeting, this is the week it would typically be held, in between two regular meetings, and with 1-2 days advance notice.
• While final numbers aren’t in, data shows staff turnover is around 40-50% (we’re told 15-20% is more typical). Considering the controversy surrounding this board, it’s unclear if the district will be able to attract qualified candidates to fill those positions, and what impact this may have on next year.
• The board is expected to review the preliminary ’23-24 budget in its May 10th board meeting.