Timeline of candidate forum controversy

As you’ve probably heard, instead of the one traditional school board candidate forum, there are currently FOUR scheduled, and a FIFTH was in the works until shut down by the school district. They are:

  1. Chamber of Commerce Forum (10/9)
  2. Victory Life Forum (10/2)
  3. Merit Academy Forum (10/17)
  4. Woodland Park school district forum (10/9)
  5. Woodland Park student-led forum (CANCELLED)

I’ve had some help from community members piecing together a timeline of events, and am summarizing it below:

  • September 5th: Chamber Forum invitation sent to incumbents and candidates.
  • September 12th: District Forum Invitation sent to incumbents and candidates.
  • September 13: Email to District by candidates requesting alternative moderators with neutral suggestions. 
  • September 13th: Receipt of email from candidates confirmed by District.
  • September 18th:  Invitation sent from Merit for a Merit community exclusive forum to incumbents and candidates.
  • September 19th: After no response, candidates decline District’s competing forum.
  • September 19th: WPSD HS students invite incumbents and candidates to the student led forum. 
  • September 21st: Candidates respond requesting that WPHS students include Merit students on their moderation team
  • September 22nd: HS students email Gwynn Pekron (Headmaster), Mrs Hanson (Head of Upper School), and Mrs White (secretary) asking if 3-5 Merit students would moderate with them.  
  • September 22nd: Mrs Hanson responds favorably but Ms Perkron politely declines as they are doing their own forum. 
  • September 26: David Illingworth posts a joint statement that the incumbents will attend the District forum, the Church forum and the Merit forum. 
  • September 26: Kevin Burr (HS Principal) informs incumbents and candidates that the HS Student forum has been canceled by the District. 

At this point in time, there is no forum scheduled with all six school board candidates present.

Also scheduled for October 9th, is the WPHS Academics Night at the high school, awarding students for academic excellence (which, it seems is actually not the priority the board claims it is as they scheduled their forum for that evening).