The following letter to the editor is written by former board director Carol Greenstreet (link)
A strong public school system is one of the things that sets our country apart. It is certainly where we invest in our future as a nation. All of us invest tax dollars, some of us invest volunteer time and others choose it as a career.
In the past year, many have spoken out against the actions and decisions of the current Woodland Park Board of Education. There have also been many letters to the editor in support of this current board. It seems impossible to miss the extreme contention that has arisen over the governance of our schools in the past year, yet I have discovered many that are happily unaware.
Some statements that have been presented as facts over the past six months are concerning to me, we are all entitled to our own opinions, but we are not entitled to our own facts. Last spring, I wrote a letter containing a quote from Thomas Sowell and I believe it is important to consider it again. He said: “Some things are true because they are demonstrably true, but many other things are believed simply because they were repeated and repetition has been accepted as a substitute for evidence.” A letter published in the Jan. 4 edition of The Courier compels me to present actual facts.
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There has been mention of a decline in our district. If the writer meant academic decline, that is incorrect and evidence can be found in an article about student scores in the Dec. 7 edition of The Courier. If the reference is to decline in enrollment it would be important to look at census data. In Teller County, the population in 2000 was 20,555 with 25.9% under the age of 18. In 2020 the population was 24,710 with 16.5% under the age of 18. A decline in Teller County (WPSD and Cripple Creek School District) of 1,246 school age children. The decline in students in WPSD between 2000 and 2019-2020 school year was 916 students. The decline in enrollment in WPSD mirrors the county population decline. Any other reasons given are not supported by the data.
There has been choice in schools since 1994, something this board supports, and it does not appear more children are choicing out of the district now than in 2000. The population over the age of 65 has increased by 4,560 in the same 20 years, meaning our population has grown older with families who do not have school-age children. Additionally, WP has 180 documented short-term rentals that will not house children for our schools.
Since the recent BOE brought party politics into the schools, I decided to look at voter registrations for BOE members in the past several years. Of the nine years I served on the board, the majority were registered as Republican with one Democrat and two unaffiliated (nine total members referred to). The BOE that was serving for the approximately six months prior to the election of this board were majority unaffiliated. We did not know the party affiliation of other members at the time as it did not matter. We were about the education of children not politics. None of the members with which I served fit the descriptors of socialist, bully or progressive.
A statement was also made about the current BOE members being “long admired leaders and doers of our community.” Again, according to voter registration documents and assuming a citizen would register to vote quickly after moving here, one BOE member has been here 20 years, two for four years and one for two years. You must decide if they fit the statement “long admired.”
The facts show that two of the doctors who were affiliated with the hospital within the first few years of its opening are still in town and have children in WPSD. In my conversations with doctors who were affiliated with the hospital and left, none mentioned the schools as a reason.
For clarification from other false statements in previous letters: I was not serving on the BOE when the Merit Academy application was declined nor was any other charter application made while I was on the BOE. The teacher’s union was not behind or even involved in the recall effort. The community members, parents, and educators that disagree with this BOE cross all party lines and are from all walks of life. They are members of this community.
Remember, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. From my longtime association with this district, in many capacities, I believe I have a unique perspective to offer. I believe Merit Academy has served many students well and their parents are happy with the choice. I believe WPSD has and is serving many students well and their parents are happy with the district. Both can thrive in our community. Yet, this board seems set on turning all our schools into Merit Academy clones and some community members that have no connection to the schools other than paying taxes continue to make broad untrue statements to make it appear that the sky is falling in the district. This is simply not true. It does beg the question … For what purpose? And at what cost for this community?
Carol Greenstreet, Woodland Park