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A tale of two forums

Tonight was the night of the forum battle! The school district scheduled their own school board candidate forum for the same date and time as the already-scheduled candidate forum being hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. We were all curious how it would go down…who did the voters want to hear from the most?

The Chamber’s forum, featuring challengers Seth Bryant, Mike Knott, and Keegan Barkley, drew an impressive crowd, as this picture shows:

The same cannot be said for the forum hosted by the school district, featuring incumbents Mick Bates, Cassie Kimbrell, and David Illingworth:

Meanwhile, our superintendent Ken Witt, who repeatedly talks about prioritizing academic success. The High School was holding their Academic Awards ceremony at the same time. Witt decided to go to the district forum for the incumbents instead of actually prioritizing academic success and celebrating the accomplishments of those high school students.

WPSD speaks out against teachers

Last Thursday, 81 Woodland Park teachers and staff signed a letter expressing their concerns about the current administration and board.

The response from the board and superintendent Ken Witt has been foul. Thursday evening, the district issued this press release:

It continues to disappoint us to see the teachers union prioritize its political views over the needs of students. If the energy they invest in attacking the Woodland Park School District (WPSD) administration and school board was instead turned towards academics, there would not be a need for the board to direct implementation of sound and fundamental educational standards.


This “teacher press conference” appears to be another union tactic to again dredge up issues that have been thoroughly addressed. These union affiliates are engaging in political maneuvering when the focus should be on the education and safety of our students, which they claim to care deeply about. We are equally disappointed but unsurprised to see CBS choose to be a platform for union opposition to the improvement of education in Woodland Park, enthusiastically seeking to assist in the union opposition to our school board.


Yes, this district adopted a traditional framework for civics and social studies – because we had to realign from courses such as “civil disobedience” and statements by the teachers union in Colorado that they disavow Capitalism, the free market which makes this nation the envy of the world, while they quip communist tropes. And yes, we still ensure we meet or exceed Colorado state standards.


Our community is tired of teachers believing they have the authority to determine what is taught. This is the responsibility of the people, through their elected representatives, the board of education. The concept of teacher supremacy over the rights of parents, voters, and even representative democracy must be rejected.


Yes, we declined some money earmarked for mental health services, which are often utilized for gender confusion and sexual identity matters instead of the sort of counseling and character development that our schools ought to pursue. We are returning to pre-COVID norms, focusing on teaching academics rather than loading the system with so many social workers and mental health practitioners that little time is left for learning. We have a counselor in every school and teachers who are trusted adults and watchful for students needing additional support. We also forged a new partnership with Mindsight this year to ensure we have all mental health support needed.


This district aims to design policies that uphold a respectful working and learning environment while fully honoring First Amendment rights. It is important to emphasize that WPSD does not seek to suppress anyone’s First Amendment rights. Nevertheless, it is expected that all district employees conduct themselves professionally and portray the district aims positively when working in their capacity as employees, where they have a role as representatives of WPSD.


We recognize that there continue to be staff members who seek to pursue goals related to unorthodox worldviews that run counter to the values of this community, but we are adamant that the role of the school is to come alongside parents in the education of their children. It is not the role of the school to be endorsing ideologies or undermine the values taught in the home. This administration proudly acknowledges the accomplishments which this small group of union-affiliated individuals decry. Their proposed alternative, a return to sexual politics, anti-capitalism, and hatred for America, is unacceptable to the administration of this school district, our board, and our community.

Ken Witt, Superintendent
Woodland Park School District

That’s Ken Witt, accusing our teachers of proposing ” a return to sexual politics, anti-capitalism, and hatred for America”!

Then today, this email was sent to parents:

Dear WPSD Families,

A false narrative is spreading through the Woodland Park community via a campaign of fear-mongering, claiming that the adoption of the American Birthright standard somehow jeopardizes NCAA accreditation of courses and implies that courses are not meeting Colorado Academic standards. This is patently false. 

WPSD fully meets or exceeds Colorado Academic standards, and so courses have no real risk of losing NCAA accreditation. All WPSD courses are and will continue to be accredited. The district notes that adding the American Birthright standards has exposed a number of gaps in the previous civics and social studies content and has both resulted in the creation of a new course, World Geography, as well as the addition of the contributions of a large number of significant historical figures that had been overlooked. 

The addition of the American Birthright standard to supplement the Colorado Academic standards has improved the depth and breadth of WPSD civics and social studies instruction, to the irritation of those teachers union affiliates bent on fostering a hatred of America in our youth.

Again, accusing teachers of being “bent on fostering a hatred of America in our youth.”

It’s absolutely unreal to hear a superintendent, with no objection from our board, speak about our beloved teachers in this manner.

Please, VOTE for change. Mail-in ballots will be sent out next week.

10/8/2023 Weekly Update

I haven’t published weekly updates for a couple weeks now…because the school district has been pretty quiet, with all the focus on campaigns for the three out of five school board seats up for grabs. Here’s what’s been going on:

Last week(s):

Here’s what’s coming up this week:

  • Monday, 10/9, is a busy day in town. There are two candidate forums (incumbents at Columbine at 6PM, challengers at the cultural center at 5:30PM), plus the Academic Awards Night at the High School (6PM).
  • The last school board meeting before the election is this Wednesday, 10/11, at 6:00PM (read the agenda here). They’ve decided to hold this meeting in the district conference room, which only seats about 90 people. This means that if the 81 staff members who spoke out against this board want to attend this meeting, they won’t all be able to, there won’t be enough space. The only action item in the agenda is for the board to pick the members of the SAC and DAC committees.

Candidate Forums Update

So far, all six candidates have not agreed to appear in the same public forum…and we have more to share on that. First though, on Monday 10/2 the Victory Life Church (founded by a member of the board of Andrew Wommack Ministries, and who also teaches at Charis) held their candidate forum at the High School auditorium, moderated by state senator Baisley (who recently wrote a guest column in the Courier praising the three incumbents). Turnout was sparse, and the questions were focused on talking points we’ve heard plenty about already (especially LGBTQ+ issues). This picture was taken shortly after the event started.

Next up with the forums are the competing forums on 10/9…the one organized by the Chamber of Commerce being held at the Cultural Center, and the one organized by Ken Witt’s administration, being held in the Columbine Gymnasium. The gym, you ask? Why not the auditorium? Because the High School is holding its Academic Awards Night in the auditorium, having secured that venue long before the district decided to create their own forum.

Seth Bryant, Keegan Barkley, and Mike Knott all declined the invite to the district forum. Seth emailed expressing interest in that forum and asking if the date for the Columbine forum could be changed. One of their campaign managers reached out the district on behalf of all three candidates, seeking compromise on choice of moderator (the district’s choice, Peter Hilts, has close ties to Brad Miller and has previously acted as a paid consultant for this board). She suggested four possibilities and a willingness to entertain other ideas, but my CORA request yield zero replies to this offer, apart from acknowledgment of receipt. So, with the district not willing to compromise, and likewise not making any requests to the Chamber of Commerce regarding that forum, we’ll be seeing the three incumbents take the stage at Columbine on Monday (starting at 6:00), while Bryant, Barkley, and Knott attend the forum at the cultural center (starting at 5:30). Meanwhile, parents of students receiving academic awards will not be able to attend either forum, they’ll be at the awards night.

Once we get past these dueling forums, the next question becomes the student-led forums. Plural? Yeah. Merit Academy announced one on 10/17, one for which they were originally going to restrict attendance to Merit families only but have since opened up to all (though questions are still limited to those submitted by Merit families). Woodland Park High School students wanted to organize a similar forum, which would make sense as this school board oversees that school, not Merit Academy. However, the Woodland Park School District refused the request of their high school students to hold such an event. The WPHS students even reached out to Merit Academy seek joint participation, asking Merit students to help organize and moderate a joint event. Headmaster Gwynn Pekron refused that request.

Woodland Park teachers speak out against school board

Teachers and community members (and I believe four press cameras) crowded the Ute Pass Cultural Center this evening to protest the actions taken by the Woodland Park School Board and the Superintendent, Ken Witt. 81 staff members signed a letter of protest, which you can read here (page 1, page 2).

KKTV’s article can be read here, along with video of most of the speaking.

The Colorado Sun wrote a very long article about this, read it here

CPR also wrote a great article about this story, read it here

What the teachers did by speaking out appears to be in direct violation of district policy KDDA, and is similar to what Mary Ward was fired for earlier this year. The district is currently involved in a lawsuit brought against them by the WPEA regarding, among other things, that policy. Staff I spoke to expressed uncertainty and even fear about how Ken Witt and the school board will respond to them speaking out like this.

Full video:

The next board meeting (and last scheduled one before the election) is Wednesday, October 11th, 6:00PM.

Letters to the Editor – First Amendment Rights

First Amendment Rights (from the Gazette)

Imagine a local social studies teacher assigns an essay. Why does the First Amendment matter right here? In your town, in your high school, in 2023?

You might coach your child that afternoon over your kitchen counter. The First Amendment flings open the door for participation in our own government. It means your voice (yes, yours) matters. It allows dissent to those in power. So it’s the backbone, Johnny, of democracy.

Without that amendment, you’d explain, protests and marches could be squashed by officials or current trends. Members of certain groups could be punished. But how would you tell him about our local school district?

Twice this spring, Woodland Park School District changed their policy, prohibiting employees from speaking about the district to the press or on social media without the superintendent’s permission.

Violation meant insubordination; evidence in the form of strategic staff terminations supports this grievous reality.

U.S. District Court Judge Gallagher recently indicated portions of the policy “do have problems,” and proposed mediation between the teacher’s union and the school district.

Both parties agreed. Yet a response from the school district warned that dialing back the policy would embolden “dissident” teachers in an election year.

Hmm. Let’s look closer, Johnny. Wouldn’t those supporting the district be heard, too? What would the district want people not to say?

You might explain the employees are taxpayers with rights to articulate their views of this government institution. Some are parents, now with no option to speak on behalf of their kids—despite the board’s purported value of parental rights.

During my own service on the Board of Education, it never occurred to the board to censor employees.

Why would we? We can think critically about opinions that we encounter. We can ask for evidence of statements we question.

We conservatives have been focused on teaching the Constitution. And correctly pushing back against what we see as impingement to free speech. How can we specifically support this constitutional right?

The specific policy reasons they must “create and maintain a dignified and professionally responsible image for the school district.” Perhaps our students would ask us about board members who speak freely without any ability for staff to rebut their views, even with facts. And perhaps image-driven

motivations should concern us less than created space for truth, integrity, and the value and freedom of every voice.

We must ask our kids, “In a democracy, are only those in powerful positions allowed to speak freely?” Johnny, when it is stifled, we must ask: for what purpose?

Carol Greenstreet
Woodland Park

Letters to the Editor – Educators with limited resources

Educators with limited resources (from the Gazette)

Oh, absolutely! Let’s not “reverse course!” In case you missed it, we already did.

Better I guess to “go forward” to a 19th century educational model. Or…let’s all be reactionaries and go back to the early and mid 20th, when “the Greatest generation” and the “Boomers” came of age. The same septuagenarians and octogenarians that succeeded, slammed the door in everyone else’s face, and twisted American culture into what it is today now want to pass the blame for it onto educational institutions. They’ve been doing this since the ‘80s.

Kids’ social media addiction didn’t come from a classroom. They watched their parents. Everyone likes to quote Mark Twain. He also said, “always obey your parents, when they are present.” It’s not educators who send kids to school hungry, mal-clothed, psychologically traumatized, “weak” with “feelings,” or any of a number of other pathologies that would discomfort you to experience even once, much less daily. Yet, always, the educators everywhere do their best to take care of them with limited resources while experiencing ill-intentioned political headwinds.

It’s not a shortcoming of the schools to adapt to the times, especially when they primarily have the kids’ interests at heart. Maybe what you need to get through your coon-skin hat, is that the world beyond your “trespassers will be shot” yard sign has changed and always will.

If you think “counting change” is the metric, just wait until you hear about AI singularity, quantum computing, autonomous robotics, digital surveillance, and more. Teaching kids to fear the future and that they’re already victims of it isn’t helping them.

Andrew Pappadakis
Woodland Park

District enrollment decline data (10/5)

We repeatedly hear David Illingworth and Ken Witt talk about enrollment increases in the district. The only way they can make that claim is if they count Merit Academy kids as NOT being part of our district the year that school opened in the ’21-22 school year. From a legal standpoint that’s correct, but it ignores the fact that Merit Academy was physically located in city limits that first year. So I’m going to count them as part of the district, but I’m including all the data at the end here if you want to interpret it differently.

District-wide enrollment

  • 2021-2022 school year: 2036 students
  • 2022-2023 school year: 2007 students
  • 2023-2024 school year: 1904 students

Note that the 2023-2024 numbers are not yet final and won’t be until closer to the end of October, though are showing a 5% decline in enrollment. I have not included pre-K in these numbers due to the universal pre-K program new to Colorado this year – comparisons to past years are not applicable as a result.

When Merit Academy opened for the 2021-2022 school year, we did see a 2.6% enrollment boost – that school helped fill a niche here, though Covid is also credited with driving people out of cities and to the suburbs. Note though this was before the current board was voted in.

2021-2022 school year (data per the CDE)

1832 students in the district schools, 1749 if you don’t count pre-K. Merit had 287. Total is 2036, or 2119 with pre-K.

2022-2023 school year (data per the CDE)

Total is 2007, or 2122 students with pre-K.

2023-2024 school year (preliminary data from 9/25 district count)

Total is 1904, or 2026 with pre-K.

Campaign Donation Summary (10/4)

Colorado does a great job of managing elections, with so much data made available to the public. Financial data is tracked via TRACER, a great website with comprehensive data on donations and expenses for campaigns. The most recent filing was due yesterday, so with this new data, here are some observations.

The fundraising leaders are clearly the three challengers; here are the fundraising totals from highest to lowest.

  • Seth Bryant: $24,975.65 raised
  • Keegan Barkley: $22,682.38 raised
  • Mike Knott: $22,613.29 raised
  • David Illingworth: $14,971.03 raised
  • Mick Bates: $10,978.24 raised
  • Cassie Kimbrell: $9,622.36 raised

Each side is running as a slate of three candidates, so another useful comparison is the total per slate. In that case, the three incumbents (Bates, Kimbrell, Illingworth) have raised $35,571.63, while the three challengers (Bryant, Knott, Barkley) have raised almost double that, $70,271.32!

The other interesting data point is the average contribution. Despite Bryant, Barkley, and Knott raising nearly twice what the incumbents (Bates, Kimbrell, Illingworth) they’re trying to defeat this election have, their average contribution was around half of the incumbents’. Here are the average contributions, again ranked from highest to lowest:

  • Mick Bates: ~$168 average contribution, from 58 individual supporters
  • David Illingworth: ~$161 average contribution, from 87 individual supporters
  • Cassie Kimbrell: ~$129 average contribution, from 66 individual supporters
  • Seth Bryant: ~$80 average contribution, from 215 individual supporters
  • Keegan Barkley: ~$77 average contribution, from 225 individual supporters
  • Mike Knott: ~$75 average contribution, from 220 individual supporters

(note – these averages are approximate and do not account for donations from the candidate themselves to their election committee)

So in summary, the three challengers (Seth Bryant, Keegan Barkley, and Mike Knott) are raising nearly double the amount of money the incumbents are, and doing so through a large number of smaller donors. The incumbents are relying on a small number of larger donors to fund their campaigns.

There are two Independent Expenditure Committees registered to support the incumbents. The only one reporting donations currently is Teller County for School Choice. They’ve raised $3,700 so far, and while they are not yet reporting any expenses, they do owe the state of Colorado $550 in late fees for not filing their reports on time (that’s 15% of their total raised so far). David Illingworth himself has racked up a large quantity of fines for late filing; we’ll dig into and summarize that at a future date (but it’s all visible on the TRACER website if you want to explore it yourself).

Numerous times, the board has declared the opposition to their actions to be the part of “a small group of radicals”. They’ve downplayed the magnitude of opposition and repeatedly talked about having widespread support. These fundraising stats do not appear to support those claims.

Ballots are mailed out around the middle of this month, and due November 7th. You can track the status of your ballot, from mailing to being accepted, at this website. VOTE!

WPHS Academic Awards Night

The WPHS Academic Awards Night was scheduled for…the same day and time as TWO competing school board candidate forums. I’m told this award night was scheduled long ago, before the forums. Which means, the school board which supposedly prioritized ‘academic success’ chooses to celebrate the academic success of the high school students by skipping the awards ceremony for a campaigning event instead. I suppose this explains why the board is holding their candidate forum in the Columbine gym instead of the high school auditorium!

Of course, the big question is, will Witt be bothered to make an appearance this time (he was a no-show at the May event)?