Cosponsor Rep. Jennifer Parenti, D-Erie, added the districts covered under the bill “control billions of dollars of taxpayer revenue and currently enjoy an environment in which there exists no clear avenue to hear complaints of potential violations of our ethics code, including the use of their positions for personal gain.”
Testimony during Wednesday’s hearing focused on complaints from those who have dealt with the Woodland Park and Douglas County school districts, and complaints from homeowners in metropolitan districts where developers who serve as metropolitan district directors may financially benefit from those associations.
— Read on www.coloradopolitics.com/news/colorado-house-bill-to-add-school-special-districts-to-ethics-commission-oversight-raises-concerns/article_7c2cc062-d1a9-11ee-b537-b7b1e83cec7d.html
Ballot Initiatives Target Transgender Students
Relegated to minority status in the Colorado legislature, Republicans are turning to ballot initiatives in an attempt to pass laws targeting transgender
— Read on coloradotimesrecorder.com/2024/02/ballot-initiatives-target-transgender-students/59992/
Theology of arrogance | Guest column
From the 2/21/2024 Courier:
Values guide our lives, both individually and inside a community. Generally, we agree that “strong” values are a good thing and should be promoted. However, defining values is both nebulous and easily misconstrued. We often hear about conservative values, liberal values, Christian values, or secular values. The problem is no one person defines these labels the same. We each have different backgrounds, different life experiences and different families that help us define such terms. I believe that how we express these values is what is important, not how we define them.
I have been thinking about the value of arrogance and how it appears to be displayed in this community. When one person or small group believes they have the right or mandate to dictate how a whole community should look, behave, think and educate, then it becomes a value system of arrogance. And arrogance leads to power and lending to an attempt of dominance by a few. It also can promote the idea that “the means can justify the end”. Name calling and false accusations from the pulpit and on podcasts are only some methods used. In other words, it doesn’t matter how one acts or states their aforementioned values, as any means to get to the end goal is justified. How can this be?
I propose that such a value of arrogance comes from the lack of respect for others. Often this arrogance is given in the name of Christianity, whereby anyone who disagrees is considered evil and therefore must be overtaken and destroyed. One’s politics becomes one’s religion and vice versa. I was raised in a strongly conservative Republican and staunchly Christian home. I spent K-12 in a Christian School and went on to receive a Bachelors in Bible and Religion from an accredited Christian College. In all of those experiences, I was taught the value of diversity both in communities and thought. I was taught that political ideas could differ because that is American democracy, but we are still family. I was taught humility. I was taught “…. if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have no love, I am nothing.” And so now, in Woodland Park, I am considered evil and not worthy of respect and a place at the table because I think differently and have a different life from those who want dominion over this community. Which “Christian” value is this really representing?
Darlene Schmurr-Stewart
Letters to the Editor — Feb. 21, 2024
From the 2/21/2024 Courier:
Discussion is overdue
I write to express my support for the recent discussions within the Woodland Park City Council concerning the allocation of sales tax revenue within the school district. Trust in governmental entities handling tax dollars is a delicate matter, and this discussion is long overdue.
Budgets should reflect realistic expectations, and adherence to them is crucial. The Woodland Park School District revised its fiscal year budget on Feb. 14, after an earlier revision in January. They’ve made significant errors, including overestimation of appropriations, which were reduced from $40,779,649 to $37,513,556. Questionable accounting practices involved charging expenses to old grant accounts without corresponding revenue or budget. The federal COVID relief funds budget, initially at $858,241, mysteriously decreased to $542,157, resulting in an overdrawn account. The recent budget discussion concluded with the admission that further revisions might be necessary, as not all changes could be explained during the board meeting.
Amidst this financial uncertainty, it is disconcerting that the board awarded superintendent Ken Witt a new contract (which included a raise and an annual bonus) without conducting a performance review. Trust is earned, especially when it comes to managing public funds, and the school district has yet to instill confidence in its financial stewardship.
I commend the efforts of the Woodland Park City Council in holding the school district accountable for the responsible allocation of our sales tax money. It is imperative that the community remains vigilant and engaged in ensuring fiscal transparency and accountability within our local institutions.
Matt Gawlowski, Woodland Park
’23-24 enrollment numbers
The CDE published enrollment data for the current ’23-24 school year on their website; Woodland Park RE-2 enrollment is down from 2122 last year to 2015 this year, a -5.04% decrease and loss of 107 students. 554 Woodland Park kids are choosing to go to school outside of this district, up from 473 last year. While most of those kids are opting in to Manitou Springs (173), another big winner was Ken Witt’s ERBOCES, which attracted 96 Woodland Park students (presumably, online school?). Woodland Park also saw more students opting IN to the district from other districts, up from 210 last year to 259 this year. The net loss of the district was 295 students, versus 263 the previous school year.
Federal Covid relief grant sharing in WPSD
Interestingly, in the last fiscal year (ending June 30, 2023), the district made a last-minute transfer of $270,155 of COVID relief funds to Merit Academy. Merit submitted the invoice on 6/30/2023, though it wasn’t processed and paid until August. I can’t find any mention of it in the FY23 budget…you’ll note other passthrough money, like the sales tax revenue, is noted as “Charter school allocation”. It’s not clear why the district didn’t do the same for this federal grant money.
City council, school board to finally meet over IGA | Pikes Peak Courier | gazette.com
Councilmember Carrol Harvey had expressed frustration at previous meetings with what seemed to be foot dragging on the part of the school board to come to the table concerning the IGA.
Chief Academic Officer leaves for Elizabeth school district
UPDATE – Kimberly Moore’s resignation letter is dated February 5th, two days after the job opening was supposedly posted. Why it didn’t appear in the board packet for the 2/14 meeting is unclear.
Chief Academic Officer Kimberly Moore is leaving Woodland Park, to take a similar role in the Elizabeth school district. News first broke on February 3rd of her departure, though the rumor mill pegged her for a principal position in Elizabeth. While that position didn’t pan out, the destination proved correct and she’ll be starting there after spring break (according to an email from the Elizabeth superintendent to staff there).
One interesting thing to note is the job posting for her position was just posted a couple days ago (around 2/14), yet it’s dated February 3rd:
One local parent, in attempts to raise visibility to our understaffed SPED program, posts weekly updates on Facebook of the job openings in the district. In her post on Monday February 12th, this position was not listed:
Additionally, Moore’s resignation is not noted in the board packet from the February 14th school board meeting as would be typically done.
It’s unclear why the district would advertise that the position was posted February 3rd, when all evidence suggests this is not the case.
Letter to the Editor: Colorado Christian Organization Responds to Column on Christian Nationalism
This letter was written by Richard Harris, Executive Director at the Truth & Liberty Coalition, in response to Logan Davis’ column, published by the Colorado Times Recorder on January 31, 2024, titled “Christian Nationalism is Turning Into Something Even Worse.” Davis’ response to the letter is included below.
— Read on coloradotimesrecorder.com/2024/02/letter-to-the-editor-colorado-christian-organization-responds-to-column-on-christian-nationalism/59765/
DAVIS: Christian Nationalism is Turning Into Something Even Worse
In the three years since the January 6th insurrection, “Christian nationalism” has become a buzzword, bandied-about with no clear definition. Some have dismissed it as nothing, or a smear against Christian conservatives. Others have asserted that it is the single biggest threat to religious freedom in America and the future of the republic. Having spent the first half of my life steeped in Christian nationalism, and a large portion of the second half studying, analyzing, and working against right-wing extremist groups, I side with the latter camp. Buzzword or not, Christian nationalism presents a clear and present danger to the preservation of American democracy – not just because of what it is now, but because of what it’s on its way to becoming.
— Read on coloradotimesrecorder.com/2024/01/davis-christian-nationalism-is-turning-into-something-even-worse/59413/
Shortly after publishing this article, the author, Logan Davis, appeared at a community event in Woodland Park to discuss this topic with the community. You can watch that below.