Woodland Park school district has had a rough couple of years. Seeing similar efforts being made in districts across the state, I wrote this letter to the editor for the Daily Record down in Canon City:

School Board Elections Matter

I write to you as a concerned parent in the Woodland Part RE-2 school district.  I fear Cañon City may be on the brink of embarking on the same path we started on nearly two years ago.

In 2021, Woodland Park voted in what initially appeared to be normal school board elections.  Four candidates ran together as a slate, labeling themselves “the conservative choice,” and as you might expect for a conservative community like ours, those candidates won the election and assumed control of the board.  Their actions in the nearly two years since then have shocked residents regardless of political affiliation.

It soon became evident that this new board sought a complete restructuring of our school district, a vision taking us far beyond what any of us had imagined.  We observed a board operating in secrecy, being fiscally irresponsible, and fostering such a poor working environment that this past year, around 40% of staff left the district, with one of the schools losing two-thirds of their teachers.  The board consistently makes significant decisions without consulting the community.  Legal fees have skyrocketed and the district is battling multiple lawsuits.

The result is a shattered school district, a divided community, and an overwhelming bipartisan opposition to the current school board.  You’ll find plenty of information on the internet, as reporters at both the state and national levels have been captivated by our ordeal.

In this election, Woodland Park voters choose who will be tasked with rebuilding a shattered school district and mending our community.

When Cañon City residents vote, you’ll be voting on a path to take.  Don’t make that decision lightly.  Please don’t follow in our footsteps without fully understanding what awaits.  Don’t repeat the mistakes made in Woodland Park.

Matt Gawlowski,
Woodland Park

From today’s Courier:

Schools should be nonpartisan

I have lived in Woodland Park for 25 years. I have put my heart and soul into our school district for 12 of those years as a parent and involved and enthusiastic volunteer. Over the years, I would guess that I have worked closely with hundreds of other community members on everything from mopping cafeteria floors after Thanksgiving lunches to serving on superintendent selection committees.

I have enjoyed and valued those connections deeply. Never did someone’s politics matter when we were cheering kids on at the Walkathon or building school gardens. We always worked together with the common goal of supporting all kids.

My hope is that people remember this when voting for school board candidates in these next few days. We don’t need to vote in line with or against any political party. School board races are meant to be non-partisan for a reason. Political party affiliation does not determine how we come together for kids. What matters are our values of cooperation, understanding, inclusivity, kindness, and caring for each others’ families. I feel the focus on these common values has diminished over the past two years and I desperately want our community to get that back.

I support Barkley, Bryant and Knott because they are not running on a political platform and they are running on the promise of listening, engaging with stakeholders, and rebuilding trust through transparency and respect. I believe they will help us refocus on common values that will benefit all our students and community.

Khurshid Rogers, Woodland Park

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Educators are not the enemy

Ask yourself: If your child went to school and was taught to think of themselves as anything different than what they are, would you keep them there? If they were sexualized at an early age, would you sit back and allow it to happen? If your students went to classrooms or to participate in sports or the arts and their teachers and coaches groomed them, would you sit back and say nothing?

My guess is that you would throw a fit. You might pull your child. You would certainly complain to administration. You might attend school board meetings and demand change. Perhaps you would sue the district.

Recently there has been a lot of accusations thrown at our staff. They have been called groomers (which means pedophiles), Marxists, and unAmerican. Our staff has been belittled and accused of all the worst things.

And yet…

We have never had a lawsuit over a student being groomed or taught to be a gender other than what they are. We have never seen a teacher sued for creating an unhealthy expectation of what a student should be.

You have had kids in this district for years. You trusted these teachers and coaches with your children. So have your friends and family. Why? Because these things are not happening in Woodland Park. They never have.

Vote for change. Vote for BOE members who did not think of our educators and coaches as the enemy. Vote Bryant, Barkley and Knott.

Kelly Hunsaker, Woodland Park

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What do you want children to learn?

From a young age, I have been distrustful of people in positions of power, even more so those who actively seek these positions. Publicly voicing support for candidates goes against my better judgment and I’ve never done so, until now. The vile letter of support for the WPSB incumbents published on Oct. 18 was ripped from far-right wing fear-mongering and so lacking in factual basis that it read as much like a satirical piece as a letter of support.

However, this letter did highlight the crux of the board election; despite the muddying of issues and politicization of a non-political office, this vote comes down to what we want this community’s children to learn. They can learn about and experience the world as it is, or they can be sheltered thus preventing exposure to values and ideals that may not conform to an individual’s upbringing.

Do we lack the confidence in the values we teach at home so much that we believe the exposure to different ways of life will destroy our children? Are we so afraid of change that we would limit their life experiences? If so, ask yourself why.

I’m fortunate I had the opportunity and support of my parents to leave our small farm and live in various places around the country to experience the diversity it offers. It has only expanded those lessons of love and caring I learned from a young age. I look forward to voting for Bryant, Barkley, and Knott.

Paul Jesse, Teller County

From the Gazette

Any common ground?

When I hear from the incumbents, I think we might agree to put children first when it comes to decision making, that parent involvement is critical, and the focus of the schools should be on academics (plus technical subjects and trades).

Dig a little deeper, and it’s clear that many of us have widely different ideas of what those simple phrases mean when translated to school policy. If we really have common ground, we will not discover it through vilifying or stereotyping the other side. That only leads to the animosity we have been experiencing for the last two years.

Where we find we have different ideas, the only way to make sure the best policies are implemented is through open and healthy discussions — not through backroom deals and covertly implementing policy changes without public notice. It should be obvious by now that it’s an illusion to think vanquishing the other side will result in unity. Treating others who disagree with us as enemies only fuels fires that divide our community.

Public business needs to be conducted in public. The way to have excellent schools and heal our community is to promote vigorous debate about education. I support Keegan Barkley, Mike Knott, and Seth Bryant for school board because they have pledged to open lines of communication, rebuild relationships and listen to all members of the community — even those who disagree with them.

Holly Sample, Florissant