Students at Woodland Park High School are getting their sex education instruction from Choices, an anti-abortion “pregnancy resource center” with ties to Andrew Wommack’s ministry.
— Read on coloradotimesrecorder.com/2024/12/anti-abortion-center-teaching-sex-ed-in-woodland-park/66233/
A ‘new breed’ of charter schools is spreading Christian nationalism — at taxpayers’ expense – Alternet.org
Charges that public schools are subjecting children to leftwing indoctrination are proving to be mostly over-hyped or not at all based in fact. Yet, there’s evidence, according to a new report, that a fast-growing sector of the charter school industry is engaged in indoctrination, only, in this case…
— Read on www.alternet.org/christian-nationalism-2661573247/
WPSD enrollment decline trend over five years, impact on budget
WPSD enrollment decline trend over five years, impact on budget. Why one mom of three left the district over the summer.
— Read on www.koaa.com/your-voice-your-community/wpsd-enrollment-decline-trend-over-five-years-impact-on-budget
Woodland Park School District reports decline in enrollment | Pikes Peak Courier | gazette.com
An October count of 1,884 total students saw enrollment drop from Woodland Park Public School’s previous total of 2,015 reported by the Colorado Department of Education.
The Imperative for New Leadership in Academy District 20 | by Rob Rogers | Nov, 2024 | Medium
Looks like the COO Aaron Salt is looking to leave the area. A quote from the article linked to here:
In his superintendent application to a district in Arkansas, Salt explicitly states his intention to move back east and closer to family. This acknowledgment raises concerns about his commitment to the community he currently serves. Making significant decisions while planning to leave calls into question the motivations behind his actions and their alignment with the community’s best interests.
— Read on rob-subterra-insights.medium.com/the-imperative-for-new-leadership-in-academy-district-20-dd2239411d55
Specific reasons to remove the sales tax
From the 10/30/2024 Courier:
People of Woodland Park School District: It is time for truth. It is time for actual, factual honesty. The current school board has caused over 40% of teachers and staff to leave the district in the last three years. It has just recently removed many or most benefits from the teachers currently employed, so likely more will leave unless that is rescinded. It has caused parents to transfer over 100 students to other schools. It has caused the NCAA to state twice that athletes from WP cannot receive scholarships because of the social studies “standard” (American Birthright) it adopted that the CO State Board of Education declared not worthy of adoption by any public school district. It has refused millions in grants for mental health services, and some have questioned whether they have violated federal mandates in regards to service for students with special needs. Yet to date, the SB has never provided full and transparent accounting for how and where it has spent the money from the tax revenue it was given.
The way to get that accountability is to take that tax money away at this time. Because you surely care about where your tax money is spent for the school district, it means VOTING YES on the ballot measure is essential so this SB has no access to that money until a fully transparent accounting occurs. The tax can be reinstated when that happens.
Some are saying, (disingenuously?), this action will hurt the students—but they and their parents have already been hurt as those who left demonstrates, and none of those speaking of hurt now said a word of concern as it happened. Those same folks say it will “hurt the teachers and staff” when they have already been devastatingly hurt as all who left demonstrates, and those remaining are still being hurt. When a school board’s leaders intentionally damages a school district it has not earned the trust of the voters in the district. Nor have they earned respect to be trusted to truthfully and transparently report the use of public tax money. Have they been hiding something, and if so, why? The City Council decision is likely the very last opportunity to know with any degree of certainty how that tax money was or will be spent. That is why this ballot measure exists.
So, again I say, for the greater good of all in the school district, VOTE YES on the ballot measure to remove the tax money from this school board. The people of the school district deserve truth and honesty, because truth with actual, factual honesty of how public tax money is spent is not a matter of perspective.
The above is the truthful opinion of this United Methodist Pastor, Retired.
Rodney Noel Saunders
10/30/2024 Letters to the Editor
From the 10/30/2024 Courier:
2A Retail TaxThe Merit BOE consistently puts in effort for their school and has been promoting the Woodland Park School Coalition. Meanwhile, the WPSD BOE and Ken Witt have been unresponsive. Parents have requested town halls, community meetings, and other forms of communication, yet no answers have been given. There is a lack of transparency around the allocation of the retail tax-how is it distributed? Is it based on enrollment, or is there a formula the district uses? The IGA mentions charters and contract schools but there is no clarity. Witt has only stated that nothing will happen with Gateway this year, but what are the districts plans? Are they considering bringing in more brick and mortar schools under ErBOCES or another management company? Are any of these contract schools online and if so, will our local taxes support students outside of our district?
Why have only the charter school and Charis been vocal in support of the retail tax that would allow for more contract schools? Why aren’t we hearing from parents across WPSD? A table was even set up at the Charis event on 10/18, and Charis students are being given class credit to campaign for 2A. This raises important questions : How many more contract schools can WPSD afford?
The community deserves transparency and clear answers from WPSD BOE and Ken Witt about the impact of these changes.
Jeralee Gonzalez, Woodland Park
A better way | Guest column
From the 10/23/2024 Courier:
In April 2016, I voted along with 1,362 Woodland Park citizens to approve the 1.09% increase in city sales taxes to support our school’s post-secondary preparation courses, innovative school programs, technology, staff salaries, and facility maintenance and improvements. At the time, the school district decided to keep the sales tax revenue in the unrestricted general fund instead of creating a separate fund to monitor the restrictions. That was acceptable when district leaders were trusted to make decisions that benefited all of our schools. In the past few years, however, decisions resulting in losses have deteriorated trust in the school board and superintendent. It was also not anticipated 8 1⁄2 years ago that the person deciding how our community sales tax revenue would be spent, Superintendent Ken Witt, wouldn’t even be a member of our community or county. My own conservative values cause me to question the superintendent’s intentions for our schools and whether they align with fiscally conservative principles and our community’s traditionally conservative values.
Love for our schools is one of our community’s strongest values, although some are implying that a vote to revoke the 1.09% sales tax means the voter doesn’t support our teachers or students. That implication assumes that the school sales tax agreement as it currently stands truly serves our students and teachers in the best possible way. I am an actively involved parent in multiple schools in our district, and I can attest that many of our teachers and students don’t feel the benefits of the sales tax the way they should.
If the sales tax is not being managed by trusted leaders and if it isn’t benefitting teachers and students as intended, is there a better way? Here are ideas of how our community can still support our schools, teachers and students if the current sales tax agreement is revoked.
• Rent out the empty Gateway Elementary building to generate revenue for the school district. In 2022, a Long-Range Facilities Master Plan survey asked what community partnerships our district could explore to help utilize unused space in our school buildings. Some suggestions were an Early Childhood Center or a Community Health Center. The most popular option was a Community College.
• Smaller sales tax for COP payments. The current sales tax revenue pays around $720,000 annually for the Certificate of Participation (COP) lease. A smaller sales tax increase could be voted on to cover just the lease payments, which would also be easier to monitor.
• Revamp the school sales tax. If there’s still support for the 1.09% sales tax for our schools, we could hold a new vote with more precise guidelines on fund allocation. For instance, we could allocate a specific percentage of the revenue for staff bonuses and another percentage for career prep courses.
Ultimately, trust in our school leadership is broken, prompting reevaluation. While the 1.09% sales tax was initially seen as a pathway to enhance our educational system, we must consider whether it still effectively serves its purpose.
Laura Gordon
CFOIC brief: Eliminating penalties for ‘cured’ violations ‘eviscerates’ enforcement of open meetings law – Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition
The Colorado Supreme Court is reviewing whether the Court of Appeals in 2023 incorrectly rejected the awarding of attorney fees to plaintiff Erin O’Connell, who successfully challenged the Woodland Park school board — at least initially — over a meeting-notice violation that the board “effectively cured” at a subsequent meeting.
— Read on coloradofoic.org/cfoic-brief-eliminating-penalties-for-cured-violations-eviscerates-enforcement-of-open-meetings-law/
10/23/2024 Letters to the Editor
From the 10/23/2024 Courier:
Need a tax diet
As a longtime resident of Woodland Park of 31 years, it seems to me all levels of government, City, County, State to include school districts never seem to have enough money. Property taxes have skyrocketed, so has auto and homeowners insurance, (if you can get it).
Look at your receipt when you leave the grocery store, check your utility and cable bill at the taxes and fees added on. Look at your property tax bill, we pay a county, city, RE-2 School tax, along with a Ute Pass Regional Health tax, along with some others. Now they want more.
This went on in California in the 1970s until Proposition 13 was passed. The government used scare tactics to try and fool voters into thinking essential services would disappear. Fortunately it didn’t work. It’s time for Government to go on a tax diet.
Bill Huffor Sr., Woodland Park