When a reporter started asked Witt questions about the middle school academic achievement after school program, he called it quits on the interview:
Tag Archives: Ken Witt
Ken Witt gets raise, bonus in new contract with WPSD
On 1/17, the Woodland Park school board voted to approve a new contract for superintendent Ken Witt. Thanks to the Colorado Open Records Act, we were able to obtain a copy to see the details of this contract for ourselves. It appears pretty similar to his current contract, with the biggest changes being an increase in salary from $155k to $170k, a guaranteed minimum 5% raise per year (which is 5% more than teachers are guaranteed), and up to 15% annual bonus. Duration of this new contract is two years.
You can read the new contract here; for comparison, check out his old contract here.
WPSD board votes to renew Ken Witt’s contract
In the 1/17/2024 board meeting, which you can watch below, the Woodland Park school board voted to renew Ken Witt’s contract as superintendent. The board did not disclose the duration of the new contract, nor did they describe what changes were made to the contract (a CORA request is pending to obtain that information). Nor did the board discuss Ken Witt’s job performance or even whether he’d be a good choice for superintendent.
Petition For New WPSD RE-2 Superintendent
We, the parents/guardians and community members/stakeholders in Woodland Park School District RE-2, do not approve of Ken Witt as the superintendent of our school district and request that Witt’s contract not be extended beyond June 2024. We would like to see a fair process and consideration of other candidates for long term superintendent before one is instated.
— Read on form.jotform.com/240105235031134
Superintendent Ken Witt talks to Gateway staff (March, 2023)
This video is from March, 2023, when Ken Witt talked to staff at Gateway Elementary. Just in case you need a reminder of how he treats staff, and what sort of person this current BOE wants leading our district.
KOAA coverage of 10/11/2023 board meeting
Good reporting, with a classic Ken Witt quote at the end…“…those teachers union affiliates bent on fostering a hatred of America in our youth.”
‘We have to get in there and face the threat’: 11 Call For Action gets inside Colorado school resource officer programs
While CSPD and EPSO were open and transparent about their training and procedures surrounding their SRO programs, it was not the same for Woodland Park School District RE-2.
On Aug. 17, 2023, the district sent out a one-page letter to the community alerting parents that they would be adding armed security officers to serve as school resource officers there.
11 News requested through an open records request the training and certification documentation for those hired to provide this armed security.
In their note to the community, the district writes, “These dedicated professionals must have completed rigorous training programs from law enforcement or other specialized training.”
Our newsroom wanted to know if these officers were certified to use rifles, and since they are not sworn officers like the majority of other local SRO programs, 11 News also requested additional information from the district about how they handle the training and certification for these armed guards.
The district responded: “No records existed.”
— Read on www.kktv.com/2023/10/05/we-have-get-there-face-threat-11-call-action-gets-inside-colorado-school-resource-officer-programs/
Witt and Miller address the staff – August 22, 2023
On August 22nd, 2023, Ken Witt and Brad Miller addressed the district staff in the annual convocation. Ken Witt talked about updates to benefits, PACE, universal pre-K, their partnership with Mindsight (counseling company), SROs and security, and introduced his administrative staff. At timestamp 14:30 in the audio recording below, he handed it off toe Ariel Elliott, regional director of PACE (Professional Association of Colorado Educators), to discuss that program.
Brad Miller takes the mic at about 25:15. He talked first about policy KDDA (which the district is being sued over). He says the point of it was simple things like if there’s a snow day, they didn’t want misinformation going around about whether school was canceled (note that KDDA was cited when Witt fired a staff member last spring).
The most important part to listen to starts at 35:06, where Miller outlines the district’s new policy for ‘students who want to express or identify their gender differently than what they were born.’ He acknowledges Colorado law on the matter and says they’ll comply (he calls it ‘unavoidable law’), but it won’t be a slam-dunk for kids who fall into this category. Before the school will respect the kids’ wishes, administration will hold a meeting with the parents of that kid because, as Brad Miller put it 37:50 into this audio recording, “it’s the parents’ decision to make” (not the kids?!). I’ve heard too many stories about kids in families where they’re not free to talk about such things…I worry for the mental health and safety of kids that are facing these conversations.
Teachers union suit suits slick Woodland Park super | NOONAN | Opinion | coloradopolitics.com
Witt is using the Woodland Park school board as a tool to take over the district and impose his anti-democratic, anti-public school ideology. He’s exploiting the BOCES concept to use public money to serve his conservative agenda and line his own pocketbook. His schools are not high performing or meritorious. They are not inclusive of all American children. They are an example of the failure of our state’s school accountability system to ensure accountability for public funds and democratic values.
— Read on www.coloradopolitics.com/content/tncms/live/
Woodland Park high school adds armed security guards for 2023-24 school year | KRDO
“They will be trained either former law enforcement or former military law enforcement, or someone that has been properly qualified and trained,” Witt said..
— Read on krdo.com/news/2023/08/17/woodland-park-high-school-adds-armed-security-guards-for-2023-24-school-year/