Tag Archives: Ken Witt

2/5/23 Weekly Update

Here’s what happened this past week

  • Third Future Schools submitted a letter stating their intent to apply to open a “partnership charter school” using the Gateway Elementary building. (link1, link2)
  • On Monday, the WPEA (local teachers’ union) held a meeting open to all teachers. A video of this meeting was obtained and promised to be leaked online. (link)
  • More news coverage of the district’s decision to remove the book “Between the World and Me” from the high school elective class “Civil Disobedience”. (link)
  • Colorado Public Radio published an in-depth article about high school teacher Sara Lee. (link)
  • MSNBC covered David Illingworth’s board interview question about the book, “Between the World and Me”, then interviewed its author, Ta-Nehisi Coates. (link)
  • Ken Witt sent an email to staff and parents saying that Third Future Schools has decided not to submit an application after all. (link)

Here’s what’s going on this coming week

  • Regular school board meeting Wednesday, 2/8, in the district offices. (agenda)
  • Look for our district to appear in multiple new media channels this week; we’ll post here when that happens.

Third Future Schools cancels plans

Interim superintendent Witt sent an email to staff and families Friday, saying Third Future Schools no longer intended to submit a charter application. It’s unclear what negotiations had been happening behind the scenes that may have led to this.

New charter school coming to Woodland Park?

Mike Miles, the founder of the Third Future network of charter schools in Texas and Colorado, appears to be considering opening another charter school, this one in Woodland Park. On Saturday 1/15, Illingworth and Witt gave him tours of several district buildings – Columbine Elementary, Gateway Elementary, and the Middle School (well, what’s left of it after it was carved up for Merit Academy). Board President Rusterholtz was unaware of this and no announcement was made, and it was only through keen observation by community members that we were even made aware of it.

His two local schools are Coperni 2 and Coperni 3, both in Colorado Springs. Witt helped bring Coperni 2 to that district through his work at ERBOCES (though back then it was called Colorado Digital BOCES).

Ken Witt in the news (coloradopols)

Coloradopols has a story covering our district’s decision to hire Ken Witt, check it out here.

They sum up the situation perfectly with this quote:

Hiring Ken Witt with the baggage he brings is nothing less than a provocation.

If the parents, students, and teachers of Woodland Park respond like Jeffco did, it could be a very bad bet.