Focus Areas
Financial Health
We need to gather, analyze, and assess the financial statements and audits to determine the financial status of the school district. With the tax dollars gone, we will work to give input in how to minimize the impact on the kids and we will look for every efficiency possible and think outside the box if necessary.
Communication & Engagement
The school district has fallen down in communicating and engaging with the community for major decisions. Certainly, the School Board and Superintendent are responsible for making the final decision on policy and actions. With the community being a major stakeholder along with the kids and teachers it should be standard practice to notify and walk through the changes out in the open. It makes the process messy and potentially prolongs the process, and it is the right thing to do. For example, shutting down Gateway Elementary may have been the right decision but there was no public engagement, and therefore the process was flawed.
Superintendent Search
There is some guidance from the State of Colorado regarding how this search is conducted. We will endeavor to advocate and expect to participate in the process, and we must find a person willing to commit full-time and live in our community. We should expect to provide the candidates with the laundry list of problems we need to solve. We should expect them to come to the interview prepared to give high-level strategies for solving those problems. The person must also have demonstrated a management style that actively practices open communication and kid, teacher, staff, and community input.
CFO Search
We should advocate for retaining the current contracted CFO until a Superintendent is onboarded and that person can lead the search for a competent CFO who will work well with the team.
School Board Election
Three board positions are up for election in November 2025. We should identify the leadership qualities and attributes that school board members should possess. We do not intend to advocate for one person over another but rather compile a list of questions we should be asking of anyone who runs. We should advocate for competency and leadership and an “all about the kids” agenda.
Operations
There will be areas that may emerge pertaining to operations that we may want to explore.
- Ute Pass BOCES: Home – Ute Pass BOCES There has been mixed messaging within the community regarding Special Education and how it is managed within the school district. We need to gather the data and get to the bottom of what is going on.
- Kids Logistics: We need to understand how closing Gateway impacted getting to school for the kids and the basis for the decisions that were made.
- Assets: With the report showing schools at sub-optimal occupancy levels, the last administration made decisions in the dark without any explanation as to how and why decisions would be made. This group will analyze the report and seek to understand and provide a recommended Process Guide on how assets should be evaluated and how to maximize their use and value to the mission of taking care of the kids.
Merit Academy
To those who oppose school choice, the argument is over for now. There are a significant number of kids in this school, and they are a part of our district. Like everything in the district, everything should be done in the daylight. We should analyze the school’s impact on the district and, yes, it should be determined whether ownership of the school building is in the best interest of all stakeholders.