Dear Editor:
Our town is not alone in the contentious school board meeting problems.
Gazette Headline 6-1-22 — “Survey: More Colorado voters think schools are on the wrong track.” and “44% of voters describe schools as being on the wrong track compared with 28% who think they are on the right track.– Voters across the political spectrum expressed a desire to get “back to basics” through teaching students solid reading and math skills and developing critical thinkers.” Let it also be quoted, “Respondents with a student in the household were more likely to have positive views of teachers.” It’s an interesting article. It also mentions that schools across the state are facing low enrollments accompanied by contentious debate about budgets. Both sides support the teachers get better pay.
I want to address the question, “What started our division?” What I see is it started quite a while ago with the past school board not listening to parents that wanted more choices for educating their children. These parents went to that school board and were denied any compromise. That action motivated a large group to find other leadership and vote them in. They did what our constitution allows. Yet now Ms. Greenstreet wants to shift all the blame onto the present school board.
But if her past school board had listened and helped that group of parents get some satisfaction this problem most likely would not exist. With great effort new people were elected. The candidates that lost are angry and their supporters are acting out in school board meetings. The loud obnoxious behavior is just more of the original problem.
They don’t want more choice. They want things to stay the same. Now they want to recall the ‘new school board’. What a poor loser thing to do. That will not make this group that wants more choice go away.
The odds are that since our present school board represents the majority (since they won the election) this recall effort will fail. In the meantime, it stirs up more contention. The present school board is dealing with reality. Those objecting are ignoring that we may end up closing a whole school unless some compromise can be reached. We happen to have a superintendent that has dealt with this before and he thinks a workable compromise can be accomplished. Please let the present leadership figure out what works best for the students, teachers and parents, the budget, the buildings we have and the school district’s future that they must help forge.
Dr. Cheryl Steen
Woodland Park
