As a longtime educator, 51 years, I was again amazed when a partisan group took over the school board and fired the superintendent without cause. I was in Castle Rock in 2009 when another partisan group took control to make Douglas County a World Class School District. They might have succeeded if they had explained what that meant.
That school board had no salary schedule like other school districts, but had bands in which they put different classes. Teachers were no longer professional, but treated like factory workers. Their pay fell to $17,000 less than Cherry Creek. Teachers soon left for other districts. The school board tried for a voucher system, but got shot down in the courts because it is unconstitutional to use public money for private schools.
All over the United States, school boards, mayoral and governorship races are seeing outside money coming in to support partisan groups.
I hope that the new Douglas County School Board is wise enough to understand that breaking laws, having no public comments, and firing a superintendent of schools who has a fine reputation as a longtime teacher and superintendent is no way to start their work in making our district a great school district. Their actions are going to cost the Douglas County School District hundreds of thousands of dollars which should be spent on our children’s education.
Derald E. Hoffman, Highlands Ranch
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