After years of volatility for parents with school-aged kids dealing with this pandemic, it is disappointing to now see our school district embroiled in lawsuits due to the school board’s newcomers’ foolishness, rather than working hard for our kids in Douglas County.
It is troubling to think that Republicans took over school districts — like Douglas County — by playing off of the worries of tired parents. What I fear now, is what happens if this type of purely partisan “leadership” is elected to more offices?
Will “Don’t say Gay” in schools become a Colorado reality? Will we move to ban curriculum and books? Will we defund our public schools? The newcomers are beholden to such extreme partisan ideologues who would pursue such tactics.
Instead, I hope we choose stability. As a father to young kids, Governor Polis understood the gravity of the problem when COVID-19 threatened to stifle the learning and development of our kids. By trusting local leadership and making data-driven decisions, he got kids back in school and helped parents get back to work.
The importance of steady leadership cannot be understated. Governor Polis told us that he would improve the quality of early education for our kids, creating free kindergarten and preschool for all. Three years and one global pandemic later, he has done what he said he would do — rolling out his preschool plan just this week.
Next, Colorado will make historic investments into our schools, increasing funding for public schools by nearly 10%. Knowing that he does what he says he will do, I trust our governor to leave the partisanship at the door and bring consistent leadership for our schools and for our state.
Katie Barrett, Castle Rock