A letter to the Jefferson County Board of Education from the National Coalition Against Censorship
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2014/1001/20141001_010817_JeffersonCounty_AdvancedPlacementUSHistory.pdf
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Letter #3
Dear Board of Education:
I am a proud parent of five beautiful children who also happen to be successful products of Jefferson County Public Schools. My children attended Belmar Elementary, South Lakewood Elementary, Creighton Middle School, Lakewood High School and Brady Exploration. Currently my three daughters are twenty-three and my two sons are twenty. The educational foundation they received from their teachers in Jeffco helped shape them into the unbelievable young people they are today. My oldest daughter has graduated with her AA from the Community College of Denver and will be pursuing her certification in American Sign Language. My middle daughter has her AA in culinary arts and AS in business from Red Rocks Community College. My youngest daughter is a pre-school teacher, shaping our youngest minds. My oldest son is a landscaper. My youngest son is a supervisor for Land Air Express. They have asked me about the current problems in Jeffco. I have explained to them the lack of respect for teachers and the desire of some individuals to follow in the footsteps of Douglas County. For instance, paying elective teachers less money because their content is less important then the content of math or science teachers. Since their mom is an elective teacher, whose salary has been frozen for five years, you can imagine this went over like the proverbial lead balloon. I will share their comments with you verbatim:
Oldest daughter: "Wow, that's crazy!"
Middle daughter: "Really?! Most of my favorite teachers were elective teachers."
Youngest daughter: "You're kidding me, right? They're going to complain that there's an increase in obese kids and teens, but then tell you teaching them how to be healthy isn't important? Because that makes sense."
Oldest son: "Are they crazy?"
Youngest son: "That's insane! The only reason I liked middle school is PE with Ms. Thompson."
I think you get the gist.
My children know first hand the financial struggles we faced daily because mom's salary had been frozen. I have worked additional jobs to provide my family with the most basic needs. I have worked as a Lot Tech for Toyota, coached for the City of Lakewood and most recently, I worked construction this past summer as a laborer for Spacecon. How dare you dismiss my twenty-two years of experience and two Master's degrees, in favor of promoting your own agenda. Please do not assume I am not improving my craft when you have NEVER met me personally or been in my classroom. I choose to work in a Title I school because I love the community and I desire to provide them with the best education possible. I acquired over eight thousand dollars in grant money last year to increase the available technology for my students. I will continue to do my best for my students, even though you continuously choose not to do your best for me or my fellow teachers.
I asked my children to give a shout out to some of the teachers they felt impacted them the most. I expected maybe one or two names, what they gave me was so much more. I can always count on my children to exceed the expectations. My children wish to thank the following individuals for guiding them on their respective paths to success: Ms. Murray, Ms. Weimer, Ms. D, Mr. Woods, Mr. Tamburrino, Mr. Bock, Mr. Mandelstam, Mr. Alameddin, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Horky, Ms. Thompson, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Sharp, Mr. Mauff, Ms. Botkins, Ms. Baker, Ms. Sarnow, Ms. Bradford, Ms. Brunjak, Ms. Degenhart, Ms. Ivy and Mr. Peterson.
Jamie A. Leeburg
O'Connell Middle School-an IB World School
303-982-8399
Physical Education Teacher
"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. The key is discipline. Without it, there is no morale." Tom Landry
I am a proud parent of five beautiful children who also happen to be successful products of Jefferson County Public Schools. My children attended Belmar Elementary, South Lakewood Elementary, Creighton Middle School, Lakewood High School and Brady Exploration. Currently my three daughters are twenty-three and my two sons are twenty. The educational foundation they received from their teachers in Jeffco helped shape them into the unbelievable young people they are today. My oldest daughter has graduated with her AA from the Community College of Denver and will be pursuing her certification in American Sign Language. My middle daughter has her AA in culinary arts and AS in business from Red Rocks Community College. My youngest daughter is a pre-school teacher, shaping our youngest minds. My oldest son is a landscaper. My youngest son is a supervisor for Land Air Express. They have asked me about the current problems in Jeffco. I have explained to them the lack of respect for teachers and the desire of some individuals to follow in the footsteps of Douglas County. For instance, paying elective teachers less money because their content is less important then the content of math or science teachers. Since their mom is an elective teacher, whose salary has been frozen for five years, you can imagine this went over like the proverbial lead balloon. I will share their comments with you verbatim:
Oldest daughter: "Wow, that's crazy!"
Middle daughter: "Really?! Most of my favorite teachers were elective teachers."
Youngest daughter: "You're kidding me, right? They're going to complain that there's an increase in obese kids and teens, but then tell you teaching them how to be healthy isn't important? Because that makes sense."
Oldest son: "Are they crazy?"
Youngest son: "That's insane! The only reason I liked middle school is PE with Ms. Thompson."
I think you get the gist.
My children know first hand the financial struggles we faced daily because mom's salary had been frozen. I have worked additional jobs to provide my family with the most basic needs. I have worked as a Lot Tech for Toyota, coached for the City of Lakewood and most recently, I worked construction this past summer as a laborer for Spacecon. How dare you dismiss my twenty-two years of experience and two Master's degrees, in favor of promoting your own agenda. Please do not assume I am not improving my craft when you have NEVER met me personally or been in my classroom. I choose to work in a Title I school because I love the community and I desire to provide them with the best education possible. I acquired over eight thousand dollars in grant money last year to increase the available technology for my students. I will continue to do my best for my students, even though you continuously choose not to do your best for me or my fellow teachers.
I asked my children to give a shout out to some of the teachers they felt impacted them the most. I expected maybe one or two names, what they gave me was so much more. I can always count on my children to exceed the expectations. My children wish to thank the following individuals for guiding them on their respective paths to success: Ms. Murray, Ms. Weimer, Ms. D, Mr. Woods, Mr. Tamburrino, Mr. Bock, Mr. Mandelstam, Mr. Alameddin, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Horky, Ms. Thompson, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Sharp, Mr. Mauff, Ms. Botkins, Ms. Baker, Ms. Sarnow, Ms. Bradford, Ms. Brunjak, Ms. Degenhart, Ms. Ivy and Mr. Peterson.
Jamie A. Leeburg
O'Connell Middle School-an IB World School
303-982-8399
Physical Education Teacher
"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan. The key is discipline. Without it, there is no morale." Tom Landry
Your Words Are Powerful - Letter Two
Letter to the Denver Post regarding John Newkirk’s Guest Commentary of September 26, 2014
In his guest commentary about the recent activities in and around Jefferson County schools, Mr. Newkirk brings up an interesting question: if teachers are receiving the first raise in five years, why are they protesting now when they didn’t protest before? Specifically, he wrote, “We've upped entry-level salaries by up to 13 percent and approved significant raises for all our effective teachers. In contrast, in 2011, the prior board cut compensation by 3 percent. There were no teacher sickouts then. In 2012 and 2013, the board froze salaries and, once again, there were no sickouts or protests.”
So why are teachers, parents, students, and taxpayers so upset now?
As Mr. Newkirk points out, it’s NOT about the money.
If the teachers were only interested in making more money, then the issue should have been settled. Unfortunately for Mr. Newkirk, the issue goes to something far deeper.
IT IS ABOUT RESPECT: respect for the community, respect for the process, respect for the teachers, and respect for the students.
In terms of the teacher pay raises, what Mr. Newkirk does not mention is that teachers were not involved in developing the new pay system. An unbiased, neutral federal fact-finder agreed that the way teachers were being given a raise was unfair and ill-conceived. That fact-finder recommended the District take a year to develop a really good system. The Board majority chose to ignore this advice for intelligent reform, and instead created its own system of pay which has a number of problems. It’s not about the money – it’s about the process.
In terms of the AP US History curriculum, Mr. Newkirk asserts that “union-led teachers have misinformed those students rather than encouraged them to exercise critical thinking skills.” I would suggest that Jeffco students showed a great deal of critical thinking when they read Ms. Williams’s proposal, which is publicly available. The students in Jefferson County decided for themselves that that language in that proposal was objectionable. Even the College Board, the writers of the Advanced Placement frameworks and tests, an organization made up of educators at the high school and college levels, found the original wording of the proposal problematic. Mr. Newkirk also fails to realize that student leaders at the various high schools decided to do this on their own, with input from their parents
Additionally, now Mr. Witt, the President of the School Board, has said that Jeffco may drop AP US History from its curriculum. That shows incredible disrespect for the thousands of highly motivated and intelligent students in Jefferson County who want to challenge themselves by taking an optional college-level class in order to gain college credit. Mr. Newkirk does not seem to recognize that our best and brightest choose to take Advanced Placement classes, including AP US History, and parents want them to be able to earn college credit while in high school. Mr. Newkirk mentions some of the academic hurdles Jefferson County continues to face, but the answer to bringing up test scores is NOT to take away the option of taking a harder course!
Mr. Newkirk also mentions the Board majority’s efforts to equalize charter school funding. While this is an admirable goal in the long run, it completely disregards community input. When the generous voters of Jefferson County approved the mill levy override, they were promised that the majority of money would go to class-size reduction, maintenance of electives and additional school-support personnel. However, the Board majority has decided to spend millions more on charters, while also wasting money on a private attorney, a public relations firm, a dubious superintendent search, and a host of other projects. The process has not been honored and the voters of Jefferson County have been told their priorities are not valued.
Collaboration is certainly a watchword in business today; we all know that when people come together to create change they are normally more successful than when a small group imposes its will. Author Mattie Stepanek once wrote, “Unity is strength . . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” Mr. Newkirk and this Board majority don’t seem to want to collaborate with anyone; they don’t seem to understand that a strong school district is based on teamwork of all the players: teachers, parents, business people, voters, students – everyone. Mr. Newkirk and other Board majority members imply that a system where the “union” dictates to the District is “bad.” The same can be said when three individuals choose to impose their will on an entire District without collaborating or respecting all the stakeholders.
So why are Jeffco teachers upset if we are receiving a raise? It’s not about the money. It’s about respect.
Sincerely,
Tammie Peters, Jeffco taxpayer, parent and teacher
In his guest commentary about the recent activities in and around Jefferson County schools, Mr. Newkirk brings up an interesting question: if teachers are receiving the first raise in five years, why are they protesting now when they didn’t protest before? Specifically, he wrote, “We've upped entry-level salaries by up to 13 percent and approved significant raises for all our effective teachers. In contrast, in 2011, the prior board cut compensation by 3 percent. There were no teacher sickouts then. In 2012 and 2013, the board froze salaries and, once again, there were no sickouts or protests.”
So why are teachers, parents, students, and taxpayers so upset now?
As Mr. Newkirk points out, it’s NOT about the money.
If the teachers were only interested in making more money, then the issue should have been settled. Unfortunately for Mr. Newkirk, the issue goes to something far deeper.
IT IS ABOUT RESPECT: respect for the community, respect for the process, respect for the teachers, and respect for the students.
In terms of the teacher pay raises, what Mr. Newkirk does not mention is that teachers were not involved in developing the new pay system. An unbiased, neutral federal fact-finder agreed that the way teachers were being given a raise was unfair and ill-conceived. That fact-finder recommended the District take a year to develop a really good system. The Board majority chose to ignore this advice for intelligent reform, and instead created its own system of pay which has a number of problems. It’s not about the money – it’s about the process.
In terms of the AP US History curriculum, Mr. Newkirk asserts that “union-led teachers have misinformed those students rather than encouraged them to exercise critical thinking skills.” I would suggest that Jeffco students showed a great deal of critical thinking when they read Ms. Williams’s proposal, which is publicly available. The students in Jefferson County decided for themselves that that language in that proposal was objectionable. Even the College Board, the writers of the Advanced Placement frameworks and tests, an organization made up of educators at the high school and college levels, found the original wording of the proposal problematic. Mr. Newkirk also fails to realize that student leaders at the various high schools decided to do this on their own, with input from their parents
Additionally, now Mr. Witt, the President of the School Board, has said that Jeffco may drop AP US History from its curriculum. That shows incredible disrespect for the thousands of highly motivated and intelligent students in Jefferson County who want to challenge themselves by taking an optional college-level class in order to gain college credit. Mr. Newkirk does not seem to recognize that our best and brightest choose to take Advanced Placement classes, including AP US History, and parents want them to be able to earn college credit while in high school. Mr. Newkirk mentions some of the academic hurdles Jefferson County continues to face, but the answer to bringing up test scores is NOT to take away the option of taking a harder course!
Mr. Newkirk also mentions the Board majority’s efforts to equalize charter school funding. While this is an admirable goal in the long run, it completely disregards community input. When the generous voters of Jefferson County approved the mill levy override, they were promised that the majority of money would go to class-size reduction, maintenance of electives and additional school-support personnel. However, the Board majority has decided to spend millions more on charters, while also wasting money on a private attorney, a public relations firm, a dubious superintendent search, and a host of other projects. The process has not been honored and the voters of Jefferson County have been told their priorities are not valued.
Collaboration is certainly a watchword in business today; we all know that when people come together to create change they are normally more successful than when a small group imposes its will. Author Mattie Stepanek once wrote, “Unity is strength . . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” Mr. Newkirk and this Board majority don’t seem to want to collaborate with anyone; they don’t seem to understand that a strong school district is based on teamwork of all the players: teachers, parents, business people, voters, students – everyone. Mr. Newkirk and other Board majority members imply that a system where the “union” dictates to the District is “bad.” The same can be said when three individuals choose to impose their will on an entire District without collaborating or respecting all the stakeholders.
So why are Jeffco teachers upset if we are receiving a raise? It’s not about the money. It’s about respect.
Sincerely,
Tammie Peters, Jeffco taxpayer, parent and teacher
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Your Words are Powerful
I am surprised and pleased to see that after my long break from writing this blog, people are still reading it. I return to these pages because the state of Jeffco Schools has only gotten worse. Students, teachers and parents are all protesting the actions of the three conservative board members, Ken Witt, Julie Williams and John Newkirk. That is no surprise. Witt, Newkirk and Williams are acting under the same impulses as other extremists we are also hearing about in the news. Extremism is never good. In the end, extremist fall hard. Read it in the history books, but I guess that is too much for Mrs. Williams and her "godly" groupies.
Over the past several weeks, I have read many, many wonderful letters and emails written by parents, students and teachers. They write because they know something valuable is being threatened - free speech and public education. Because they can say what is important so much better than I can, I am turning this blog over to publishing their letters. These letters are being sent to the Board of Education by the hundreds. Precious words condemned to the black hole of an email box that will probably never be read by a board member. Words only have power if they can be read. So, please keep sending those letters to Board of Education, but please send them to this blog too. Paste them in the comment section below. I will paste them in this blog when appropriate. I will do my best, with your help, to make sure that the world gets a chance to read your wonderful and powerful thoughts. Please write constructively, don't defame or liable, but do write from the heart. Be professional and kind. If you are a teacher whose students are being hurt, say so. If you are a teacher and have to work at Home Depot to make ends meet, tell your story. If you are a mom whose child is not getting the education they deserve write a letter here. Tell us about an unfair evaluation system for teachers, how the law is being broken at board meetings. The world needs to know these terrible things that are happening in our once wonderful school district . These pages are yours. Letters that are signed are more powerful than those that are unsigned, but I understand the need to protect jobs and income by remaining anonymous.
Starting now, this blog is "The Voices of Jeffco."
LETTER #1
Over the past several weeks, I have read many, many wonderful letters and emails written by parents, students and teachers. They write because they know something valuable is being threatened - free speech and public education. Because they can say what is important so much better than I can, I am turning this blog over to publishing their letters. These letters are being sent to the Board of Education by the hundreds. Precious words condemned to the black hole of an email box that will probably never be read by a board member. Words only have power if they can be read. So, please keep sending those letters to Board of Education, but please send them to this blog too. Paste them in the comment section below. I will paste them in this blog when appropriate. I will do my best, with your help, to make sure that the world gets a chance to read your wonderful and powerful thoughts. Please write constructively, don't defame or liable, but do write from the heart. Be professional and kind. If you are a teacher whose students are being hurt, say so. If you are a teacher and have to work at Home Depot to make ends meet, tell your story. If you are a mom whose child is not getting the education they deserve write a letter here. Tell us about an unfair evaluation system for teachers, how the law is being broken at board meetings. The world needs to know these terrible things that are happening in our once wonderful school district . These pages are yours. Letters that are signed are more powerful than those that are unsigned, but I understand the need to protect jobs and income by remaining anonymous.
Starting now, this blog is "The Voices of Jeffco."
LETTER #1
Ms. Williams:
As a parent of two recently Jeffco graduates (2012, 2014),
it is sad to see that a focus of the Board is on the curriculum of students in
AP courses. The reason given by Ms. Williams is this: ""I don't think
we should encourage kids to be little rebels ...We should encourage kids to be
good citizens."" (9News.com) Ms. William's fears are unwarranted, and
beg the question, Have you been in more than one AP Class that does this?. I
want to let you know that I have two very good examples that Ms. Williams'
comment is incorrect. Both of my children successfully completed AP classes at
their Jeffco (non-charter) High School, including APUSH. My son graduated with
a 4.3 and my daughter, a 4.5. My son was accepted into ALL of the United States
Military Academies. He is currently a Junior at C.U. Boulder and in the United
States Air Force. Can you get more patriotic than that? He obviously wasn't
deterred because of his AP classes or by the curriculum that he received in
Jefferson County. My daughter took nearly every AP class offered at her high
school, something like 8 or 9. She is now in the President's Leadership Class
at CU Boulder with the goal of becoming one of the few female
Neuro-Surgeons,(look up the requirements to be accepted into this exquisite
group of students leaders). Again, she is not a "rebel", she is
probably one of the model citizens we should all strive to be.
I find it sad that you, Ms. Williams, are finding it
necessary to attempt to change the curriculum, which I don't think you have
ever taught, and I'm not sure you have ever taken. The teachers who developed
the critical thinking skills in both my children did so long before our state
adopted the Common Core standards, which emphasize critical thinking. Our
children are taught in schools that they are important, that their questions
are important, and their ideas are valued. How does "your" way
support that? Changing the curriculum so that authors and Board members tell
them what to think limits their abilities to become the model citizens our
society so desperately needs right now. I am proud of the education that my
children received; their success speaks to that - and they are not the only
success stories Jeffco can claim.
Is this really where we are going with education in 2014?
Which country out there is or has been successful implementing this type of
educational policy? It is NOT how things in the United States are ran. Go to
Boston and feel the history that the founding fathers created, or read about it
in the plentiful, free, and available literature. We (USA) are who we are
because we were LEAD by a group that had the determination to fight for
freedom. Every time our freedoms have come into question, freedom wins. Again,
visit the history books. It is deplorable to think where we would be as a
nation if we allowed others to tell us how to think. Where would civil rights
be? Equality?
As a parent of a military Commander and 2nd Lieutenant in
the Air Force, it saddens me that a citizen of our United States wants to
exercise her freedom of speech to take away others' freedom to think and speak.
My son will fight for our rights and freedoms and that includes you, Ms.
Williams, and your "outdated" ideas of education.
Every time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, think about all
those who have, do, and will serve to protect these rights.
Ms. Toni Bower
Concerned Jeffco Parent
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Dear Mr. McMinimee, Here's the problem
Dear Mr. McMinimee,
You are about to have a new job with Jeffco Public Schools.
I wish we could welcome you under better circumstances. I see that you have
some experience with Jefferson County, so you know we value quality education
for our children.
I am not a teacher, but I see that you were one once. I hope
you have clung to the knowledge that being a teacher is very difficult and no
one teaches to get rich. Do you remember that teachers are not the enemy; they
are our hard-working friends and neighbors? They shape the lives of our children.
I’m afraid you are going to hear some mis-information from
the three board members who hired you. They are going to tell you that the
teachers’ union is the problem. They will say that only a handful of parents
are causing a ruckus. They will say the media has blown everything out of
proportion - - there is a PR problem. They will tell you they were elected by a
huge margin of voters. These are all lies.
The three people who hired you, Ken Witt, John Newkirk
and Julie Williams are the problem.
As you take on the job of superintendent, remember these
three people will be gone, hopefully sooner than later. Don’t burn any bridges.
Let me bring you up to speed from the point of view of a
community member:
-During the election, Witt, Newkirk and Williams (WNW) aligned themselves with former
board member Laura Boggs. Boggs, who was twice censured by her fellow board
members for her behavior, vowed to “rip this district apart.” They are working
hard to fulfill her wish. Boggs allegedly showed up with $3,000 in cash to pay for the room rental for Witt's recent "community forum." The forum was a rush-job only publicized by conservative anti-Jeffco school groups, like Jeffco Students First. It was a not a school district sponsored event. You connect the dots.
-During the election, Witt, Newkirk and Williams took
advantage of “gray” campaign contributions and support from anti-Jeffco school
groups like Jeffco Students First Action.
-Within days of being elected, WNW secretly began planning
to use taxpayer dollars (without public review), to hire an attorney to
represent them, and not the district. How does this help children?
WNW violated the Sunshine Law by meeting secretly to
negotiate a contract with lawyer Brad Miller. Miller has a well-known conflict
of interest since he represents charter schools in their bids to win contracts
from school boards. They pay him approx. 7,500 taxpayer dollars a month. How does this help children?
-WNW are about to violate promises made to the community
during the campaign for ballot measure 3A and 3B, by diverting budget money to
fund charter schools. As the new superintendent, you will likely need to go to
the community for additional voter-approved funding some time in the future.
Your new bosses are working hard to ensure the community can never trust the
school board and superintendent again.
Good luck with that.
-WNW have systematically changed the make-up of the
district’s parent advisory committees, loading the committees with their
supporters. These are people who don’t support Jeffco schools. WNW placed on
the technology committee a woman who cost the district millions of dollars and
support for elementary reading. They placed on the teacher evaluation committee
a woman who tries to videotape and humiliate teachers who voice opposition.
These are not the actions of people who truly support Jeffco schools.
-The district’s legally required parent advisory committee,
SPAC, worked for months to examine the district’s budget and operations in
order to provide the board their guidance and opinions. At the encouragement of Ken Witt, two
members of the SPAC caused so much dissent at SPAC meetings it was difficult for
members to be productive. An ally of Witt’s on the SPAC committee penned a report that
was so full of lies and questionable data that it was harmful to the district
and Jeffco students. WNW allowed
the report to be presented at a Board meeting, further angering community
members. WNW encourage disruption and dissent at all district meetings. These
are not the actions of people who truly support Jeffco schools.
-During legal proceedings regarding a piece of land the
district was deeded by the city of Lakewood, Witt disregarded legal advice and
stopped the proceedings. This action has the potential to cause Jeffco and
other school districts millions of dollars.(update, the City of Lakewood continues to state that the property belongs to the district, which gives the district the right to build a school on it)
-In a 3 to 2 vote, WNW pushed through additional funding and
extension of a loan repayment for a charter school. This charter school has
been flagged by auditors for not operating in a fiscally sound manner, causing
the community to question the board’s financial stewardship. It has now been
discovered that the school may have skewed data about its enrollment figures
and did not disclose information about a lawsuit.
-Ken Witt has violated the Board’s own Policy GP-04 by
attempting to run day-to-day operations of the district and give orders to
employees. This has been repeatedly questioned by board member Lesley Dahlkemper. District employees do not report to the board.
-Ken Witt’s rude behavior at board meetings has resulted in
thousands of letters being sent to the board of education office in protest.
-At recent board meetings regarding the budget, WNW have
demonstrated they do not support early childhood education. Despite the
community’s outcry, and sound research, they have said they do not see the
benefit in free full-day kindergarten and have moved money to support kindergarten to charter school funding, further dividing the community. Please read
this letter, it says it well: http://www.boarddocs.com/co/jeffco/Board.nsf/files/9JGNLR550DA6/$file/c14472O.pdf
I won’t go into the comments Mr. Witt, Mr. Newkirk and Mrs. Williams have
made demonstrating they do not support diversity. It’s just too painful.
So, you see Mr. McMinimee, the people who hired you are the
problem. Nothing in their actions says, “we support quality public
education.” Their actions have
angered the community and the community’s voice is getting louder every day.
WNW won’t be around Jeffco for long. Will you? Remember, WE ARE NOT DOUGCO!
UPDATE: Since this letter was written in May 2014, there have been many other moves by the Jeffco BOE that do not represent the will of the community, including, but not limited to:
-The conservative board members voted to take money from neighborhood schools and gave it to charter schools. Now, charter schools students are getting approx. $381 per student that was taken from neighorhood school students, many of them low income students. Witt, Newkirk and Williams are getting ready to grant a contract for a new charter school to one of their campaign contributors.
-WNW refused to bargin in good faith with teachers, refused a third-party review, that said the teacher evaluation system is so flawed it should not be used.
-Board member Julie Williams introduced a plan for a curriculum review committee that would censor the AP History curriculum and the health curriculum. She sought members for her committee such as this:
-The conservative board members voted to take money from neighborhood schools and gave it to charter schools. Now, charter schools students are getting approx. $381 per student that was taken from neighorhood school students, many of them low income students. Witt, Newkirk and Williams are getting ready to grant a contract for a new charter school to one of their campaign contributors.
-WNW refused to bargin in good faith with teachers, refused a third-party review, that said the teacher evaluation system is so flawed it should not be used.
-Board member Julie Williams introduced a plan for a curriculum review committee that would censor the AP History curriculum and the health curriculum. She sought members for her committee such as this:
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Characteristic #1 – Inspires Trust
As we examine the qualification and past actions of Dan
McMinimee, the DougCo assistant superintendent, who was just selected in a 3 to 2 vote as
the one and only finalist for the Jeffco superintendent position, we should
look back on the path the community took to get here.
Back on April 1, Ray & Assoc., the superintendent search
firm, presented to the Board and the community the results of a survey that was
used to build a “profile” of the 10 most desirable characteristics of a
superintendent.The survey was completed by parents, Jeffco staff, students and the board. The #1 characteristic selected was “inspires trust, has high
levels of self-confidence and optimism, and models high standards of integrity
and personal performance.”
I think its safe to say that in the deliberations over the
various superintendent finalists, Lesley Dahlkemper and Jill Fellman probably
pointed out to Witt, Newkirk and Williams that McMinimee would not fit the #1 desirable
characteristic. It cannot be said that Mr. McMinimee inspires trust, or possibly
has a high standard of personal performance.
He was reportedly the chief negotiator when the DougCo school board killed the Douglas County school
district’s teachers union. He was assistant superintendent of the school
district that whole-heartedly supports using taxpayer dollars to offer private
school vouchers to students – something the Jeffco community does not support.
Again, not very trust-building. I won't go into the recent investigations of DougCo for treatment of immigrant students and misuse of transportation funds. Maybe Witt thinks that "inspires trust" only applies to his feelings.
Ken Witt has said he is looking for a superintendent that
will support the Board's Ends Goals. Witt, Newkirk and Williams are constantly
beating the drum about their Ends Goal to raise third grade reading scores. Well, their new selection
for superintendent currently works for a school district that hasn’t seen an
increase in third-grade reading scores since 2009. This year, DougCo saw 2.5
percentage point decrease in third-graders reading at the proficient level. Excuse me Mr. Witt, but you might want to re-think that comment you made about Mr. McMinimee's "strong commitment to academic achievement." I will concede that commitment and success are two different things.
I’m trying real hard to convince myself to give Dan
McMinimee a chance, but it’s a tough sell just based on his past performance
and the actions of the school district he has supported for the past four
years. I heard Witt say “we are
not DougCo,” but he acts like he wants Jeffco to be just like that district.
I do know that, again Witt, Newkirk and Williams (WNW) have
acted poorly and let the community down.
Two board members did not support Mr. McMinimee, and that speaks volumes.
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