The made headlines in 2014 when it eliminated the curriculum for eighth graders in an effort to bolster struggling kids’ performance by allowing them more time on foundational classes — and to address inequities in which students got fast-tracked for advanced high school math.

Board members did not respond to emails seeking comment, but the superintendent, Maria Su, in a statement on the district’s website said she welcomes the change. 

“We’re excited to offer Algebra I to our eighth grade students as part of our goal to help more students succeed in math, working to increase the number of students meeting grade-level standards from 42% in 2022 to 65% by 2027,” she said. 

Critics say eliminating 8th-grade algebra robbed capable students of that early, first step in a math sequence that allowed them to take calculus their senior year — a prerequisite for some top colleges and, arguably, for careers in lucrative STEM fields. 

A backed up these claims, showing participation in Advanced Placement math initially fell 15% while “large ethnoracial gaps in advanced math course-taking remained.” 

Residents in 2024 supported a ballot initiative to bring back the course and it became available to some students through a pilot program: The district served 3,827 8th graders in 2024-25 and 1,030 of them took Algebra I that school year, according to state data cited by researchers.

Rex Ridgeway, along with several others, to restore the course in 2023. He told ����Ӱ�� this week the change was overdue. He said it will prevent students like his granddaughter, Joselyn Marroquin, who was deprived of the course in her middle school years, from having to take it elsewhere. 

“During this period of time, students, like my granddaughter, had to either take a summer algebra accredited course or double up in the 9th grade and take both Algebra I and geometry in order to be on track to take calculus in the 12th grade,” he said. 

A retired stockbroker, Ridgeway tutored his granddaughter from first to ninth grade, filling in what he considered deficiencies in the district’s math, English and science instruction. Marroquin is now a freshman at San Jose State University, her grandfather said, majoring in business administration, corporate accounting and finance — and minoring in economics.

The Board of Education narrowly approved the algebra measure Wednesday night in a 4-3 vote. According to the school district, Algebra I will be offered in eighth grade as an expanded math course at 19 of its middle and K-8 schools. 

Students who meet the academic criteria will be automatically enrolled in both Math 8 and Algebra I — but can opt out of Algebra I if they choose. 

Those who don’t test into the course can still enroll in it as an elective and students’ whose test scores reflect strong ability in the subject can take only Algebra I.

Thomas S. Dee, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and an author of the earlier , said he celebrates the board’s move: He and co-author Elizabeth Huffaker, as part of a second study currently in the works, found that 8th graders who took Algebra I along with Common Core Math 8 as part of the pilot program experienced substantial learning gains. 

Dee said, too, he supports the automatic enrollment of already proficient students, saying the tactic should “ensure that those gains will be broadly realized among all the students ready to take algebra — regardless of their other circumstances and background.”

But Dee’s enthusiasm is tempered: He said his research reveals the need for the district to improve math curriculum for students prior to 8th grade so they are better prepared for algebra. 

“Broadening algebra access without addressing the uneven patterns in algebra readiness will increase achievement gaps,” he said. 

And, allowing parents of students taking Algebra I to opt out of Common Core Math 8 will deprive them of a chance to advance, he said.

“Our results indicate that families that make this choice will leave truly substantial learning gains on the table and increase their child’s risk of having to retake algebra in 9th grade,” Dee said. “I viewed the board’s insistence on this issue partly as a reflection of a legacy of distrust that was created through the community’s experience with earlier generations of district leadership.”

Huffaker, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Florida, said automatic enrollment “nudges students who are likely to succeed in algebra into the course” and notes that the district’s plan will also increase math instructional time at most campuses. 

But she, too, has concerns about families opting out of one of the two simultaneous courses. 

“We completely understand why a family might value an additional elective that allows their child to take art, for instance,” she said. “But the learning gains from the expanded math option are really worth taking seriously, especially because they extend even to the most high-achieving students. There wasn’t really a cap on who benefited.”

Melodie Baker, executive director at ImpactSTATs Inc., and a Women in AI Fellow at , said the real question isn’t when students take algebra, but whether the pathway makes sense at all. 

“A sequence designed as a pipeline to calculus was built for a different era,” she said. “Meanwhile, students need data fluency, computational thinking and applied math for an AI-driven economy.”

Automatic enrollment policies are valuable, she added. 

“But expanding access to an outdated curriculum only gets us partway there,” she said. “True progress means rethinking what we teach, not just who gets access. Math should be a foundation for the future, not a relic that sorts students into winners and losers.”

Incumbents Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder held onto their seats on the Michigan Board of Education in Tuesday’s election. They are the only Republican members of the board.

It was another good down-ballot result for Michigan Republicans, who rode to flip the state House and almost every seat on the boards of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and the Wayne State University.

McMillin and Snyder defeated Democratic challengers Theodore Jones and former state Rep. Adam Zemke for seats on Michigan’s Board of Education and will serve eight-year terms on the board that is tasked with overseeing the educational system across the state and recommending changes to lawmakers.

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Snyder has served a single term on the board. She is a former nurse who has previously had unsuccessful runs for U.S. Senate and Congress. She the Michigan Advance along the campaign trail that she is focused on school safety, improving literacy in schools and providing eligible students with appropriate special education resources.

Snyder received the most votes of any education board candidate at nearly 2.5 million votes or 24.48% of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

McMillin also has served one term on the Michigan Board of Education, having been elected alongside fellow incumbent Snyder in 2016. Previously, McMillin served as a state legislator representing Oakland County and has served in local government and as an Oakland County Commissioner, among other roles.

McMillin secured about 24% of the vote, beating out Democratic challengers by more than 60,000 votes apiece.

Jones is a former teacher, school social worker and has worked in administration for Detroit public schools. His campaign centered around increasing investments into Michigan schools to help students recover from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to allocate resources to retain good teachers.

Zemke, was previously a state lawmaker representing Ann Arbor who served on education-related committees. He has been a part of education-focused groups like the and was previously the president of . He the Michigan Advance during his campaign that he’d like to better bridge the board with lawmakers and other stakeholders and implement meaningful change while serving on the board.

During several hours of public testimony before the State Board of Education, multiple speakers noted negative or inaccurate representations of Judaism and a lack of attention to contemporary Jewish life or Americans. 

Sharyn Vane, one of the speakers who addressed the board, called the new program, branded as Bluebonnet Learning, “wildly problematic in its depictions of Jews and Judaism.” She referred to a second grade lesson on Queen Esther in which Haman, an official of the Persian king, cast lots to decide when to kill the Jews. The lesson includes students playing a game of dice. “This is shocking, offensive and just plain wrong. Do we ask elementary schoolers to pretend to be Hitler?”

Another speaker pointed to how fourth graders are asked to highlight positive aspects of the Crusades.

“We were being murdered en masse,” Emily Bourgeois, public affairs director for Shalom Austin, said about the persecution of Jews during the Middle Ages. “There’s not really a whole lot of benefit to that.” 

The public’s comments, while more critical than favorable, demonstrated the intense pressure on board members to either tone down the emphasis on the Bible, add more references to other world religions or accept the proposed curriculum as is. The Texas Education Agency, which developed it, now has until Oct. 14 to complete any revisions before the board votes in November on a final list of approved materials. Groups opposed to the biblical content have urged the board to reject lessons that they say come close to proselytizing. But conservative organizations, , have encouraged their networks in recent weeks to bombard members with emails calling for approval of the state-developed materials with no changes. 

​​”The Bible is the single most impactful piece of literature. It is the single biggest influence on the formation of Western civilization,” Aaron Harris, a who has been to the materials, said during the hearing. “Any denial of that fact is just silly.”

Some board members seem to have already made up their minds. In her , Audrey Young, a Republican whose district includes Houston, said not including the Bible in the curriculum will “continue to severely limit [students’] opportunity for academic success.”

“Separation of church and state as a legal concept does not mean the two realms never interact,” she wrote. “It only means that one does not control the other.”

Julie Pickren, a conservative Republican board member — who often posts Bible verses on social media — defended the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum throughout the meeting, saying she’s received 12,000 emails in favor of the program, but just a “minuscule” number opposed.  

‘Y’all must have done something right,” she told Colin Dempsey, a director at the agency that has managed the review process.

Others, however, are still probing for information on who influenced the development of the curriculum, which was adapted from Core Knowledge Language Arts, a widely used reading program published by Amplify. At least twice, Board Member Pam Little, also a Republican, asked whether the agency engaged a religious committee to provide input on the lessons. 

The state has posted a list of the members of the But a spokesman for the agency said he was unaware of a separate group of faith leaders who were involved in the process.

One group involved in the development of the materials — and now — is the , a right-leaning organization. Two experts with the foundation, Thomas Lindsay and Courtnie Bagley, worked as “subject matter experts” on the lessons. Lindsay was also on the advisory board. The group’s involvement has spurred some critics to raise questions about whether improving reading scores is the primary objective of the new curriculum.

“Gov. Greg Abbott’s education commissioner is outsourcing the education of a generation of Texas school children to people more interested in pushing political agendas than in educating kids,” Carisa Lopez, deputy director of the Texas Freedom Network, said during a press conference Tuesday. “That should be alarming to all parents regardless of their religious or political beliefs.”

Last month, the watchdog group, which monitors far-right movements, issued on the curriculum, saying the authors present Christian beliefs as “straightforwardly true.” Author David Brockman, a religious studies scholar at Rice University, cited, for example, a third grade lesson on Christianity that states, “In the years that followed, many heard about the resurrection of Jesus.” 

“Students may well gain the impression that the Resurrection was a historical event — a faith claim a public school curriculum has no business conveying,” Brockman wrote.

State officials, meanwhile, have already accepted many of the corrections submitted by the public, according to now posted on the agency’s website. Mark Chancey, a religious studies professor at Southern Methodist University, submitted dozens of corrections. The state revised, for example, a line that said the word “genesis” originated with the first book of the Bible. But they made no changes to the statement: “God gave King Solomon wisdom on all things.” Chancey commented that the wording promotes “a particular religious belief.”

‘A position of authority’

Bluebonnet Learning, which will be optional for districts to use, is just one of 142 programs in reading and math publishers submitted to the board. The fact that Tuesday’s speakers exclusively spoke about Bluebonnet highlights the intense controversy the Bible-infused curriculum has ignited since late May when the agency released it. 

Expecting the polarizing comments, Board Chair Aaron Kinsey asked Austin Kinghorn, a deputy state attorney general, to weigh in on the constitutionality of the curriculum. Kinghorn asserted, as most supporters of the curriculum have, that it’s permissible to teach about religion in public school and that the Bible played a pivotal role in American history. But if lessons amount to proselytizing, he said, they would violate the First Amendment. 

Multiple times, he noted the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in , in which the court upheld a high school coach’s right to pray in public at football games, as the most recent legal test of whether references to religion in school cross the line. Coercion, he said “doesn’t exist nearly as often” as some perceive.

But other legal experts said the Kennedy decision doesn’t necessarily answer the questions raised by the Texas curriculum, or similar actions in other GOP-led states. In Oklahoma, state Superintendent Ryan Walters has that teachers use the Bible in instruction, and in Louisiana, a new law requires the 10 Commandments posted in all classrooms. 

“The entire premise of the Kennedy ruling is that the coach was not acting from a position of authority, but was acting solely in his private capacity and that those who joined him in his private prayer did so voluntarily,“ said Derek Black, a constitutional law professor at the University of South Carolina. Schools can “expose students to portions of the Bible as an example of literature or religious text, as long as it is in the context of exposure to lots of other historical literature. But they cannot teach the Bible as religion or truths that someone should or should not follow.”

‘World religions’

High-level debates over what children learn are nothing new in Texas. 

About a decade ago, the state of an online curriculum system, called CSCOPE, after conservatives complained it was anti-American. The majority of districts in the state used the materials, but some critics didn’t like that lessons introduced students to other world religions, like Islam. 

A similar controversy derailed plans in 2022 to adopt a new . Republican lawmakers argued the material would violate the state’s law against teaching “critical race theory” because it included lessons on race and LGBTQ issues, among other topics.

For reading, the state spent $19 million in 2020 to purchase the Amplify program. At the time, the state rejected two of the units Amplify submitted that covered the world’s major religions. As ����Ӱ�� first reported, the state asked Amplify to add some stories from the Bible, like the one on Queen Esther. The company wrote a draft, but it ultimately bowed out and didn’t bid on the next phase of the project

In 2022, the state contracted with Boston-based Public Consulting Group to further revise the Amplify lessons. Notes from an April 2022 “project kick-off meeting,” which the Texas Education Agency shared with ����Ӱ��, show officials planned to “bring world religions back in.” Another notation said a second grade unit on , which focuses on mythology, would be a “form of teaching other religion.”

The proposed materials, however, include sparse mentions of Islam and Hinduism while predominantly featuring stories and passages from the Bible. And religions like Sikhism aren’t mentioned at all.

That lack of representation “takes away the opportunity for students to develop a genuine understanding of practices and perspectives outside their own,” Upneet Kaur, senior education manager for , told the board. “Sikh students know the devastating impact of this all too well.”

But Carole Haynes, one of the nearly 250 reviewers the state hired to examine the proposed materials, wrote in a that countries where other religions are dominant are unlikely to “allow Christianity to be included in their school curriculum.”

“It’s so important that we have children read these biblical stories,” wrote Haynes, who is a curriculum consultant. She mentioned a kindergarten lesson on the that highlights Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. “It wasn’t politicization. It wasn’t teaching them Christianity. It was teaching them moral character. That’s where our kids are deficient.” 

Many also can’t read on grade level. Roughly half of Texas’s elementary school students are proficient, and this year’s show declines in the percentages of third and fifth graders meeting expectations. Fourth graders made a 3 percentage point gain. 

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath has said Bluebonnet Learning will improve students’ vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. His presentations for lawmakers point to reading gains in districts that have piloted some earlier versions of the lessons. 

But Board Member Tom Maynard, a Republican, said overall, results from those districts have been “spotty.”

While the public’s comments during Tuesday’s hearing overwhelmingly focused on the religious aspects of the program, there was also ample discussion over whether the program follows the research on teaching students to read. Dempsey, the agency official managing the review process, said the “product scored very well” among the reviewers, who examined whether it covers state standards and is considered “suitable” for classrooms.

“I think the big question is,” Maynard said, ‘Does it work?’ ”

TOPEKA — The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday voted to expand indigenous education outreach from the K-12 to college level, following debate that touched on mascots and political agendas.

Members approved 9-1 a memorandum of understanding to establish the Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education, joining the Kansas Board of Regents with the agreement. The vote formalizes the partnership between the state board, regents and advisory council on consultation about Kansas indigenous education. The regents signed the agreement March 21.

“We have the opportunity to have some meaningful educational opportunities, just to have conversations, just to understand each other better. I think that is critical,” board member Jim Porter said.

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The Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education was created as a temporary committee, meant to strengthen relationships with the state’s four Native nations and bolster educational outcomes for indigenous children and youths. Board member Dennis Hershberger cautioned against political animus in historical discussion before voting in favor of the measure.

“I’m just wanting to encourage factual history to be taught and if that’s the goal, then I appreciate that effort.” Hershberger said. “… From a biblical standpoint, everyone’s created equal and we want to look at every one with virtue and value. It’s so important that we look at history that way.”

The move comes two years after comments from Randy Watson, the Kansas commissioner of education, during a virtual education conference in 2022.

“I had some cousins from California. They were petrified of tornadoes,” Watson said at the time. “They’d come visit us, you know, in the summer. They were like, ‘Are we going to get killed by a tornado?’ And I’d say, ‘Don’t worry about that, but you got to worry about the Indians raiding the town at any time.’ And they really thought that.”

Watson apologized for these comments and was suspended.

During Tuesday’s Board of Education discussion, several members asked about the political impact of the council. Board member Danny Zeck, the one “no” vote, questioned council member Alex Red Corn, a citizen of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and an assistant professor at Kansas State University, on mascot recommendations.

“Is this the same group that wants to get rid of all the mascots?” Zeck said

In 2022, the council  prioritize persuading local school officials to abandon culturally offensive branding.

More than 20 Kansas schools still have American Indian themed mascots, and many tribes have expressed opposition to these mascots due to concerns they damage the perception of indigenous people and encourage stereotypes that represent American Indians as “exotic, warlike people who are stuck in the past,” according to a council memorandum.

Red Corn said the group is currently focusing on analyzing student data and working on teacher certification.

“Mascots tend to get more attention,” Red Corn said. “But they’re actually not much of the bandwidth that we’re working on right now.  … We’re actually moving toward the idea that we need to create collaborative systems of education so they learn about this place, it is Kansas, and its history and what it is today because of that history.”

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on and .

Gov. Kay Ivey Monday reaffirmed her support for creating education savings accounts at a rally on the Alabama State Capitol steps on Monday.

But Ivey and other speakers gave few details of what they would support on the issue, which has already drawn pushback from State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey and other educators in the state.

“It will be sustainable, responsible and it’s how we will shape the future of education in Alabama,” Ivey told several dozen people at a rally for “School Choice Week,” a push to expand nontraditional public schools and publicly-funded private school options.

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Education savings accounts are similar to vouchers in that they allow the use of money originally intended for public schools to be used for other items, including private school tuition. Vouchers send the money to an educational institution that the student attends. Education savings accounts go to the parents, who can use it for any number of services, including tuition, tutoring and counseling.

Ivey made expansion of education options The Alabama Legislature passed legislation expanding the Alabama Accountability Act, a scholarship program allowing students in low-performing schools to qualify for scholarships to private schools.

The governor told the crowd that her “top priority is ensuring education savings accounts bill crosses the finish line.”

What emerges from the session will be up to the Legislature, and likely Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville and Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, the chairs of the legislative committees overseeing the Education Trust Fund budget, which would fund any type of Education Savings Account. Messages seeking comment were left with Orr and Garrett on Monday morning; neither man could be seen at Monday’s rally.

Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, filed , which would have allowed roughly $6,900 to follow a student. The bill, filed late in the session, did not become law.

Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, who filed a House version of Stutts’ bill, said Monday that he also supported an expansive education savings account option.

“It brings the free market back to education,” he said.

Stutts and Yarbrough tend to be some of the most conservative members of the Republican supermajority Legislature.

Yarbrough lined out his plans for “true school choice:” universal for all students; flexible spending ability; protects autonomy of private and home schools, while making traditional public schools’ curriculum transparent and is not an “attempt” to increase government spending.

“I believe that true school choice does not increase the size or scope of government,” he said.

The bill has not been filed as of Monday morning.

Students and parents spoke about their own experiences with education options in the state at the rally also.

June Henninger, a fifth grade student at the private Montgomery Christian School, said that she benefited from her experience at the school. She said she was grateful for her education and her teachers.

“I’m ready for my next school of my choice,” she said.

Montgomery Christian School students are on scholarships through donations and from scholarships

“School choice” can refer to a number of things, namely charter schools, vouchers and/ or education savings accounts.

, State Superintendent Eric Mackey said that he would want the money to go to schools and would require accountability.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com. Follow Alabama Reflector on and .

Corey Wise, in his claim, said his support for the district’s equity policy, minority and LGBTQ+ students and COVID mask mandates made him a target of four newly elected conservative board members who pushed him out in February.

His replacement, Erin Kane, former head of a 3,000-student local charter school network, was hired in March in a , with the backing of the same four members who ousted Wise.

It was not her first time in the position: Kane served as Douglas County’s interim superintendent between 2016 and 2018. She was not hired for the post because she did not meet qualifications: She lacked a master’s degree at the time and was not among the finalists, district officials told ����Ӱ��. 

Kane, who has lived in the county for more than two decades and raised her three children there, spent her first weeks in office meeting with school and community leaders, trying to build trust in a district that has been deeply divided over mask mandates and moves toward equity and inclusion — so-called “culture war” issues that are roiling school systems around the country.

“I recognize that our community is still facing conflict and division,” she said in a statement on the district’s website. “However, as I listen carefully to what everyone is saying, I truly believe that we are much closer together than we think.”

The superintendent has turned her attention to securing funding for teacher raises — similar efforts have been underway for years — and bonds for new construction and building maintenance. Her wealthy, mostly white district, the third-largest in the state, serves some 64,000 students. 

Critics lament the speed at which Kane was chosen. Wise, in his complaint, alleges she was a predetermined pick, that she accidentally sent him a text message regarding the position before he was terminated and just minutes after two new board members urged him to resign.

The board’s conservative slate has “expressed no contrition or sorrow for ruining Mr. Wise’s career, dragging his reputation through the mud, or sacrificing his well being to the altar of their biased agendas,” his complaint states.

Wise, whose base salary was $247,500, had worked for Douglas County schools in various capacities for 26 years. The district was obligated to pay him for 12 more months and gave him a lump sum in February. Kane was hired at $250,000 with her contract ending June 30, 2026. 

“In my first four weeks, I have met one-on-one with nearly 100 district and school leaders, visited 30 schools, spoken to hundreds of teachers and staff, and engaged with board committees and community groups,” she wrote in an email to ����Ӱ��. “I am very committed to community outreach around district funding and our challenges, including teacher pay and facilities. Taking care of the amazing teachers and staff who care for our children will always be a priority for me. I am confident that together, in partnership with our parents and community, we can maximize the opportunities we provide for our students’ futures.”

None of the four board members who ousted Wise have returned numerous requests for interviews. Their decision led to a massive student walk-out and the day before their vote, 1,500 district employees staged a sickout. That prompted an attorney and father living in the district to ask that the names of all participating teachers be made public. The request was rescinded, but not before a local news agency asked the district to identify the person who made the query. That information was released last week: Michael P. Kane, a partner with Dan Caplis Law and who is not related to the new superintendent, was behind the request. Caplis is a prominent conservative radio host.

Wise and his supporters say the board met unlawfully and in secret to plot his ouster. Community member and attorney Robert Marshall , saying they discussed Wise’s employment outside a formal board session in violation of the state’s open meeting laws. 

The suit is making its way through district court: Judge Jeffrey K. Holmes, who March 9 to prevent the four board members from violating open meetings laws, said evidence indicates they “collectively committed, outside of public meetings, to the termination of Wise’s employment.” 

The district’s motion for the lawsuit to be dismissed was . 

Marshall said the board has continued to operate unethically.

“The hiring of the new superintendent was a farce,” he said. “Several community members begged the new board members to simply tell everyone they wanted Erin Kane and hire her because that was what they were going to do anyway. Instead, they went through a charade of a search and said they would consider public comment.”

Marshall said he and many other community members wanted another candidate, finalist Danny Winsor, who had worked in the district for years, from coach to teacher to administrator. 

Marshall said the board continues to keep the community on edge by calling numerous last-minute special sessions: They’ve called eight so far in 2022, far more than average, according to board member David Ray. The majority have focused on the superintendent search process and job description. Others have been devoted to Marshall’s lawsuit. 

Ray, who opposed Wise’s firing and Kane’s hiring, laments the meetings, which have mostly been called by board President Mike Peterson.

“It circumvents our public being able to participate,” Ray said. “When the public doesn’t get that notice in advance, they are at a disadvantage. Special meetings are not best practice and should only be used for things of an urgent nature. We challenged Peterson on a number of occasions about why they could not be pushed into regular board meeting agendas … but he was not willing to push out the timeline.”

Some critics of the board majority say they are considering a recall, but none have started the process in earnest. Still, others say the board and the district are on a solid path.

“I am happy with the direction they are going,” said parent Christa Gilstrap. “Kane is a fabulous choice. She can bring unity and calm things down in the district.”

Gilstrap, a recruiter by profession, believes Kane is qualified even though she does not have a master’s degree in education as was initially required by the district. Instead, she has a master’s in public administration. 

Regardless of her academic credentials, Gilstrap said, Kane is a proven leader, having run her K-8 charter school, , for seven years. 

“We need someone who has those skills,” Gilstrap said. “Her reputation from her charter is untarnished: She had countless employees come and speak in her favor.”

But long-time resident Julie Gooden, who has two children in the district, believes it is in chaos because of the newly elected board members. 

“I feel like Mike Peterson is campaigning and I’d like him to stop,” Gooden said. “He says things that are alarming. He vilifies teachers and our staff.”

The animosity has spread to the greater community. Teachers union President Kevin DiPasquale said morale remains low weeks after teachers on three campuses found fliers on their cars admonishing them: “Most Teachers Are Good and We Appreciate Them!” it read. “You are Bad! Get Out and Leave!”

DiPasquale said teachers worry the board is not focused on education but on addressing numerous lawsuits. And, he said, they remain uncertain about wage increases: Douglas County teachers and staff are the lowest paid among Colorado’s other large, metro area districts, such as Jefferson County and Littleton, the union head said.  

“Erin is making an attempt to be visible,” DiPasquale said of the new superintendent. “But there hasn’t been any work by the board or the school superintendent toward supporting public education.”

Right now, he said, there are more than 600 open positions in his school district: The next closest district has 300, and it’s far bigger. 

Ray, who has served on the board for nearly seven years, said he’s had a positive working relationship with Kane in the past, but wishes she had stronger credentials.  

Critics charge, too, that Kane is aligned with right-wing groups and that she supports arming teachers, a point she clarified in an email to ����Ӱ��. She said she does not support arming staff within her district, except for school resource officers or official security personnel.

“We have great relationships with our law enforcement partners and they are only a few minutes away,” she said, but, “I also do not support taking that right away from schools or districts in different circumstances that may be far away from law enforcement and without SROs. Again, this is not the case in Douglas County.”