Teachers, Parents Plan Rally In Response To Controversial Actions Of Douglas County School Board Members Involving Superintendent Corey Wise
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Some teachers in Douglas County are planning a rally for "collective action" Thursday afternoon to push back against several of the school board members. This comes after the three other board members accused their colleagues of breaking state law and privately issuing superintendent Corey Wise an ultimatum.
It follows another recent controversial decision by the newly-appointed board members to change the district's equity policy, despite staff and student objections.
"An election doesn't give complete control and desire to run over rules, processes, and laws that are already in effect," said Kevin DiPasquale, president of the Douglas County Federation, a union representing teachers in the district.
The latest allegations came out of a meeting held by board directors David Ray, Elizabeth Hanson and Susan Meek. The three said board President Mike Peterson and Vice President Christy Williams gave Superintendent Corey Wise an ultimatum.
"She and Mike met with Corey that morning and that they had requested that he consider immediately resigning and that there were four directors that were prepared to move forward with replacing him if he chose not to resign," said Ray.
The conversation happened without a noticed public meeting or board approval, the three directors alleged.
"Any decision about the future of the superintendent needs to be done in an open meeting," said Jeff Roberts, executive director of Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.
According to Roberts, the alleged actions could violate the state's open meetings law, inviting challenges in court.
"The meeting has to be noticed, the public has to know about it, there has to be a way for them to attend the meeting, and if there is a reason to close the door there is a provision in the open meetings law for executive sessions," Roberts said.
"The whole point of the law is to make sure that the public knows what their government is doing."
On Tuesday, Board of Education President Mike Peterson released a statement to CBS4 saying he is committed to respecting staff privacy, and any decision on the superintendent's employment will take place in a public meeting.
"There has been no action taken on the superintendent's contract or employment status," Peterson said. "Last week's conversation was to provide our superintendent with information needed to participate in an ongoing discussion. I will continue to engage all board directors on this matter."
"I am committed to honoring our superintendent's legacy and service to our school district," Peterson went on to say.
Kevin DiPasquale, President of the Douglas County Federation, said he was "blown away" by the information shared in Monday's meeting. He said Wise's dismissal would be the latest questionable action by the board's new, more conservative members who won their position in the November election in a slate called Kids First.
"They ran on the premise of transparency, accountability, and integrity, and they're not showing those tenants of their campaign," DiPasquale said.
"If this firing does occur, it disrupts the entire school system, it creates uncertainty for staff, which impacts students directly."
Teachers and parents plan to gather for "collective action" outside the district office on Thursday at 1 p.m. As of Tuesday evening, the district's scheduling platform showed the need for more than 800 DCSD substitutes for the day of the rally.
"The intention is to send a message to the board that parents and the community, as well as staff, are watching what's going on," DiPasquale said. "We're worried about attracting and retaining staff."
Among those worried about the new board's direction is teacher Margaret Motz, a 31-year veteran of the district. She said she's not aware of anything that would warrant the board firing Wise in the middle of a term.
"If we're losing teachers like they say they are, this is only going to make it worse," Motz said. "I can't think of anyone who would want to work under this circumstance if it's true."
