001to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Hey, you want to make sure your mic's on notice. >> Thank you. I just want to welcome all of you to our board meeting. Um, first item on the agenda is item 3.03, Now three, approve the regular board meeting. Can I have a motion to approve the regular board meeting agenda as presented? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Ann Bennett? >> Yes. >> Mark Emory? >> Yes. >> Michelle Ericson? >> Yes. >> AJ Wilson? >> Yes. >> Motion carried. >> Next item is gifts. Item 4.01. Donation of $500 to Ry High School FFA from the Delbert Allen Lawrence Memorial. Uh Mr. Bean was supposed to present
002and I think he's not here tonight. >> Who? >> Markman. >> Mark Coupman to the podium. >> I don't see Markman. >> You're okay. Thank you for your time. And uh tonight I don't have a mic so Fine. Thank you. >> Oh, there's one in front of you. Yeah, >> that's fine. >> Um, so we're very privileged uh again to be here uh representing PB West High School and uh a donation that we received recently this year uh from our West Storm Youth Wrestling Club. Uh they provided us a $1,500 donation uh to help us with assistance for wrestling fees, um equipment, uh help with some travel as well. Um it's a great feeder program for our for our youth, for our school as well. Uh they really do a good job. U we highlighted
003them a little bit before the county versus West wrestling match with some matches uh on the varsity match. So that was a neat event. Um and again, we just want to thank the uh Westm Youth Wrestling Club for their continued uh support and uh efforts to provide us with our next level of wrestlers that are up and coming through our middle school and elementary. So thank you for your time tonight. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. So that was item 4.03. Are you also presenting for Mr. Ethan Demon? >> I am. Thank you. >> Okay. >> So, um, apologies that, uh, Ry High School couldn't be here. Um, so I'm going to read a a message from them uh, concerning the donations that they received. And it reads this. The donations to the Ry
004FFA chapter were made in memoriam to Delbert Lauren. Delbert's grandson, Matias, is a current member of the Ry FFA chapter. And when Delbert was in high school, he was an FFA member in Bovina, Texas. FFA was his favorite activity in high school. Upon his recent passing, it was his and his family's wish to have any donations made to go to the Ry FFA in his name. The Rye FFA would like to thank the Loren's family and let them know their family is in our thoughts and prayers from the Ry Thunderbolt family. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. So, that was two donations of $500 to Ry. Um, item 4.04, accept the gifts. Do I have a a motion to accept the gifts with proper acknowledgement? >> So, moved. >> I second. >> Han Bennett,
005>> yes. >> Mark Emry, >> yes. >> Michelle Ericson, >> yes. >> AJ Wilson, >> yes. >> Motion carried. >> All right. Next agenda item, good news. 5.01 PCEA spotlight. Kate paycheck spotlight again this week so you don't have to listen to me twice since I have another one on there. All right. Tonight we are proud to recognize Briana Cesar, a paraprofessional at Prairie Winds Elementary for her dedication, professionalism, and positive impact on students and staff. Briana con consistently shows up fully physically, emotionally, and mentally for every assignment she is given. Having worked alongside her for several years, colleagues can attest to her steady presence and deep attentiveness to students. Whether supporting students in the classroom, accomp accompanying them to specials or supervising duties throughout the day, Briana is always present, engaged, and focused on
006student success. Briana has a remarkable ability to read students needs in the moment. When students are able to work independently, she gives them the space to do so. When they need encouragement um to work, sorry, when they need encouragement, redirection, or support, she steps in quickly and thoughtfully. She is consistently where she is supposed to be on time and ready. Whether that is bus duty, recess, or hallway transitions. During brain break, she ensures students stay active while maintaining respectful behavior and high expectations. She completes tasks efficiently and seamlessly moves on to what is next without disrupting instruction or learning. Please join us in thanking and celebrating Briana Cesar. Oh, switching. We only have one. >> All right. Thank you. >> We have one more. >> Okay. Oh, you have one more. >> Yeah. But there
007was more on there. All right. And our second spotlight tonight, we're proud to recognize Tina Groule, the school of the school counselor at Liberty Point Elementary, for her outstanding dedication, leadership, and impact. >> There's a few teachers from LPE here tonight. As the school counselor at Liberty Point Elementary, Tina demonstrated exceptional dedication by building a comprehensive ASCA aligned counseling program from the ground up. Where no formal counseling program previously existed, Tina intentionally created one that serves every student by embedding counseling into their specials rotation, ensuring consistent access to social, emotional, academic, and career development instruction. Beyond her required duties, Tina provides a responsive individual and small group support, partners closely with teachers and administrators, and advocates for systems that prioritize students mental health and well-being. Tina's accomplishments reflect the highest standards of the school counseling
008profession. She developed a data informed counseling program and created a counseling by the numbers bulletin board to increase understanding of counseling services across the district during national school counseling week. She also planned and led an engaging spirit week that promoted belonging positive school climate and social emotional learning. Beyond her building, Tina collaborated with district counselors to develop a career scope and sequence, volunteered at the district mental health working group, advocated for counselor inclusion in district crisis response efforts, and served on the PCEA negotiation team to ensure school counselors professional roles and workloads are accurately represented. Please join us in thanking and celebrating Miss Tina Ger. That's it. All right. Item 5.02, National School Counseling Week. Okay. Thank you. Last week, February 2nd through the 6th, we proudly recognized National School Counseling Week with the national
009theme school counselors amplify student success. Across our district, school counselors are doing exactly that, amplifying student success in ways that are measurable, meaningful, and life-changing. Because of our counselor's work, more students are attending school consistently, graduating on time, and leaving our buildings with clear academic, career, and postsecary plans. Counselors are using data to identify students who need support, closing opportunity gaps and ensuring that every student, not just some, has success to guidance, mental health support, and advocacy. Our counsel our counselors don't just respond to crisises, they build systems that prevent them. They teach skills for resilience, decision making, and goal setting. They partner with teachers, administrators, families, and community agencies to create schools where students feel safe, supported, and seen. Students lives are better because school counselors are there. This work extends beyond individual schools.
010We're especially proud that one of our district school counselors serves on our bargaining team, extending her student centered lens to bargaining conversations and ensuring that decisions about working conditions, staffing and redu and resources are aligned with what students need to thrive. That is leadership. This is advocacy and that is the amplified impact of school counseling. School counselors are essential educators, leaders and collaborators. Their work strengthens our schools, support our staff, and directly improves student outcomes. During National School Counseling Week, we thanked our counselors for their expertise, their dedication, and their unwavering belief in every student's potential. When school counselors are supported, students succeed, and our entire community is stronger for it. Thank you. Agenda item 6.01, information from the board and the superintendent. We'll just start here and make our way around. >> I do
011not have anything to report tonight. >> I don't have anything to report, but I would like to say that uh we we've worked very hard to ensure that our district has at least a part-time counselor in every single building. uh whereas we did not have that in the past and I I appreciate sincerely appreciate our counselors throughout our entire district because they are essential in ensuring that our kids have the supports that they need to be successful in the classroom. So, thank you to all of our counselors. Uh, I would like to thank all of you for coming out to show your support for our candidates and all the emails as well. They were very much appreciated. So, thank you for your concern for our district and for informing us on how you are feeling.
012Thank you. >> Thank you, AJ. I would just echo what AJ says. We do appreciate the community input. Um, I love seeing the room full like this. I think we've got overflow. So, thank you all um for entering into this process with us. Mr. Emmy >> ready. Good evening. >> I sure love our school district. >> Tonight, we will do our best to elect a new board member. I am hopeful as all of us board members can work together to select the candidate who will best represent our entire Could I have one more cool thing? Recently I attended the Colorado Music Educators Convention for my 43rd year I Anyway, there's a very special presentation and I happen to have the plaque right here. One of our very own teachers, Miss Ca Mrs. Kathy Ward, who
013teaches at Prairie Winds, was honored with that 25 years of service. But that's not all. She's done much more than that, but she was recognized for 25 years. So Kathy, could you come up and be recognized? Heat. How you going to top that one, >> right? I know. >> So, for those of you in the back, um I'm Michelle Ericson and I just have a few words to share with you. As a school board member, I am here to serve and provide fair and just governance on behalf of every student, employee, and district 70 constituent. The United States Constitution provides a framework for the United States government. It is our responsibility as a board of education to uphold the Constitution's intent and govern responsibly, fairly, and with all students, staff, and the community in mind.
014For my oath to uphold the Constitution and District 70's mission to educate all children, I support a transparent democratic process in selecting our next board member. With the urgency of the selection and focus as district 70 board members, it is our responsibility to select the best candidate to fill the vacancy. It is it is also our task to select an individual who supports a school system that educates all students and provides the resources to ensure that our students become critical thinkers and civically engaged citizens prepared to make decisions based on facts. One of my students once asked, "Did you go to college?" I replied that every educator in every classroom in District 70 has earned a bachelor's degree or more. Every administrator has earned a master's degree and beyond. Per state law, every public educator
015must hold a teaching license to teach or serve as an administrator in a public school setting or be in the process of obtaining one. In addition, Colorado public school districts are required to meet specific criteria to maintain accreditation. I I offer this as evidence of the expertise in our classrooms, boardrooms, and at every level of schooling. District 70 educators, their efforts, accomplishments in our community of strong schools are evidence enough that the only agenda is to lawfully educate all students fairly, justly, and with respect. Our most important objective as directors is to serve the students in our district 70 public school. Let us choose our director director democratically through discussion, compromise and transparency. >> All right. Thank you, Michelle. Um, agenda item 7.01, presentation of the PBLO County High School HOSA overnight trip to Gaylord
016of the Rockies. Ashley Allen. Hello. Hi. My name is Ashley Allen and I am one of the adviserss of our HOSA chapter at Publo West High School. Um, every time I talk about HOSA, people ask what is HOSA? So, I thought I would start there. Um, HOSA used to be formerly known as Health Occupation Students of America. Uh, they have since dropped that um, phrasing because now it extends beyond America and is an internationally recognized um, association. And so now they just go by HOSA future health professionals. And so that's what we are. Um this is a co-curricular club along with our biomed program at PBLO West High School. And we just reached this year um having 100 members in our club. And we are taking 90 of those members to Denver this weekend to
017compete at our state uh level competition. And so we're staying at the Gaylord for three nights. Um and students will be competing in an array of events um all related to healthcare fields and uh we're looking forward to their success um as we've seen lots of success in the three years prior. So that's what we're doing. >> Thank you. >> Could you tell us what some of those events might be? >> Yes. So there's events related to forensic science, uh, respiratory therapy, pharmarmacology, dental science, veterinary, um, there's even medical math, medical reading, medical spelling, biomedical debate. Um, there's like 80 or so different events that they can choose from. And so the students choose based upon their interests. And then starting in September all the way up until now, um, as adviserss, we work to
018just help prepare them. We also work to help them um get in some of our health care systems and shadow some doctors or nurses, learn skills. Um so not only are they preparing for competition, but they're also getting real world experience and shadow experience to decide if this is really what they want to do with their career. >> That's amazing. >> Thank you. >> Nice job, Ashley. Thank you. >> All right. Agenda item 7.02, presentation of the 2627 calendar changes. Dr. Anthony Martinez, welcome. >> Ladies and gentlemen of the board, thank you for having me tonight. Um, after consultation with our principles, with our teachers association, and with our human resources department, I request that August 27th, 2026, and May 6th, 2027 be designated as literacy days for our elementary and our middle schools for
019literacy planning, uh, and for assessments to happen at those schools. So, in our negotiated agreement, we have those days written. That had something in in the past. This year those were half days but um we'd like to go back to full days to meet the needs of our staff and our students and families. >> Dr. Martinez, >> yes, >> I know that will be greatly appreciated by our elementary school teachers >> and our middle school staff as well. >> Believe me, >> I hear it. >> Very good. >> Just saying. >> Any questions for me? >> No. >> Thank you. Thank you for having me. >> Appreciate it. Okay. So, now we will move into open forum for comments. Um, Kimberly will put the timer up and uh our legal representation, Tim Farmer, will call
020the speakers to the podium. >> Okay. So, first one is Jeff Sloan. They might be in the other rooms. >> Okay. I'm not I'm looking at the is >> He's coming. >> Okay. >> Good evening. Sorry I was late. I was in the overflow room. Um good evening uh ladies and gentlemen of the board. As a proud parent of three students who graduated from the district, I believe it's imperative that every dollar our district spends is used responsibly. I think that probably goes without saying. I hope it does. Um I want to speak tonight in favor of the district um issuing an RFP for new legal counsel for the district. This was discussed last week and the board voted two to two on um issuing an RFP which of course effectively tables the idea. Um
021I would like to pro I would like to advocate that the district considering an attorney who can help reduce costs while improving the quality of our legal representation. Our current attorney, Mr. Miller, charges significantly more for services than the district paid previously and is often unable to attend full board meetings because of those costs. As a result, we are not receiving full representation. At present, we're paying more than twice what the previous attorney charged to the district, yet we're receiving less attorney time. This is a loss for our district financially and functionally. Additionally, our current attorney is not from PBlo County. He does not have a personal stake in the success of our community, does not have children attaching district 70 schools, does not have deep knowledge of our district or its values. My most
022concerning, however, is the conflict of interest involved. Our current attorney al also represents the Arbosis, which I think we're all keenly aware of, which established a new Christian public school located within our boundaries. Because our previous board approved this school, and because it is currently at odds with the state, any resulting litigation potentially escalating as far as the Supreme Court, which Mr. Miller has made clear as his goal could could expose our district to legal costs we simply cannot afford. This regret represents a fiscal and ethical conflict of interest. It is this board's ethical responsibility to hire an attorney who is not conflicted, who charges less, who is invested in our community, and can be fully present to do the job rather than leaving board meetings early or missing them altogether. In fact, Mr. Miller
023last week missed the board meeting where the discussion was had about the RFP and whether or not it was necessary and later claimed that he was unaware of any concerns the board might have. And I don't know which is more concerning, the fact that he was completely ignorant or claimed ignorance. And either one I don't think is is good for the district. Our our district does not have the luxury of spending limited time and resources on costly legal battles in the making. We des we deserve better representation. representation that is present, accountable, and aligned with the best interests of our students, staff, and community. Thank you. >> All right, next up, Roxan Pñanelli. >> Thank you to the board and the staff. Uh first of all uh my name is Roxy Pinionelli and I spent
02420 years as an employee um at the privilege of this wonderful district working as a teacher PCA president and an ind administrative coordinator creating and uh coordinating for the arts academy at county high. So I am very blessed and very connected to this district. I want to begin by making it very clear my comments today are not personal attacks on Miss KS or Miss Bennett. Frankly, I've never met them. I respect that both are members of our community who care about children and education. My concerns are about the process of the selection, the broader governance patterns we've seen over time, and the growing influence of connected interest and legal counsel in district decisions. This is about protecting transparency, accountability, and public trust. I'm deeply concerned about the current effort to appoint one individual to the
025District 70 Board of Education and what it represents. Over the past several years, our community has repeated has seen repeated ethical and transparency concerns involving individuals and organizations connected to erosce and forging PBLO. These concerns include conflicts of interest, overlapping professional relationships, and the blurred lines between public governance and private or ideological agendas. We saw this clearly when the former board president Anne O resigned during a public meeting after being questioned about approving an erosce connected charter while also being employed by them. We have also seen attorney Brad Miller closely associated with these efforts, raising ongoing concerns. Miss KS currently serves as the principal of a private Christian elementary school with Forging affiliated with Forging PBLO. Most of her children were homeschooled. She does not hold a Colorado public school license and is not taught
026in the public school system. While private and home education choices are valid, they do not replace lived experience in our public school system, especially for those entrusted with governing it. At the same time, current board leadership is promoting a single appointment rather than allowing the full board to conduct a transparent and perhaps ranked, although I understand now that isn't an option. But this bypasses shared governance and concentrates power in ways that undermine public confidence. Taken together, these actions reflect a troubling pattern. Decisions increasingly appear shaped by a small network of connected interests rather than open deliberation and community input. This creates a perception and reality of special interests having disproportionate influence. This is not about religion, ideology or personal beliefs. It is about governance. It is about whether our public institutions are guided by fair
027democratic processes or by narrow networks operating behind the scenes. Public schools serve to serve every child regardless of background, belief, or circumstance. They must be governed by individuals who are deeply rooted in public education, who understand its challenges firsthand, and who are committed to its democratic mission. >> Thank you, >> Gail Purcell. Good evening board members. My name is Gail Purcell and I'm a first grade teacher at BU School of Natural Sciences. I have chosen to speak today because I have some very serious concerns about some of the board members loyalty to Brad Miller. It was stated in last board meeting that Mr. Wilson feels that Mr. Miller is doing a great job. I find this more than concerning. We are one of the most underfunded school districts in our state. So, I'm confused by
028why Brad Miller has been chosen as our attorney and why members of our board denied the RFP to simply look at another option. District 70's former attorney Tony Perko charged the district $37,929 in the last year of his employment with District 70. In 2021, Brad Miller charged the district $14,000 sorry $14,237.74 in 2022. 50,965,000.34 in 2023, 104,68864 in 2024, and $142,43242 in 2025. These numbers are from build invoices only and have been obtained by Kora. These numbers do not include costs to the district due to lawsuits, faults on contracts, or other legal advice or actions. The largest amount build by Mr. Miller was in 2025, if you will recall, was the year that the district was so worried about finances that they suggested they closed three schools in our district due to lack of funding.
029So, am I to believe that certain board members are more interested in displacing students, families, teachers, and ESP staff, but want to keep an attorney who charges an exorbitant amount for his services? Brad Miller is not only our attorney here in district 70, but he is the attorney attorney for Riverstone Academy Christian Public School, erosce and district 49 who hold the charter for Riverstone Academy, which means he is gaining fi financially for all of those entities. Mr. Miller does not need district 70. We do not need him. We have always been a district that has been rooted in our local community, supporting local businesses within that community. It is time we look for legal counsel from our community to represent our best interests and not the special interests of Brad Miller. I implore you to
030s seriously think about the best for our community. Uh, Frank Taton. >> Thank you, members of the board, and uh, I'm overjoyed to be here tonight. Um, I'm here the my nexus to the district is of course my daughter Susanna KS and her son Majio Karns who attends Publo County High and their four other children who will follow in his steps most likely and be enrolled in Publo County High School. Um, I'm here to advocate and support the candidacy of Susanna Karns. She's my daughter and what dad wouldn't do that. Um, the thing I want to share with you is if you if you want an excellent district, if you want students who love their schools, if you want teachers who are happy and blessed to be uh on staff in this district, then Susanna
031Karns is the person you want. All of her life of which I had been very happy to observe and to be a part of. She has approached everything with a few simple thoughts. Formulate a noble plan for a good and honest purpose and apply boundless passion to it and to bring it to success. I have not ever seen Susanna engage in one thing in her life where her heart was swayed or overcome with self-interest or the interest of others to the point that she would miss the mark that was set before her. I trust that this great community of families in district 70 will lay down markers and will make known to her through your advocacy which will be welcomed by Susanna that she will fulfill that with only a noble and righteous heart. It
032is impossible for Susanna to be biased and prejudiced. You say, "Mr. Tatoni, how could anyone say such a thing even about their own daughter?" I've known her for 36 years from the moment she came out of her mother's womb. I've watched her life. I've watched her grow. I've watched her live a good and faithful marriage and love her children with all of her heart and raise them with her husband Jared as a great team. Uh she will apply all of that goodness, kindness, and dedication to her role as a district 70 board member. >> Thank you so much. remember that >> Rebecca Casey. >> She's probably in the other room. >> I think she's in the other room. >> I I did you say I don't know. I'm pretty sure they're just not in this
033room. Good evening. I hope I didn't just use up my three minutes getting here. So, my name is Rebecca Casey. I also am a proud parent of two district 70 graduates from Pablo West High School and I'm here to speak um about my concern about the board voting uh that there's a tie vote on whether there should be an RFP for the attorney. Quite frankly, I want to ask what are those who voted against it afraid of? I do not understand with the um increase in cost to the district as was so abley represented by another speaker, a prior speaker. What you are afraid of in having the transparency and the openness to give people a chance to give their bid and to see is this the is Mr. Miller the best use of our
034money? And I'm also kind of curious as to what he has done for that $100,000 a year. I will say that in looking up the history of Mr. Miller starting from Jefferson County 10 10 or 12 years ago. In his wake, he has left recalls and those were recalls of board members not that opposed him but that supported him and his agenda. There were um people who supported him and he resigned. He resigned after each in in Jefferson County at Woodland Park. The Elizabeth school board is having an issue. Montrose is questioning. They're looking at hiring him and there's a big dispute about whether he should be hired there. I don't understand. It's one thing if you didn't know when you initially hired him about these things, but you do know now. It's out in
035the public. And I don't understand why you would oppose something as transparent and as regular and um as a RFP on some issue for an expense that is so great. The other thing I want to say is that as board members, there is a code of ethics you're to follow. And two of those things you are to follow is to render all decisions based on the available facts to your and your independent judgment and to refuse to surrender that judgment to individuals andor special interest groups. You are also supposed to avoid being placed in a position of conflict of interest and refrain from using your board position for personal or partisan gain. And I can only surmise that the reason you want to hold on to Mr. Miller is because he is he supports your
036position of either personal or partisan gain at the expense of our district, our students, our teachers, our parents, and our community. So, I'm going to ask you to please >> time. >> Well, thank you. Thank you. >> Chris Sutton. Hello. I'm Chris Sutton. As most of you do know me, I am still going to reintroduce myself. Uh, I've been in this district since I was a kid. Mr. Mr. Drio was my uh eighth grade social studies teacher. Miss Ericson was my high school geography teacher. I know AJ Wilson from when we were in elementary school having the nativity scene at Majestic Baptist Church where he was playing Joseph and my family owned the camels that were used for the nativity scene. I have been a part of this community as long as everybody else. I'm
037a licensed licensed teacher in this district. I'm a substitute as uh for both districts. I work in adult as well. And I I emphasized that licensing because uh Mr. Wilson last week had mentioned uh his importance and his part uh uh what was important to him was district connections and community. That's why I'm putting that out there to reiterate that not only am I an employee uh a uh alumni and everything else. My kids uh my kid is going on that hosta trip this weekend. I'm excited. Thank you guys. Like I'm excited for the opportunities this district has and whatnot. The reason I want the things I want to comment on are one, obviously, as we're hearing again, I didn't bring my Miller meter today, and I'm sorry for not having the visual, but as
038was pointed out, we're at over $100,000 a year. Uh I believe it's Mr. Farmer up there from Miller Farmer. U and again, uh the law firm's ridiculous. Fill out the RFP. It's it's basic as far as it goes for the rest of this. We're having a public form right now, and I know there's going to be people speaking after me as though it's a campaign rally. This isn't a campaign rally. It's it's not. I know you guys want to be able to hear who supports who and what not, but we know that we could probably fit an entire church congregation from Pastor Fryberg's uh uh congregation here and they would all say yay to their candidate. That's not what this is about. I'm sure Miss KS is wonderful. I'm sure uh Mr. Lewis Vhill, all
039of them are wonderful candidates. My concern with any of it is conflict of interests. We already know that Miss Bennett, your daughter, works for forging education. We already know that uh Miss KS works for forging education. We already know that that uh Wilson has done the forging PBLO Jericho walk before. Um all of that. Speaking of which, I can't help I know my wife emailed the board this past week asking for a response about that June 4th email and the cover letter that was redacted that it has since been out and we've asked if if that screenshot that you're aware of of the email asking to authorize Riverstone what your your response on that is. I mean Annne O literally resigned in the middle of a board meeting because of her conflict of entrance. Mr.
040Wilson, you're the only one that remains from that one. So, I want to point that out that we're still waiting for your response for the uh also I want to point out that I want to thank the district for their measured and neutral response on their notification to the uh possible student protests. I've noticed that there's supposed to be high school protests all through PBLO from all the high schools and I noticed the response was a measured, hey, we're not getting involved. We're not stopping it. Uh free speech, free rights and that's important to me as well. So, please be ethical. Ethical >> time. Thank you. Uh Jared Pacheco. >> Hi board members. Um my name is Jared Pacheco. I'm teacher in the district. Uh going on 12 years finish up my 12th year in
041the district, 15th overall. Um, as you about as you are about to embark on voting for the vacant board seat, I beg you to choose who you believe is going to sit in that seat and is doing it for the right reasons for the entire community and without conflict of interest. Please remember that one of the things that make us great as humans um or make us as humans remarkable is being able to come together for the greater good regardless of our beliefs. Our differences despite what we are told are actually few and far between. You know, Spock once told us the needs of the many outweigh the the needs of the few. Public education is one of the pillars where these ideals stand on. All of us coming together for the greater good, not
042for the individual, for the ideals of the community, not the ideals of the few. Fred Rogers once said, "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility." It's easy to say, "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, and not my problem." I'm not telling you how to vote, but to remind you that public education is very different from private education. As public educators, we do not get to pick and choose who we get. We get everyone from all walks of life, from all religions, family styles, political beliefs, housing, situations, and we will do what we have always done and accept those who walk into our halls and be the best damn teachers that we can be for the greater good. And yeah, you know, sometimes we do it in
043the face of what we um personally believe, but we continue to educate by the governing laws of the community, state, and nation. Choosing someone who objects to that is not the right choice. Please remember these things as you vote to fill the seat. And just one last thing that I would like to say, um being in relationships is hard, right? Those of us who have been longtime partnerships, married, we get it. It's hard, but compromise is the key to success in that. If you're always trying to get your way, nothing good can get done. So, as we are voting, two two rounds, that's not compromise. Please, please, please do what's best for the entire community, for all of us in here. Thank you. Blake Anderson. >> All right. Hello. Hello. Uh, I am Blake Anderson.
044I am an honorroll student at Public County. And as a student who experiences our education system every day, I understand how important it is to have leaders on the school board who truly know and care about us students. Uh that's why I believe that my youth group leader uh Jonathan Lewis from Young Life would honestly be an outstanding candidate for this open board position. Now, Young Life's mission is simple, but it is powerful. is just to spread love and to reach every student, making sure that no one feels unseen or forgotten. I have personally watched him not just live out that mission, but excel in it, investing time in both the middle school and high school students, including some college students even to this day. Um, listening to their struggles, encouraging their goals, and even
045helping them grow into confident, responsible, and young men and women like me. uh his experience working with students of all ages gives him a real understanding of the challenges we face today both academically and personally and more importantly he leads by example showing integrity compassion and the courage to be a positive light even in difficult environments he doesn't just talk about leadership he practices it every single day by helping students become a better person and better members of their community our schools need leaders who understand students not just on paper But in real life because of his dedication to guiding us young people and building character and also reaching every student with care and a purpose. I truly believe he would bring some strong leadership and a student second a student centered perspective sorry to
046the school board. I thank you for your time. >> Uh Andrea Good evening. I graduated from Po West High School in 2004. I was the Fellowship of Christian Athletes President. I regularly found myself frustrated at the limitations I felt existed on my religious expression as a student in a public school. But thankfully, I was surrounded by incredible and faithful educators like Mrs. Ericson, Mr. Wagner, and the late Mr. Predovich. These educators understood that it was more important for me, a feisty, fervent Christian evangelical student, to learn to overcome my frustrations and continue to work within the framework of our United States Constitution's intent and our schoolboard policies. They did this to protect me, but they did it to protect others. They never discouraged me from my faith. They emphasized the importance of studentled engagement on
047any and all religious activity within the public school system. This was deeply valuable education I received outside of the classroom but within our public schools. Because of the excellent education they provided me, I went on to become a missionary. I served in 14 different nations and I worked as the executive assistant to the founder and president of the Pacific Justice Institute in Southern California, an evangelical religious legal activism organization. Our partners on many legal cases was an organization called ADF or the Alliance Defending Freedom. It was there. I was taken behind the proverbial curtain and I learned how these faith-based attorneys regularly were engaging in what, in my opinion, is predatory practices with the goal of overturning public education and making millions in the process, lining their own pockets, and preying on underfunded communities and
048school boards in the process. I stand before you tonight amazed that this seemingly predatory practice and plan that existed 15 years ago when I worked there is now here in my own school district and that I have to speak to you about it now. This is not a matter of faith. Faith is presently allowed in our schools. There are boundaries and there are boundaries for everything students do in our schools. That's extremely important and appropriate. It makes students of faith better to encourage them to operate within those boundaries of governance that presently exist. And I'm asking you tonight, please do not allow our school board's legal council, organizations like Forging PBLO, or any organization with these ideas of grandeur to pray upon our students and our schools and their staff and this district. Please, please
049fire Miller Farmer. do that for the good of all of our community members. Do not engage in the culture war. It's not necessary. This is PBLO. We can love each other. We can move forward together. And we can be focused entirely on our staff, our students, our schools, and making them better without this controversy. Please, let's let it end. Alicia Rainer. >> Good evening. Thank you board members. Thank you community for being here. My name is Alicia Rener. Um you might know me by my maiden name Kchner. Um, I am a longtime resident of district 70 and proud to have attended Vinland Elementary, Vinand Middle, and Pablo County High School. I currently have two middle school students at Vinand Middle School. I have um I was I sent this email earlier today because I was
050a little bit nervous about speaking tonight and um rightly so because a lot of you came here with big things to say and you're used to this and I am not. So, hear me out. Uh, I think it would be uh I know it would be of great benefit to our children in our district to have Susie KS representing our district. The combination of leadership that I have personally experienced and her heart for students that my youngest child is directly benefiting from is exactly what I want to see as qualifications to sit on the board of education. You see at uh at Agape Christian Academy where we both work, I think you underestimate the value of education, you don't understand how we educate our children. And we are on a a similar level of public
051education. I've worked in district 70. I was a substitute teacher. I'm a licensed subteer for district 70 when I moved into Agape Christian Academy. And let me tell you, the leadership of Susie KS is incredible. Our district is superior in education and in opportunity and the addition of Susie KS on our board will only ensure that a bright future continues for our children. Susie has a passion for student achievement and is extremely gifted at recognizing individual needs not only for the student but for her employees. She cares deeply for the overall ex for her overall excellence. Her ability to meet the needs of others and take action when necessary is admirable and something I personally appreciate as a parent. I must ask that you see Susie for the outstanding candidate that she is and vote
052to place her into the position that represents teachers, parents, and most of all the students of our community. Thank you. Uh, Ellen Mackando. >> Good evening, school board members. My name is Ellen Macko, and I'm reading a letter on behalf of Susie McGay, who could not be here tonight due to illness. I'm writing you as a parent of two children, ages 12 and 14, who attend D70 schools, and as a member of this community. Both of my children attended a Christian private preschool for two years each, for which we paid tuition. We are a Christian family and after thoughtful consideration, we intentionally chose public education for our children. They've been enrolled in D70 since kindergarten and have been taught by highly qualified educators who've provided strong, consistent, and supportive education. Our experience in D70 reflects
053the fundamental purpose of public education to serve all students regardless of background or belief in accordance with state and federal law. I strongly believe in parental rights. However, my rights as a parent should not infringe upon other parents rights, and the same is true in reverse. During the recent special board meeting, there was discussion regarding the parent child bond. My relationship with my children is not the concern of the school board. That bond is my responsibility as a parent. The appropriate role of a school district is limited to circumstances involving suspected abuse or neglect and/or conduct that materially impacts the school environment. It has become increasingly clear based on statements made during the meeting that the school board president intends to advance a specific individual into the open board seat created by the recent resignation.
054It was also apparent that the school board vice president supports this approach. Discussion regarding limiting the number of voting rounds along with the tone directed toward the other board members suggested an unwillingness to engage collaboratively. This approach does not reflect transparent collaborative or good faith governance. I am also concerned about the continued reliance on Brad Miller's legal counsel for district 70. There are many documented examples from other Colorado school districts in which Mr. Miller's tenure has coincided with periods of governance instability, community division, and legal controversy. Please see my previous email that you all received for the documentation of the school boards that I will be mentioning here. Jefferson County Public Schools District 20, District 49, and Woodland Park RE2 School District have all had legal entanglements and public controversy with them. They are too
055numerous to mention here in my aotted time. Taken together, these documented experiences across multiple districts raise reasonable questions about whether continued reliance on the same legal council is in the best interest of district 70. It is also important to restate the legal obligations of a public school district. D70 is under uh required under state and federal law to provide equal access to education and to protect students from discrimination or harassment. And you can find these under title six of the civil rights act and title nine of the education amendments act. District 70 is a public school district. Its governance must reflect transparency, ethical leadership, collaboration, and a commitment to long-term institutional stability. Predetermined outcomes, limited deliberation, and governance patterns that have resulted in demonstrable harm to other districts, undermined the public trust, and exposed the
056district to unnecessary risk. As a parent and community member, I expect this board to act with integrity, engage collaboratively, and to make decisions that protect the long-term health of the public of our schools and the students they serve. Thank you, >> Brian Kelson. I appreciate the time to speak and I can tell you I will do my best as a pastor to not go over three minutes. Believe that if you will. So I would like to tell you that I am a former well I am still a steparent to three graduates from county high school. I live in PBLO West and I pastor a church called Christ Church PBLO West. And I love our kids. I love District 60. I love District 70. I love kids that are in homeschool. I love kids that are
057in private school. I love kids that are in the public school districts. And I have all of them attending our church. And I want to tell you the reason why I'm here today is because I'm about building relationships. And so should you be. Building relationships between teachers and students. Building relationships between school districts and the community. building relationships between professionals and stay-at-home moms, building relationships between everybody who has an opportunity to contribute. And that's everybody in this room. That's everybody in our county. We all have a responsibility to our kids, to families, and I'm excited about the possibilities. There is some great potential in each and every one of you. The kids that are attached to you in one way, shape, or form are our future. And as somebody who has the opportunity to speak
058regularly into families, I tell you, they want you to do that. Our families in our county want us to stand up and to be available and to build relationships and to be together, striving forward. The small church where I serve has a thriving sports ministry. What we do is we collect new and used sports equipment and we make it available to kids countywide at no cost because we want to speak into the community. We want kids to have opportunities. We love kids to the level that we put in facilities on our playground and on our property that we don't put fences around, that we don't charge for and we make available to the county. We've had some of your some of your high school sports teams, some of your middle school sports teams from this
059district have taken advantage of what we have on our campus. It is that kind of a passion, that kind of a love for our kids and our community that we want to be able to see in our district at all levels from a custodian to all the way up to the board. I want to see that kind of love in our community. I want to see that kind of representation for our kids. And that's why I have come tonight to tell you that I throw my personal support behind Susie KS. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak. >> That's it. >> All right. So, moving on. >> Hundreds of times. >> Agenda item 9 9.01 approval of consent agenda items. Do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented having
060been reviewed by the board? >> So, move. Second, >> Jinx. >> Yeah, I was like, I don't know who to go with. Annne Bennett, >> yes. >> Mark Emry, >> yes. >> Michelle Ericson, >> yes. >> AJ Wilson, >> yes. >> Motion carried. All right. So, we're gonna move along. Um, how would you guys feel about a short five minute bathroom recess? >> Are you agreeable? >> That's fine. >> Okay, we're going to take a five minute recess and we'll be back. >> What were you doing? take some pictures. >> You're an amazing speaker. >> I don't know who nominated me. hang in there. Okay. No, I'm not. This is right. calling you. I said, "Oh, you're telling us." He called me. >> He hasn't called me nomination. >> Yes, for sure. All right. The
061meeting will be called back to order. Before we commence with voting, I would like to take a few minutes and speak candidly about both the appointment process and criticisms voiced by a handful of community members. Under Colorado Revised Statute 22-31-129, this board has 60 days to fill a vacancy by a majority vote. That is the ideal outcome, and I fully support reaching consensus if possible. However, if the board cannot reach a majority within those 60 days, the law requires, not merely suggests or allows, but requires the board president to make the appointment on the 61st day. This is not a personal power move. It's a legal obligation designed to prevent our district from being stuck without full representation. Regarding criticisms, the member who resigned did so after voting in the board's leadership election. Some have
062suggested that this renders the chair vote unfair, invalid, or even unethical. However, at the time of that vote, that member was a duly elected and fully empowered board member legitimately participating in board business. Her subsequent resignation does not invalidate the leadership vote any more than it than it invalidates the swearing in of myself and my colleagues earlier in the same evening. Nor does it undermine the democratic process that placed each of us including myself in our respective positions. The board chair is elected by a majority of the board which itself is elected by the community. When the law assigns the chair the responsibility to appoint following a deadlock, it is not bypassing democracy. Rather, it is honoring the leadership structure that democracy created. I fully understand that if we do not reach a majority tonight,
063any appointment I make will be fiercely criticized. If I choose the candidate preferred by the minority, I'll be rightly criticized by those who voted for me, believing that I would uphold the values upon which I campaigned. On the other hand, if I do not vote for the candidate preferred by the minority, I will likewise face criticism from that vocal faction. My duty, however, is to follow state law first and foremost to maintain stability and act in the best interest of the district. Criticism notwithstanding, I will carry out that responsibility with fairness, transparency, and respect for the board and the community that we serve. So, on that note, let's do it. Um, we will allow for discussion. Uh, we will all take motions to um vote on specific candidates. A candidate will only be appointed by
064a majority vote. If we fail to reach a majority then on the 61st day I will appoint per Colorado revised statutes. All right. So >> by the way I know that two of our candidates are here. I know that two of our the candidates are here and I want to say thank you so much for heeding the call of our district. We've all got we've all received lots of emails for against as one of our speakers said it's going to con go into a campaign rally and wasn't it wasn't it uh I I continually talk about and I talked to those who asked me to run for school board for my third term. First two turns were Camelot, I'll tell you. And I say to whoever invited me to run, thanks a lot. >> Had
065no idea. >> First of all, that was hard, too. Okay. So, all we've experienced since the three of us came on the board was political sides. And several times in our last meeting, I said, "Can we work together? We have four candidates. We don't just have one. We have four." And they we had four fine candidates, fine candidates, and I I just said, "Can we compromise? Is there someone that we can all work with?" Well, I guess we'll find that out tonight. So, once again, thank you to our candidates for being here. And that's all I'm going to say about that. So, let me read. I move that PBLO County School District Board of Education approve the appointment of Jonathan Lewis to fill the vacancy of director three. >> Now we discuss >> I second.
066>> Okay. >> Well, I'll start. I I did appreciate the interviews of all our candidates. We had a a strict uh set of what's the word? Uh matrix. Well, we had a rubric. >> A rubric. A rubric uh which we could score our candidates and and as Jonathan came in, it was check check. Let me let me talk about a few of the things beside besides his very kind countenance, his heart for children. He's a he was a pastor. He runs a young life. He's in our schools constantly. Very special to me. He brings pizza to the band, okay, when they can't go home. And that's all the time. pizza and other and he if you've met him you would agree with me he is a fine gentleman he is a friend to all and
067for those reasons I nominate Jonathan Lewis >> are we discussing more >> if you have something >> yeah I mean feel free >> yes um I think as far as uh as mentioned the rubric um leaders leadership. He's a counselor. Conflict resolution. He's a counselor. Uh community involvement. Um he's in um middle schools, high schools. Um he knows our community collaboration um with stakeholders. Um again, you know, being in our schools, um working with our stakeholders, um experience with governance. I think this is something, you know, we are all learning on the job. And um it is definitely different to be in this role, but I I I I uh felt very comfortable in hearing all the candidates actually, but specifically Jonathan addressing um how he would govern being a good listener and making sure
068he was well informed. So >> he quoted a a Bible verse and I I wish I could remember it. >> James, >> thank you. Can you quote it? >> Be slow to speak. slow to uh quick to listen, slow to speak. >> He was Yes, he was lengthy and the whole time he was >> he was smiling and making eye contact and just winning my heart. So, >> all right. Any further discussion, AJ? >> Um, no. I would like to apolog I saw you in the back. Yeah. I would like to apologize for missing mixing the first half of that missing. There we go. Um, I did catch it and I was able to listen to the recording as well. So, just wanted to apologize again for missing that. >> All right. Well, we have
069a motion, so let's proceed to vote. >> And Bennett, >> nay. >> Mark Emry, >> yes. >> Michelle Ericson, >> yes. AJ Wilson, >> no. Ty. >> All right. >> Okay. >> Well, all I'm I'll make a motion. I'll just read this. I move that the PBLO County School District 70 Board of Education approve the appointment of Susie K to fill the vacancy and director District 2. Do I have a second? >> A second. >> Okay. Open for discussion. I would like to reference an email received by Susie two days ago. Um there's been some critique that she doesn't have public school education. Um she sent an email, I think I'll just read it in in its entirety um addressing that issue. She says, "Dear members of the board, I'm writing to follow up on
070my recent interview for the vacant seat on the PBLO County School District 70 Board of Education. Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss my qualifications and commitment to supporting the students, families, and educators in District 70. I truly appreciate the insightful questions and the opportunity to interview for this vacancy. I am going to kind of skip ahead a little bit um or I'll I'll skip some of it. In reflecting on the interview, I realized I did not fully emphasize my hands-on experience in public school system, particularly here in PBLO. While earning my teaching degree, I completed all of my fieldwork and student teaching in PBLO City Schools District 60. I then served as a long-term substitute teacher across that district, teaching classes from kindergarten through 12th grade in various subjects and classroom settings. After
071relocating to Houston, I continued as a long-term substitute in Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District, including a semesterl long position in an elementary art room where I taught 40 to 50 students per rotation, managing up to six rotations per day. Um, she goes on to say that her husband was a public school teacher for nearly a decade. So, I just um she talks about teacher retention, but she does have public school experience. I would also like to note as emails have been coming in regarding various candidates, I've been keeping a spreadsheet um listing who we receive emails from and which candidates they support or don't support. While there's a comment that it could be like a campaign reality, the reality is that under a different circumstance, um all of these candidates would be campaigning. And we
072talk about community involvement. We talk about wanting to represent the community. And so I think it's fair to actually look at the communication that we received from the community and let that help inform our decision. Um so here are the results. Susie K received 54 emails in favor of her. Jonathan Lewis in received 13. Two of those also um included a recommendation for Tara. Tara received five and Adolf received one. Um, so for that reason, that's I mean that's why I put Susie forth for a vote. I think she's got good qualifications and I think she's got community support. >> I agree. I love Susie. I've known Susie and her family her whole life and and I admire the infrastructure that created the emails and I read every single one of them. Uh she Susie
073has support from Forging PBLO uh the members of forging PBLO and it hurts me. It hurts me greatly. In fact, I had a conversation with Mr. Taton about this earlier. I said I may say some words that I would never say in disparaging words but words in favor of someone else. I want you to know I love you a lot still uh for the reasons of association with forging PBLO and not forging PBLO let's put it this way not forging PBLO Brad Miller all I heard when I was running and when I was uh once I was on the board email after email article after article after article chalkbeat articles, newspaper articles, there's nothing good, nothing good in those articles. It's it's it's scandalous. And in in my opening statement with the board, I said,
074I want to get from out from under this shadow of scandal. And I had a very important person say, what in the world's going on, Mark? This isn't our district. What is going on? So association with Brad Miller disqualif unfortunately disqualifies my vote. >> So I have a question mark. Um what what lead you to believe that Susie has an association with Brad Miller? >> Well that's a great question. Uh she works at a school that is Virginia school. >> True. But when you were a district 70 employee, how regularly did you interact with the district attorney or for most teachers in district district 70, are they regularly interacting with the district attorney? I don't think that we can assume because her employer employs an attorney that that means >> you know what the I
075came to many board meetings. I had to uh there wasn't this shadow that person after person talks about and and I I'm I'm sorry that you're having to hear this other attorney. Um but it it goes on and on and on and and the words clean slate are brought up time after time. We need a clean slate. And so that that is where my feelings come from. >> Okay. So just to clarify you she's guilty by association whether or not she knows Brad interacts with Brad um approves of Brad. Just the fact that >> she works at a school that employs that employs a a specific attorney. >> Yes. >> That's what you're saying. Okay. >> And his association with other prominent uh folks in the movement that I'll have an equal amount of negative
076press. Yes. So the answer that's a good question. Yes. >> All right. >> Again, so let me ask you what what is your reasoning? You're asking me questions, right? >> Jonathan Lewis came in and checked all the boxes. He smiled. He opened his heart to us. >> What didn't you like about Jonathan Le? >> Um I I'm don't I'm not going to say anything negative about Mr. Lewis. Um the reality is >> you're stuck on one candidate. >> No, because >> we'll find out. >> I'm not going to recuse myself. I have no conflict of interest. >> Okay. You know what? We can't we can't >> no public comments. If you comment again, you'll be asked to leave the room. >> All right. >> Thank you. >> Um I think I laid out pretty clearly
077my reasons for supporting Susie. First and foremost, she has tremendous community support. How can we say we want to represent our district, we want to represent our constituents, and disregard the overwhelming support that we have received from her? That's first and foremost. The second thing is I campaigned heavily on parental rights. Susie was the strongest parental rights candidate. Following last week's meeting, somebody approached me and I think intended it to be somewhat of an accusation, but I took it as a compliment. Said, "You have been very uh predictable through this whole process." That's a compliment to me. That means that I'm doing the things that my voters elected me to do. I want to be predictable because I said what I believed in when I campaigned. I said what I stood for and I'm going
078to stay consistent with that. And of all the candidates, Miss Kins represents those values the best. And so that's why she's going to have my vote when we vote here in a minute. I continued uh our president and spoke very carefully about our election that we had for officers. We had our election not much of a swearing in because so had her mind on other things. We didn't even raise our hand. Um, so first of all, we were disappointed in that and I was sitting right in this chair and there was an uproar in the boardroom and Miss O slams her thing closed. This was after we voted for uh had nominations and voted for president and vice president. Well, it was obviously three to two. It was three to two. Okay. Okay. That was
079fine. I I'm a good loser and I can be. However, immediately she resigns, leaving a president we just elected with her vote. Now, I'm not going to make any accusations, but that doesn't look good. That doesn't go to the transparency we continue to. It just does not look good. No accumul accusations given but we've heard them in our speech. So so this whereas I was looking forward to doing the business of helping our wonderful students and by the way I still am a teacher. I still teach. I still direct student bands. I love kids and I Mr. Kelson. Oh my god. I wish I could speak like you. And he said, "We love students. We love students. That is our reason. It's not to do political things. It's not it's not for this side or
080this side. We love kids. When I walk in a room, they say, "Mr. Emory, I love them and they love me." And that's the reason I became a board member, not for all this political stuff. When are we going to get to the business of students? That's what I want to know. >> And and I would like to add um just uh to clarify um I also kept a tab of the number of emails received and I did receive both pros and cons. And I think that I I I think that's notable because I mean as a representative of constituents and I truly believe I represent all of District 70 and I want to serve District 70 well. I think it's notable to say that I did receive very um many many emails um concerned
081about conflict and I also want to note that with our rubric we were supposed to you know we are responsible for looking at the strengths of all of our candidates and I think looking at the strengths of our candidates includes looking at life experience looking at community involvement looking at leadership looking at and by no means am I suggesting that anybody doesn't have those things. I think we had four strong candidates. I think what we're looking for is the best candidate, the candidate that fulfills each one of those, you know, in the rubric that um and and with the questions we ask that fulfills what we're looking for. And so, I think it's just really important that we look at each interview and make sure that we're picking the right person for our district right
082now. And I do think community involvement is important. That's what we said. We also said that leadership was important. We said that um conflict resolution was important. We these are things that we all agreed on and I would like to make sure that as we're evaluating our candidates and we're voting that we're thinking about that and not just I mean I >> Yeah. I think >> Susie did a great job with those too. >> Huh. >> I think Susie did a great job at answering those too. >> And I think that the other candidates did as well. And that's what Yeah. Yeah. And I I I don't I don't disagree with you, AJ, that um there were some good responses, but I also think that there were candidates that, you know, I mean, I again,
083like we've we've already voted for one candidate, and I think right now we're talking about this, but I I want to make sure that we're we're you know, if we're going to use emails, and by the way, for the record, when people email, which I'm appreciative of, and it was really nice to receive all those letters, it is a snapshot. It is not a collective. like it is not from the entire community that we you know we did not um issue a survey we didn't do something and you know after I mean we we were all in this process together we were learning but we didn't you know so I mean I as as much as I appreciate all those emails and I do it is a snapshot it is not a collective and we
084are representative of all the people that live in district 70 >> I think to a certain degree you can consider the questions a snapshot as well, you know, because >> we're limited on time. We're limited on, >> you know, kind of what we can ask. And so it it's hard to ask some of those kind of deeper questions that sometimes hit issues, >> of course, >> and I know we had tried to do some of that, but you know, because of time constraints and some of that, we weren't able to do some of that. And I think that's kind of where it becomes an issue sometimes as well is not not having the full story or having to, you know, look on different platforms to try to figure that out about candidates as well because
085I know Facebook can be a a whole plethora of information when you look at it and stuff too. >> Well, I I didn't use any social media and looking at the candidates. So, just for the record, I I didn't. So, just just so you know, I I mean I I didn't I I don't know if other people did, but >> I know they're doing that and hiring people now as well. >> Yeah, for sure. >> Okay. >> Um I hate criticizing folks and I'm not. >> Yeah. >> I hate criticizing my teammates here, but AJ, you weren't even there for his interview. >> Yeah, I know. >> And it's not your fault. >> Yeah, I know. So, I propose we do another round of interviews. >> Um, >> that's not on the agenda. We're here
086to vote tonight. >> But if we don't make a if we don't come to an agreement tonight, we could request a second round of interviews for all candidates or at least, you know, we could. >> Well, let's go ahead. >> Let's take a vote. Okay. and Bennett >> for Susie K. I >> Mark Ery >> no. >> Michelle Ericson >> no. >> AJ Wilson >> yes. >> Ty vote. >> Okay. Let's go to the next candidate. >> Yeah. Where's the >> Okay, let's continue. >> We have two candidates we haven't voted on yet. >> Well, we're going to nominate them. See how they do. >> Let's do it. Let's see how they do because I I'm willing to vote for any of those three. I move that the PBLO County School District Board of Education
087approved the appointment of Adolf Vill to fill the vacancy of director three. >> I second. Any discussion? >> Sure. Adolf came in and did a fine job representing himself. I think his main qualifications are lifelong educator, full career, educational career of his own, graduating from county high school. Uh along with his family, his kids, his grandkids, he owns a local business uh affectionately known as the mayor of Vineland. He volunteers his time uh for uh >> announcing >> sorry >> my wife announcing yes and so I I appreci I appreciate all the candidates I appreciate Susie it's the association that I have trouble with so so >> and something else I was impressed with with Adolf is I appreciated his um knowledge about um you know he's been an administrator, he's been a counselor and
088I felt like he had a a depth of knowledge um regarding like teacher evaluation and and just the the process and it's something like as a former educator um that's that's something that would be beneficial to us because um filling out Randa can be cumbersome and I think someone that could help us, you know, better understand what it means to evaluate a teacher is is beneficial. >> So, yeah. >> Yeah, I liked it. I liked him. My main um concern was that he's ran for school board twice and city council once and been defeated all three times. And I just I'm thinking, why would we um appoint somebody that voters have rejected three times? You pointed out Mark that uh we don't know what kind of campaign he ran and that's true. I don't I
089didn't um I don't know but still the fact remains um that's the situation and I that concerns me. >> I agree that's that's my biggest concern with him is running three times and not getting in. Any further discussion before we move to a vote? >> No. >> Mark Emry? >> Yes. >> Michelle Ericson? >> Yes. >> AJ Wilson? >> No. >> Can I vote? >> Well, there's >> Why don't we put the vote to the people? >> Yeah. Why can't we do that? I'm sorry who this is not a public meeting. It's open to the public but the public comment time has passed. We will not entertain comments from the public. Well, a little bit of a a standoff, huh? Um, >> makes me very nervous. Very nervous. >> This is not the reason I
090joined the school board. I'm just looking up to make sure I pronounce Terara's last name correctly because I'm afraid I'm going to butcher it. So, let me let me pull that up. Strawson. >> How do you I would say I would you like to nominate? >> Yes. Okay. I move that the public county school district 70 board of education approve the appointment of Cherish Den Ruther to fill the vacancy in director district three >> district two >> I mean two I'm sorry two sorry I got all of it right I got the last one right district I'm District three >> yeah I second >> so so what's crazy is I don't mean to be such a storyteller but Um, the only person that I initially the person who I initially nominated Jonathan is the only
091one I haven't known forever. Tara was my student for seven years. She was at that middle school, high school. So I I appreciated her running. I appreciated her very precise vocabulary. I appreciated that she is a a counselor. She has her children in district 70. All her all her brothers and sisters were in band with me, which I really appreciate. But uh uh I think for her interest in the board, her her very intelligent answers, I would support Tara. >> So you second >> Oh, second. And I would second Tara. >> Okay. So I'll make comment. I I thought um some of her strengths that I really appreciated. Um she definitely has um extensive experience working with children um and she's a counselor as well and I think um in looking at uh CDE's website
092and school safety issues and social emotional learning. I mean she's an expert. She is counseling our students and she comes to us with a you know a depth of knowledge that would also be beneficial. Any further comments before we move to a vote? >> All right. And Bennett, >> no. >> Mark Emry, >> yes. >> Michelle Ericson, >> yes. >> AJ Wilson, >> no. >> Kyote. >> So basically, idea of working together went out the window. >> We we had talked about working together that It's not happening. We've we've nominated everyone. We've expressed our reasons and and uh I guess it's not going to happen. Okay. my experience on three school boards, I I found that uh my colleague to the left is very controlling, very controlling. Uh uh not easy to work with. I'
093I've tried hard. And I did I did spend time with on two other school boards which I consider the Camelot time. But I whatever happens I'm excited to continue with the business of education our staff and students whatever happens and I hope we can come together. Well, personally, yeah, well said, Mark. Um, so I would like to move that the PBLO SC PBLO County School District 70 Board of Education approved the appointment of Jonathan Lewis to fill the vacancy in director District three. >> Two two. >> Why do I keep saying that? I know it it I it's I need my glasses. I have two two district two. I apologize. >> Second. >> Okay. And again, um, as far as sharing um, his strengths, he's a counselor. He's involved in the community. Um he's a
094lifelong PBlo County resident. I mean, if that, you know, I mean, that wasn't on our rubric, but I think, you know, he's obviously invested in the community. Um he's worked in the hospital setting. Um so obviously he's worked with people in distress. I think that um that would that's you know, there's all sorts of positives that I can say about Jonathan and um so I support his um selection for district two. And one unexpected thing is there were students that just spoke for him. >> That's a big deal. That's a big deal. Um, I don't know if any students would speak for me, >> but you have to be a special person that students will stand up in front of a big crowd like this, >> speaking in front of, telling of the kindness, the
095hard for kids. And I have to say something. I said it before, the scripture reference won my heart. It It just really did. And so I will continue my support. >> I kind of find it interesting that as much as you guys have criticized, you know, a lot of the the church stuff that >> Oh, hold on. We're not criticizing church. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Well, at least as far as >> the public has criticized, you know, you know, like the prayer walk and different things. >> I didn't criticize it. >> No, I'm just I'm just saying >> you know if I go to church >> I I don't actually. >> Okay. >> So, >> I don't bring it into the subject. >> Well, fair enough. >> Well, I do. >> Thank you. >> I'm
096glad to hear that. So anyways, it just kind of surprises me I guess with >> I think we're just looking for a I mean obviously I I uh you know I'm glad we aired this and I think that you know I I think we I would never want to assume things about people and um I think the issue here is finding a person that um from my perspective looking at the four candidates I think Jonathan has a connection to our schools He has children. Um, his kids go to district 70. He went to district 7. I mean, you know, and again, those weren't things we measured, AJ. they they weren't things that but I think when we're looking at the the um I mean I have I I'm a note person so I just want
097to reference I mean leadership conflict resolution um community involvement collaboration um knowledge of the you know um I think I think the candidates generally spoke you know knowledgeably about how uh school finance works but I I I thought he gave really good, really strong, good, thoughtful answers during his interview. >> And I would I would I know there were a few of you at our interviews, but I wish that there were more. We're we're sitting here cheering. Yes, this person. Yes, this person. No, this person. And I I wish we could have heard our audience could have heard all the people and the uh seen their resumes. Maybe you looked at them online uh and uh someone said, "Well, why can't we vote?" Well, you can't. And we get to a point where I can't
098either. And and so I wish everyone had heard the interviews. That's that I'm talking too much. Sorry. Well, let's move for a vote. >> Um, let's just restate who we're voting for. >> We're voting for Jonathan Lewis. >> Okay, just to be make sure clear for the record. No. >> Mark Emry, >> yes. >> Michelle Ericson, >> yes. >> AJ Wilson, >> no. >> I vote. >> I'll nominate Susie for director of district two. I'll second. >> I think the thing that I like is still what she ran for with parental rights and I know it's been construed as a parent student bond um was seen in a negative light which I think that's actually a great thing because she's encouraging students and parents to grow closer together. Not that the district should have a
099say in that and what their bond is, but encouraging that in more of a positive light. And I I liked that aspect where she's encouraging parents and students to actually communicate with one another. And I think that's important because I think that's lost a lot of times. >> So, I have a question. Um, and I've come to know you and really like you. >> Well, thanks. I like you, too. >> Yeah. Well, it doesn't like we get along but but we can. So I have a question for you. If it weren't Susie to Tony KS but it were someone else from forging would you throw all your support behind them as well? I >> think it depends on what they were running for. they're running for the parental rights and for protection of students and
100being a voice for the parents like I ran on, then yeah, I would. >> Michelle, you said something when we were discussing Mr. Lewis a few minutes ago. Um, you said that you wouldn't make assumptions about people. >> Well, I think that was not actually about Mr. Lewis at all. It was about the question about if someone goes to church or not or if they're religious and that's what I was addressing is I think you know we are still getting to know each other as a board and I wouldn't want you to assume that um I do or don't go to church and I think that was something that I mean I felt like that was this is not about again like the first amendment states we have freedom of religion and there's in the
101first amendment it says very specifically we have free exercise you can choose the religion of your choice And we also have in the first amendment um specific to religion the establishment clause. And so I I think it's very important that we make sure that we're conscious of the fact that a public school system cannot you know establish a religion. Like I I appreciated some of the things that were stated during public comment tonight. Like people can go to FCA and they can do things but that's by their students choice. that that's the student's choice. And so I think with the First Amendment, um it's, you know, we in public education and as board members, we have to make sure we walk that fine line and we don't cross it, right? That we allow students to
102the opportunity to participate, but we most certainly don't ask them to in the public school setting. >> Well, I appreciate that clarification. Um what I thought when I heard you say that comment was that while making that claim, and I'm not ing the claim. >> Sure. >> We You are both of you making assumptions about Susie. You're assuming that she would you're assuming certain things about her based on her employer. >> By association. >> Yes. By association. I just think that's really unfair. >> Well, to to be frank with you, I mean, if we're like because I mean, I think Susie's wonderful. I really do. Like, I think she's uh you know, she seems like a very nice person. But here's my thing. I'm looking at the candidates and I think that we have stronger
103candidates right now. I think Susie said very nicely, very in her, you know, I mean I, you know, she said she wants to be on school board and I think that's wonderful. I think right now we have candidates that would better serve right now and I think in the future I I like strongly encourage you to do this. I you know I mean I as a you know and I I I don't need to talk about myself at all. I'm just saying I I think that looking at candidates, I mean, we have candidates that I think would at this very moment in time, given the situation, we didn't uh you know, for those of us that ran just recently and went through all the things that we talked about, um it was a long process.
104It gave us a lot of time to think. This is a huge commitment. The number of hours that I know we've all put in to be here tonight are many. And I just think that um I feel like I'm I mean I'm just in support of a candidate that I feel is stronger. >> Yeah. >> Right now. >> I understand that. That's similar to how we feel. >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. I I feel I feel the same way just about different candidate. >> I guess I guess if you were going to vote for her in the future though, why wouldn't she vote for >> Well, I I said she would be a good candidate in the future. I didn't suggest. I said I think we have a very strong C. I mean that would you
105know >> I I understand. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> I can see how that >> Yeah. Any further discussion? All right. So, voting for Susie KS to fill the vacancy. >> Ann Bennett? >> Yes. >> Mark Emry, >> no. >> Michelle Ericson, >> no. >> AJ Wilson, >> yes. >> Ty vote. As we were talking about this process, a a thought came up that we may not get our favorite, but who can you work with? >> Yes. >> And it came up in many emails. Uh there's a something we couldn't use called rank choice voting. And in fact, I was approached by two different people, uh, why can't we use that? Well, it's it's not in the bylaws to use rank choice voting. And that's where each of us rank our candidates from first to
106fourth. And then we take an average where where can we agree? And uh we're not able to do that. I the question was who could we all work with? Well, I know who we could all work with, but we're not getting anywhere. >> That's also your assumption though that we could work with that person. I mean, we could all work with Susie as well. But but we put out all four candidates and the only one that you know so I mean truly like as far as consensus goes there isn't much budging here because we're willing to work with other candidates and it and we're asking you to also do that. I mean, we said I wrote down on June 20, excuse me, January 27th, our meeting. We said in public that we were going to
107work toward consensus, that we would compromise, that we would talk about the candidates, and that's what we're trying to do right now. I mean, obviously not budging at this very moment, but I'm willing to keep trying. >> Me, too. >> Hey, audience, thank you for your patience. >> We love you, too. Thank you. I think AJ's point was well made that um you are assuming that there's other candidates besides Susie that that we um could work well with. It's not just a matter of working well with somebody though because I think that that that's an issue that we keep talking about and I'm not really concerned with being able to work well with somebody as much as I am concerned with representing the values upon which I was elected and those are it's two very
108different things. I'm not I don't mind I don't like conflict but I would rather see us have some conflict and have the values represented that we were elected to uphold than to say I'm going to vote for the candidate that's going to cause the least amount of conflict on the board. But I think when you're running for office, you are although you receive votes, once you are elected, you serve everybody. And so I am concerned as a like I I I I think it was said well just in the previous meeting, maybe last week, the week before that we're not going to please everyone. And I understand that. But I also understand that I'm going to you know what I'm going to do my darnest. I'm gonna try really hard to meet the needs of
109the people in my school district because I was elected to serve the school district. Not a select group of people, not people that I agree with because I am positive that many emails I receive. I'm one typically, you know, I I I'm the kind of person I need time to process. I read, I go, "Wow, okay, that's something I need to think about. I had never thought of that." Just like for example um you know looking at our pool of candidates. I mean they're good people. They um represent uh you know like I I I was wowed by the fact that we had three counselors apply to be on our school board because truly when I look at what's happened in public education I mean it is necessary and per the CDE website talks about
110you know let's take care of kids. Let's take really good care of kids. make sure they have the resources they need. So, am I going to agree with everybody? No. And that's I I think that's you know I I understand that but I think that isn't that isn't the goal here that our goal is to find someone that's going to serve our district well that's going to bring something to the table that and like I said I mean I think for example a counselor would be an excellent addition to the school board if I were on it or not. It has nothing to do with me. It's not about whether they'd work well with me. It's about they would be a good addition because they can bring a lens to what it means to be
111on a school board or excuse me, what it means to to work with youth in that capacity. I think that's important. >> There's there's not um the statute does not give us a a way to handle a deadlock sort of. So, I mean, our options are to move to adjourn or to just keep to keep voting. >> Well, I think we could do two things. I I have some suggestions. Um, one, because Jonathan did not have all of our attention during his interview, we could offer another interview. >> May I interrupt? I'm going to interrupt real quick. >> Great. >> If if I need a reference on procedure, history, the running of meetings. I asked Michelle, this is what she taught. She knows the she knows government, she knows procedure, and she has good opinions.
112So that I wanted to introduce introduce you to former history teacher, Mrs. Ericson from Prevo West High School. There you go. >> Oh, thank you. But and so um I think that maybe I mean at mid at at minimum I think we need to keep voting and I think we could set a timeline and say we're going to vote until this time if we don't reach an agreement. I suggest that we request a second meeting um to at least go home and think about it if we can't come to an agreement because I think that's only fair to the candidates and most importantly I think it's fair to District 70 >> and I I think Jonathan deserves a fair shake with all our ears upon him and please don't don't think AJ was sick that
113night he couldn't possibly be here for that interview. Please don't think any differently. So, >> I think, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, although he wasn't in the room, I do think he was listening to the interview. >> I caught the second half and then replayed the first half from recording. >> So, I would like to propose another interview for Jonathan. If you'd like to another for Susan as well. You'd be willing to do that, I'm sure. >> Okay. So, it is it is apparent that these are our two top candidates and we just want to be fair and you want us to be fair. >> So, I guess I have a question for Mr. Farmer. >> Sure. Um, our action items for tonight are to vote. That was what we set as
114the agenda for tonight. Um, to vote on candidates. What kind of legal guidance can you give regarding adding additional interviews or changing the process that we previously agreed on? I mean I think it as a board you guys can sort of do what you want in terms of modifying that process to do that. >> Sure. >> Okay. All right. Just wanted to clarify trying to ask um >> is it possible to extend the 60 days if we is there a way to do that? >> Yeah, I was just looking at the statute. I don't read it that way and I can it's only one sentence. It says if the appointment is not made by the board within the 60-day period, the president of the board shall not may shall forth with appoint a person to
115fill the vacancy >> and there's no extenduating circumstances or anything that like for example reintering two uh candidates. >> Well, we can it doesn't say anything about that, >> right? >> No, no, no. I meant because we would need to set that up. We would need to uh make sure that they were available. Um that's all I'm asking. I just wanted to make sure and you know >> I'm available any day except Valentine's Day. >> Just saying good man. >> But I I do you know it gives you a 60-day period. I do think it's difficult in the final handful of days to do too much >> but necessary but necessary. So, I'm looking at my colleagues. Can we do that? >> Um, I think you need to put forth a motion. Second, and we
116need to vote on it. >> Okay. Well, I move we reinter Jonathan Lewis and Susie KS at the earliest convenience. >> I second it. Were you gonna say it? >> No. I was >> trying not to pass out. >> And okay. >> No. >> Marky. >> Yes. >> Michelle Ericson. >> Yes. >> AJ Wilson. >> I just don't see how it's going to be possible >> between the schedules and everything. So, I'm gonna have to say no. I thought you said no. >> Oh, I I I mean I just I don't see how it would be possible >> in that time frame. >> So motion t motion def. >> Not that I would be opposed to that. I just don't see how we can do it by what? Saturday, Friday. >> So it would have
117to be the 12th or the >> 24 hours. creative. >> I mean, it's possible, but >> but I don't know schedule-wise. >> Oh, we don't know. I'm available. Are you available? >> I would make myself out of town. We're celebrating. My brother just adopted children. Um, >> say that again. >> My brother just adopted three new children and we'll be out of town with them celebrating together. So, I won't be back until um the 14th. >> I could do it during the day on the 14th. >> I can do during the day on the 14th >> after. I will move that we um continue to vote until 8:30 and then adjourn if we're still in a deadlock. >> Do I have a second? >> I'll second that. >> I'm writing. Sorry. >> Okay. >> And
118Bennett. >> Yes. Marky, >> no. >> Michelle Ericson, >> no. >> AJ Wilson, >> yes. >> T vote. Motion defeated. >> Okay. I move that we vote until 9 and then adjurnn if we don't have if we haven't come to >> adjourn with the condition we >> that Yes. Oh, excuse me. I move that we vote until 9:00 and if we don't come to a consensus that we schedule another meeting for Thursday to reconvene. >> That is our responsibility >> and I can do Valentine's Day before the evening >> second. No. >> Marky. >> Yes. >> Michelle Ericson. >> Yes. >> AJ Wilson. >> I just don't see how it's going to be possible to meet again. So, I'm going to say no. >> Vote. Motion defeated. I'll nominate Susie again. >> I'll second. >>
119Any discussion? >> I do. I'm going to read something. >> Um, first of all, do you know Susie? >> I don't. No. >> Okay. Do you know Susie? You told me you did. I met her just >> so your kids went to school together. >> No, I never said that. That's the second time you've put that statement forth and I corrected you last time as well. >> Well, are you are you like does your daughter Anna teach at the same school at any given time? >> Not that I'm aware of. >> Her picture's on the website. >> Uh different. My my daughter Anna does not teach at the same school as Suzanne, to my knowledge, never has. But >> does she teach in the forging public? >> She does. Yes. >> Why we're being evasive?
120>> We're not being evasive, Mark. I I I um It's no secret. I've had discussions with people about it. I'm not embarrassed by it. I'm not apologetic about it. I'm proud of what my daughter does. >> I would be too. >> Yeah. She's a phenomenal teacher. Um there's nothing invasive a connection. >> Uh, >> your daughter teaches this, so you do have a connection. >> That is a very fine thread. I mean, it's like, yeah, I I have I don't have a conflict of interest because my daughter works for somebody. So, AJ, you were going to read something when Mark arrested you. >> That's all right. >> Apologies. I have parental choice in education. It's not making public schools Christian schools, but giving parents a choice to choose where they like their kids to go
121without having us be a driving factor. That is what's best for kids. Parental choice, parental protection of rights, safety for kids, which yes, sometimes includes from themselves. If at 13 we let choose we let kids choose what to eat to eat whatever they want or do whatever they want because the state says they are old enough to choose then at that moment whether it's gender or contraceptives or anything similar without their parental consent And without their parental knowledge, we're not protecting kids. We won't let people drive a car until they're 16. We won't let them join the military or boat until 18, drink, buy a gun, or even rent a car until 21. Yeah. We will let them make lifealtering changes to their body, create irreparable damage from these decisions and tell them that emotions
122are fact and teaching that love and acceptance are the same thing. So, everyone wants to know what my agenda is. Well, there you have it. I'm for parental choice. I'm for protecting kids. That's what I ran on. That's what I stand on. And that's why I think she's the best candidate. >> I love your attitude. everyone. >> Thank you for listening. >> So, we I believe that we have a motion. >> I would like to just refresh our memory about our board policy because we actually do have like in public education, we work really hard to protect kids. I'm not sure um exa like when I look at the board policy and as an educator for all the decades that I taught we do everything in our power to protect kids. I mean I am
123a mandatory reporter >> and that would be like you know as a as educators are mandatory reporters. If if a student is in harm's way we make sure so I'm not sure where where the disconnect has happened in my eyes. Like I'm I'm just not sure like in like >> I'm not saying we're doing a bad job at that as far as protecting kids. I just think the parental choice needs to be involved in that more. >> I mean just our mission statement alone, District 70, it says we see District 70 as a place where all children and adults are valued, similarities and different differences are addressed, individuals are respected, and all children are treated as our most valuable resource and best hope for the future. We see a safe and trusting environment where children
124and adults are actively engaged in lifelong learning. We see a partnership with our schools and communities. The flexibility responds to um that flexibility responds to the educational needs of all learners in an everchanging world. I know we do and and and not only like when I was looking I mean I through this whole process AJ like I've done a lot of research and um at the state level I mean like I know um kids are protected if something like if if there is a a a concern about a student it is our respons like it is teachers responsibilities responsibility to call parents to work with the counselor I mean like it's like there's a chain of command and teachers are trained to do that. I'm not sure like with parental rights I um we are
125we are a state of school choice. So like students have the choice to go to the school where their parents feel comfortable. I mean, I'm just like it is I like I'm I I understand like I just I want more clarification for what you're what you're can you please tell me because I mean even in our conversation the other day that came up and I'm not >> I'm thinking explained it well is you know I was one of the speakers at the during the whole co >> thing >> and and that right there >> the choice was being taken away from parents >> at the expense of other kids >> but it it wasn't I mean to like are you because you're talking about masks. >> Yeah. >> I mean like to tell like I
126don't know as a as a as a person like as >> I mean when I think about masks and I think about you know so many children are being raised by grandparents people that are vulnerable people that and I just I'm not sure like I mean I like obviously it was an issue. >> Yeah. I mean we're going to have different different opinions about that as well >> but I mean it's a safety issue. my but that depends on which way you go for that. But that's where the parents the choice was taken away from them. >> But the parents could have had their kids stay home and just go because like the way that the way that it worked if I understand correctly is we had kids on tracks. I mean like I know
127is it's I was in the classroom during COVID. My students had to be six feet apart. I had to wipe down the desks. But I mean it was in the name of what I mean weren't we following state law. >> I mean you know federal law >> health department you know I mean >> they mandated it. they said we had to do. >> So I like I I mean I think so there are things in our control as a school board and a school district and there are things that aren't. >> So I'm just I you know I I mean that I understand your example. Um and of course like that's you know pandemics happen once every hundred years. Um you know it's something that we dealt with as best we could given the situation
128and we did it in real time. We didn't have like we didn't have the opportunity to say well geez I think if this happens it happened and we were doing our best. Um so I >> and let me mention one more thing. I was there for major abuse. I went back into executive session and I cried because I was screamed at. And so I the reason I'm saying is thank you all for being so well behaved because it was very upsetting. I mean screamed at for an hour and and I'm just saying I just doing what the health department told me. So So I'm glad you brought that statement up because it was >> doesn't sound like a lot. Sounds horrible >> and I came back. >> Yes, she did. So, >> oh, so I
129think you had nominated Susie. >> I think I nominated Susie AJ seconded and >> I think we're ready to vote for Susie Kins >> and Bennett. >> Yes. >> Mark Emry. >> No. >> Michelle Ericson. >> No. >> AJ Wilson? Yes. >> Can I vote? >> We need to take a 10 minute. >> Okay. Yes. >> Yeah. shots for 10 minutes.