Results speak for themselves: The D51 school board has earned re-election

By Kent Zook | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

I am writing to express my support for Andrea Haitz (District C), Will Jones (District D), and Angela Lema (District E), who are seeking re-election to the District 51 School Board. I voted for them because we needed a huge change, and their work since taking office has exceeded my expectations. They’ve made significant improvements that deserve to continue.

I am writing to express my support and praise for the current school board.

I voted for the current school board because we needed a huge change. Their work has exceeded my expectations. They’ve made significant improvements.

The teachers union has been in control of District 51 for the last forty years, and during that time we’ve had some of the lowest test scores in the state of Colorado. For the first time in District 51 history, 100% of our schools’ academic scores are in the top two state ratings. It is amazing that this group of people has turned it around.

They have installed security systems in all the schools and are also doing much-needed maintenance on schools that have been neglected for quite some time.

District 51 teachers and staff salaries have historically lagged behind comparable districts. This current school board has prioritized competitive salaries for retention and recruitment of teachers and staff. They cut $1.3 million from the Central Office budget in addition to other cost savings across the district.

Starting teacher salaries are now up 33%, beginning at $50,000 a year. The average teacher turnover since 2020–2021 in District 51 is 12.6%, which is lower than the statewide average of 17%. This was a direct result of the prioritization of increasing the allocation of available funds to our educators. This has all been accomplished without any additional tax increases.

The new opponents to the school board are chosen by the teachers union. Local union fees are paid directly into the Colorado Education Association and the National Education Association. To have the union running the district would undo everything our current school board has accomplished. The district would be broke, and should another situation like COVID come along, there would be no defense of our children’s and parents’ rights.

The current school board has proven they’re capable of guiding the district toward academic success while also increasing teacher pay. I attended one of the school board meetings, and the behavior of the representatives from the teachers union was unprofessional, disrespectful, and unruly. They were yelling outside and declined to follow the directions of the police officer who was there trying to keep the peace. Is this the kind of behavior we want to model for our kids? I know I don’t. The current school board has proven their ability to be successful—something others were unable to do for the last forty years. If they couldn’t do any better over four decades, what makes any of us think they can do better now?

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