Incoming Progressive Douglas County School Board Sparks Backlash With Early Swearing In

By Noah Festenstein | The Denver Gazette

The new members of the Douglas County school board have already assumed their seats — in “secret,” according to the outgoing president.

The move by incoming directors effectively kicked out the four outgoing members early, said the outgoing board president, who accused the new members of being less than transparent.

Douglas County voters in November elected a group of progressive-leaning directors, flipping the once conservative Douglas County School District Board of Education. 

Elected directors already started their positions before Tuesday’s special meeting, when the board is supposed to be formally sworn in, according to Christy Williams, the outgoing board president.

“This action, conducted without transparency, appears to have been an attempt to secure a premature board majority,” she said in a statement announcing the early exit of outgoing directors.

“It doesn’t show that you’re being very transparent with the public,” Williams also said. “When you go and you start pushing board members off of the board before you know you were scheduled to do that, it starts a term off being a little bit deceptive.”

It is not illegal to swear in after early, so long as it’s done after the election’s certification.

Kelly Denzler, responding to accusations against her and other incoming board members, rejected the claims of the outgoing members.

“It’s sad to see outgoing members try to delegitimize a certified election,” Denzler said.

Williams said elected directors Denzler, Tony Ryan and Clark Callahan swore in before notifying the sitting board members that they are replacing. A DCSD spokesperson on Monday said Kyrzia Parker also has sworn in.

“They chose to, in my estimation, flip the board sooner than later because they were concerned that there might be a special meeting called,” Williams, who was replaced by Callahan, told The Denver Gazette in a phone call Sunday.

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