[5:02] Stu boy here.
>> Denise Chapman here. Goel here. Don
[5:06] Kirk.
>> Alexander Leam here. Nancy Rumfelt here.
[5:11] Mike Schul.
>> All right. Agenda item 1.3 is the pledge
[5:17] of allegiance. Nancy, will you lead us
in the
[5:19] » pledgece
[5:23] to the flag of the United States
and to the republics
[5:30] one nation under God, indivisible?
[5:39] [clears throat]
[5:43] Agenda item 1.4 is mission statement and
Will you share that after please?
[5:49] » The Thompson School District will be a
school district that empowers,
[5:53] challenges, and inspires students,
faculty, staff, parents, school leaders,
[5:58] and community members to learn, achieve,
and excel.
[6:03] » Thank you, Denise. Um, agenda item two
is the adoption of the agenda. I'd
[6:08] entertain a motion and a second to adopt
the agenda.
[6:13] » I move.
>> I move.
[6:15] » A second.
>> Second.
[6:16] » All right. Motion from Nancy with the
second.
[6:19] » Okay. From Don. All right.
>> Any discussion?
[6:24] » Let's proceed to the vote then. Laura
Lee, please call the RO.
[6:28] » Stew boy.
>> Hi.
[6:29] » Denise Chapman.
>> Lori Goel.
[6:31] » Hi.
>> Don Kirk.
[6:32] » I.
>> Alexander Lesum.
[6:35] » Nancy Rumfel.
>> Hi.
[6:38] » All right.
So, the adoption of that agenda item
[6:42] passed six to nothing. We'll move to
section three, which is public
[6:47] participation. Dr. Heler, I'll turn it
over to you for awards and recognition.
[6:52] » Thank you, President Boyd. We have
three, excuse [clears throat] me, three
[6:55] leaders to introduce tonight. Two of
which, you know, but they are now
[7:00] leading in new roles for the Thompson
School District. We're going to start
[7:03] off with Kesha Martin, our newest
principal at Ferguson High School and
[7:08] Thompson Career Campus.
Kesha has been a uh sorry, Kesha has
[7:13] been named the principal of Ferguson
High School and the Thompson Career
[7:15] Campus. For the past three years, Miss
Martin has served as the assistant
[7:20] principal at FHSTCC.
She began her career as a middle school
[7:24] autism resource teacher in Albuquerque
public schools. Upon her relocation to
[7:28] Colorado, she transitioned to secondary
work and became the resource teacher for
[7:32] the effective needs program at Mountain
View High School. Miss Martin's career
[7:35] roles include service at Windsor High
School, as a special education resource
[7:39] teacher, and as an autism
interventionist for Thompson School
[7:42] District. She later joined the FHS TCC
community as a dean of students before
[7:47] later becoming the campus assistant
principal. Miss Martin earned a
[7:51] bachelor's degree in liberal liberal
arts elementary education from Wheeling
[7:55] Jesuit University. She also holds a
master's of arts in education
[7:59] administration and supervision from the
University of Phoenix. Kesha, welcome.
[8:05] Mr. President,
[8:08] um I just I can't say enough about the
excitement um the absolute blessing it
[8:15] feels to have this investment in myself
uh as being able to transition from my
[8:19] previous roles as dean and the assistant
principal um and continue serving in
[8:23] this capacity now as the principal. Um I
am just beyond excited. Ferguson and TCC
[8:29] feels like home. Today felt like home.
Uh the students were wonderful. staff
[8:33] have been wonderful. Um, and it's just
been just an overwhelming feeling of
[8:38] gratitude this whole summer. Um, and
pure excitement to continue to serve
[8:42] Thompson School District and and
Ferguson and TCC. So, I want to thank
[8:45] you all very much.
>> Thank you.
[8:46] » Congratulations and welcome.
>> Thank you so much.
[8:51] [applause]
[8:54] » Anybody want to make
>> any questions or comments for Kesha
[8:56] before we let her off the hook? All
right.
[8:59] » Thank you so much, you guys. Thank you.
Okay, next up uh is a leader that's new
[9:05] to our system. I'd like to welcome up
Lori Joseph, the principal for Lorine
[9:10] Edmonson Elementary School.
So, Mrs. Joseph served as the principal
[9:15] of Jeffco Public Schools Patterson
International, which is an international
[9:18] balorate title one school. In total, she
has more than 20 years of experience in
[9:22] public education across the United
States and the United Kingdom. Miss
[9:27] Joseph describes herself as an
equity-driven instructional leader who
[9:31] is committed to creating inclusive
student- centered learning communities
[9:34] where every child can thrive throughout
a career spanning classroom teaching,
[9:39] district level leadership, assistant
principal, and elementary principal. She
[9:43] has successfully led culturally and
linguistically diverse schools through
[9:47] collaborative leadership, restorative
practices, strong family partnerships,
[9:51] and datadriven systems that accelerate
student growth and achievement. Miss
[9:55] Joseph has earned a bachelor of arts in
English and drama from the University of
[9:58] Roampton, United Kingdom, with an
endorsement in linguistically diverse
[10:02] education, ESL, from Regis University.
She also holds a master of arts in
[10:07] curriculum and instruction from the
University of Phoenix and a master of
[10:10] education in educational leadership from
Regis University. Lori, welcome.
[10:15] » Thank you. Uh, good evening, Mr.
President, members of the board, and Dr.
[10:20] Hela. And um I just want to say um how
excited I am to take this role and to be
[10:27] here in Thompson School District. And um
I have felt so welcomed um you know
[10:33] since my first day here. Thank you for
your faith in me and um I am really
[10:39] enjoying um starting the year. We had
kindergarten students come in for the
[10:43] first day today. We had back to school
um night and ice cream this week. and
[10:49] Lorraine Edmonson is a wonderful
community um that already feels like
[10:54] home. So, I'm very um excited and very
invested um in the district and um
[11:00] really happy to serve um the community
and and looking forward to spending um
[11:06] many years here. So, thank you very
much.
[11:08] » Thank you.
>> Congratulations. Welcome members.
[11:12] [applause]
[11:15] Okay, finally, um, we have another
familiar face, Amy Ghart, our new
[11:21] director of early childhood.
Mrs. Ghart's dedication to the Thompson
[11:26] School District spans three decades. She
first joined the district as an early
[11:30] childhood special education teacher,
later sharing her expertise as an
[11:34] instructional coach. For the past seven
years, she has served as an assistant
[11:37] administrator for the district's early
childhood program.
[11:41] Amy earned a bachelor's degree in early
childhood development and elementary
[11:44] education from the University of
Nebraska Lincoln. She also holds a
[11:48] masterers of arts in early childhood
special education from the University of
[11:51] Northern Colorado. She completed the
principal lensure program at Colorado
[11:55] State University and is a recent
graduate of the distinguished head start
[11:59] fellows program at the University of
California, Los Angeles Anderson School
[12:03] of Management. Amy, welcome.
>> Thank you so much. Good evening, Mr.
[12:08] President, members of the board, and Dr.
Eller, I cannot say enough. I have um
[12:13] dedicated my whole career to the
families and the children and the um and
[12:19] just the district and the program. And
so to be able to um serve in this way is
[12:24] just it's just a wonderful experience.
I'm so excited. Um
[12:30] I couldn't be more passionate about this
program in this district and the
[12:33] children and families we serve. So I
look forward to serving um in this new
[12:37] role and working with all of you. As you
know, I will be visiting you frequently.
[12:41] So,
>> congratulations, Amy, on your new role
[12:46] board. [applause]
[12:51] » That's it.
>> That's it. All right. Agenda item 3.2 is
[12:56] public comment. Uh, Dawn, would you read
the preparatory statement and then we'll
[13:01] move on into public comment? Because the
board wants to hear the viewpoints of
[13:05] the public and also needs to conduct its
business in an orderly and efficient
[13:08] manner, it will schedule time during its
regular board meetings for brief
[13:12] comments and questions from the public.
The board will set a time for public
[13:15] participation prior to the business
portion of the meeting. The time for
[13:19] each speaker will be limited to three
minutes and each individual will only be
[13:22] recognized once. If there is a large
number of speakers, the board may elect
[13:27] to take comments for one hour before the
business meeting and conclude public
[13:30] comment after the business meeting.
Public comments and questions at a
[13:34] regular meeting may deal with any topics
related to the board's conduct of the
[13:38] schools. Speakers may offer such
criticism of school operations and
[13:41] programs as concern concern them, but
are encouraged to exercise their speech
[13:46] rights responsibly. Speakers remarks
should be suitable for an audience that
[13:50] includes kindergarten through 12th grade
students. Personnel matters will be
[13:54] discussed in executive session. Finally,
as a reminder to all present, the board
[13:58] and staff do not respond to public
comment. This is our opportunity to hear
[14:01] from students, parents, and patrons. The
board may discuss public comments later
[14:05] in the agenda or on future agendas. Uh
first up, we have Jeff me,
[14:22] the Jedi Knight of P Flag Fort Collins.
Jedi stands for justice, equity,
[14:27] diversity, and inclusion. And tonight,
I'd like to speak about inclusion. I
[14:32] spent 12 years teaching middle and high
school and international schools across
[14:35] Africa. And I've seen firsthand the
importance of creating an inclusive
[14:39] classroom. A classroom teacher is not
just an educator disseminating
[14:43] knowledge, but rather a role model of
how to fairly interact with and respect
[14:47] other people. My international students
came from all over the world, had
[14:51] different skin tones, spoke different
languages, and worshiped various gods.
[14:56] However, Africa is not known for being
accepting of the LGBTQ community. So, my
[15:01] classroom became a safe space where
teens could present their authentic
[15:04] selves. And that space mattered. It
meant the world that a young person who
[15:09] has to hide their identity could be
themselves in my classroom. And what
[15:12] mattered most was that I saw them for
who they were. And I respected them for
[15:16] being that person. I used their desired
pronouns and in doing so normalized
[15:21] their true selves to everyone else in
class. As we begin this new school year,
[15:26] I want to remind the board that Thompson
School District advocates for a student
[15:31] centered learning model emphasizing four
characteristics: integrity, respect,
[15:37] relationships, and continuous
improvement. Tonight, I'd like to speak
[15:41] about respect. Respect is discussed in
Thompson's strategic plan in focus area
[15:46] two, inclusive and supportive culture.
Respect is a primary element of student
[15:51] learning means supporting every student
regardless of race, ethnicity, religious
[15:56] affiliation, or sexual orientation.
Thompson School District has both
[16:00] students and teachers who are members of
the LGBTQ community, and they deserve a
[16:06] safe space to learn, work, and teach.
Personal opinions or faith perspectives
[16:11] that stifle or attack individual
identity are detrimental to creating
[16:15] that safe space. and students, teachers,
parents, and board members actively
[16:20] working against such a policy should be
held accountable. You cannot talk out of
[16:25] both sides of your mouth on creating
inclusive environments. Students and
[16:28] teachers are relying on you to make
decisions that respect them and promote
[16:34] a culture of acceptance. So, as we
launch a new school year, let's remind
[16:38] ourselves of the core values that
Thompson School District revolves
[16:41] around: integrity, respect,
relationships, and continuous
[16:45] improvement. Thompson School District's
website states that quote, "These values
[16:50] are not just words. They are a compass
for every decision, every action, and
[16:55] every interaction across Thompson School
District."
[16:58] As the greatest of all teachers, Yoda
once said, "Do or do not, there is no
[17:04] try. You cannot try to create inclusive
schools. You have to do it.
[17:09] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[17:11] » And may the force be with you,
>> Danny Lawrence.
[17:17] » Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. I misread the
clock. That is my bad. I really thought
[17:21] it was over, not under. I apologize,
Jeff. That was my missing.
[17:28] Yeah. Sorry, Danny Lawrence, you're up
next. And now I know how to read the
[17:32] clock. Sorry, Jeff.
[17:43] Thank you for the opportunity. Uh my
name is Danny Lawrence in Northern
[17:47] Colorado. I work as a disability
advocate for children and families
[17:50] navigating the public education system.
And for several years, I've attended IEP
[17:55] and 504 meetings in your districts for
families needing support. After what I
[17:59] witnessed in May and dealt with over the
summer, I felt compelled to come here
[18:02] tonight and make a public promise. You
see, I too have a student with a
[18:06] disability. My son is visually impaired
and just graduated from PSD. In the 13
[18:10] years it took to educate him. We went to
due process five times, spent nearly
[18:14] $60,000 in legal fees and wrote more
state and federal complaints than you
[18:18] can count. I have been speaking at board
of education public meetings twice
[18:22] monthly for five years in Pter school
district trying to bring some community
[18:26] awareness to Fort Collins. Protecting
these families comes from a personal
[18:30] place for me. And what I saw in May I
can't unsee and it haunted me all
[18:34] summer. I saw a school district bullying
a single mother who had to have legal
[18:38] counsel to be at the table. And it was
absolutely misogynistic done by men and
[18:43] male staff completely intended to bully,
harass, and manhandle a single mother to
[18:48] force her and her son from the school
district. And it is not the first time
[18:51] I've seen it. I watched it happen last
school year to another mother with a
[18:55] visually impaired child. It seems that
it's now an intentional strategy for TSD
[18:59] when civil rights are asserted. You
clearly have an ADA compliance issue
[19:03] here and frankly we're lucky to get off
as easy as you did in my opinion. But
[19:07] I'm not going to allow this retaliatory
harassment that I've been witnessing to
[19:10] continue for vulnerable mothers. And if
you are a female board member, I think
[19:14] it's start time to start paying
attention if you care about your
[19:17] community. For the fathers of disabled
students in this school district, know
[19:21] that your child requires you now to be
at the IEP table. Take that day off of
[19:25] work to just simply be there to protect
your child and their mother. As a board
[19:28] member, I would be requesting the data
to see how many IEP and 504 students
[19:32] leave this district to homeschool
because I bet that number is astonishing
[19:36] and contributing to your declining
enrollment. So, my promise to you
[19:40] tonight is to be as diligent here moving
forward in TSD as I have been in Pter
[19:44] School District. I don't like bullies. I
vow to start crowdsourcing funds needed
[19:48] to protect these women and their
children legally from your school
[19:51] district and to write for free any
complaint for a disabled student who
[19:54] can't get help from TSD because I've had
it. And a side note, if you cared about
[19:59] the transparency in your community,
you'd create an actual process and
[20:02] develop a portal for Kora requests in
TSD. Since everyone knows that your
[20:06] communications department is behind the
public shaming social media page,
[20:09] Thompson Reform Watch, you might want to
get someone and something that is fair
[20:13] and impartial to get public records
from. For the folks who have already
[20:16] claimed that I support Nancy or Moms for
Liberty, I have been a registered and
[20:20] voting Democrat for 34 years. Nothing is
farther from the truth. And just know
[20:24] that slander and defamation is something
I am happy to pursue and already have to
[20:28] help children access their education. It
doesn't have to be this hard, you guys.
[20:32] Parents are the enforcement entity of
IDA, not by choice. So, quit being so
[20:37] buttthurt about it and just start
training your staff. And thank you
[20:40] again. I will see you in September.
Kella Pot.
[20:57] Good evening. Uh uh my name is Calip. I
want to say uh thank you to the board
[21:02] president, board members, Dr. Heler for
the opportunity for open comment. Um as
[21:06] I said, my name is Calipot. I am the
state director for Odyssey of the Mind
[21:10] and I actually reside in Fort Collins
and uh have been involved with Odyssey
[21:14] of the Mind since 2000 I want to say in
some form or fashion as a parent, coach,
[21:21] etc. OM has been in Colorado for over
four decades now. You may wonder what
[21:26] Odyssey of the Mind is. It is an
afterchool creative problem solving
[21:30] program. Teams choose one of six
different problems to solve uh over the
[21:36] course of the season and they present
their solution in an eight-minute
[21:40] performance.
Each problem has a different uh flare
[21:44] from vehicles to technical to
interpretation of classics, a balsa
[21:48] structure, a humorous performance, and
one even dedicated to those kindergarten
[21:52] through 2 grade to introduce them to the
program. Through Odyssey of the mind and
[21:57] participation in the program, children
develop those critical thinking skills,
[22:01] uh, creative problem solving, teamwork,
collaboration, communication,
[22:06] and many steam 21st century skills as
well as developing their growth mindset.
[22:13] Um, more importantly, they have fun. Um,
and they don't even realize that they're
[22:19] learning through the process. Um, which
is a wonderful thing. Thompson school
[22:24] district had been active uh involve
actively involved with Aussie of the
[22:27] mind up until 2014 at which time they
went with a group of people who split
[22:32] from Aussie the mind in the early 2000s.
While participating in Aussie the mind
[22:37] uh Thompson school district had uh 12 or
more uh schools actively involved with
[22:42] 20 to 30 teams. Since joining the other
program, participation has decreased
[22:48] significantly and is now down to four
schools and six teams
[22:54] and as uh in 20 as of 2026. Meanwhile,
participation in Oz the mind has
[23:00] continued to grow. One reason may be the
cost which is on everybody's mind these
[23:05] days with district funding challenges.
For just one team is a 33% increase to
[23:11] participate in the other program over
OM. It's uh 550 in the other program.
[23:17] For one team, it's 365 in Odyssey of the
Mind. For three teams, it is a 68%
[23:23] increase. 1,650
for three teams to participate versus
[23:28] 515 in Odyssey of the Mind. I think you
get the idea. The reason for these
[23:34] increases is that the other program fee
is per team whereas Aussie the mind
[23:39] membership is per school where each
school or community group can field up
[23:43] to five to eight teams for only one
membership fee. I hope in these
[23:47] challenging financial times, Thompson
School District would re-evaluate their
[23:51] relationship with the other program and
consider returning to Odyssey of the
[23:54] Mind for the sake of the kids
participation, the financial impact on
[23:59] families and the requirements for teams
to travel further than is necessary. I
[24:03] thank you for your time and I have
literature here. May I give this to the
[24:08] board secretary?
>> Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much.
[24:25] Hello, my name is Joanna Johnson and I
am a TSD parent, volunteer, committee
[24:31] member and community member. My address
is PO Box 762,
[24:37] Loveland, Colorado 80537
and my number is 970-6696541.
[24:44] I am speaking on the topic of
accessibility and discrimination.
[24:49] I would like to ask for an update on the
status of the Big Thompson Elementary
[24:54] School ADA concerns. In March of 2026, I
submitted a formal written concern to
[25:00] TSD that the operations department had
removed the ADA parking spaces at Big
[25:06] Thompson Elementary School in 2019 and
had not in the seven years since ever
[25:13] replaced them.
The following month, a tsd employee
[25:18] confided in me that a fellow
professional who was a wheelchair user
[25:23] had repeatedly been unable to enter Big
T, but that her concerns had not been
[25:28] addressed. This employee also shared
that another individual who had to use a
[25:33] wheelchair due to a broken femur was no
longer able to get in and out of the
[25:37] school building and had to move to a
different school. That tsd employee who
[25:43] confided those things to me no longer
works here.
[25:48] Later that month, I received a formal
letter of reply from the school
[25:53] district.
Here are some of the findings from their
[25:56] official report. Quote, I gathered
evidence and information regarding your
[26:02] claims. This included meeting with the
leadership of the tsd operations
[26:06] department, touring Big Thompson
Elementary School with the current
[26:10] principal, and meeting with both our
legal counsel and our external ADA
[26:15] consultant." End quote.
Please note, this statement verifies
[26:20] that even when there isn't a lawsuit
filed, PSD is still paying legal fees
[26:25] for ADA violations.
The report also states, quote, "Per ADA
[26:32] guidelines, the facility lacks ADA
parking." End quote.
[26:37] Despite there being no ADA access to the
entire school, the TSD decision maker
[26:43] concluded, quote, I have determined that
the claims and associated allegations do
[26:50] not meet the standards established by
TSD policy regarding discrimination.
[26:55] quote,
"If all women or all atheists or all
[27:01] Hispanic persons were denied access to a
tsd school for 7 years, would this also
[27:08] be a finding of not discrimination?
I doubt it. I don't know of any other
[27:14] protected classes who would be treated
this way." The official report
[27:19] continues, "Quote, nevertheless, your
feedback regarding Big Thompson
[27:24] Elementary
[27:29] That's all.
>> That's it.
[27:35] » All right. [clears throat]
We'll move to agenda item number four,
[27:40] which is the action consent items. Let
me read the list first and then we'll
[27:47] talk a little bit about procedure from
here. 4.1 is approval of minutes for
[27:52] regular meeting June 17, 2026.
4.2 approval of minutes for board
[27:58] retreat August 4, 2026.
4.3 Approval of minutes for special
[28:05] meeting August 4, 2026.
4.4 Approval of minutes for study
[28:11] session August 5, 2026.
4.5 approval of personnel extra duty
[28:19] coaching recommendations.
4.6 Approval of expenditures over
[28:24] $50,000.
4.7 approval of gifts and donations. 4.8
[28:32] Approval of State of Colorado
Interestfree Cash Flow Loan Program
[28:36] Resolution.
4.9 Approval of Disposal of Surplus
[28:41] Property, Lawn Equipment. and 4.10
approval of bond project budget
[28:48] adjustment
board. Do you want to pull any of these
[28:53] 10 items for discussion and movement to
discussion action?
[28:59] » President Boyd. Um I don't necessarily
want to pull any of the items. If I may
[29:04] just make a brief comment.
>> Sure.
[29:06] » Thank you. I just want to give a uh
thank you, a public thank you to Dr.
[29:11] Heler and to Miss Rogers uh for the
update to the personnel report as well
[29:17] as a thank you to the Seabach committee
uh for their diligence in these matters.
[29:22] Thank you.
>> All right board, any other comments
[29:27] related to the action consent items?
[29:31] All right.
Uh, I'd entertain a motion to accept the
[29:38] action consent items. After uh the the
vote on this, we'll ask Nancy to read
[29:45] 4.7, which is the approval of gifts and
donations. So, a motion to accept uh
[29:51] action consent.
>> I'll second.
[29:55] » All right. Did you get those, Laurely?
All right. Uh, would you please call the
[30:00] role?
Stu Boyd.
[30:04] » I
>> Denise Chapman.
[30:05] » Hi.
>> Lori Goel.
[30:06] » Hi.
>> Don Kirk.
[30:08] » Hi.
>> Alexander Lesum.
[30:09] » Hi.
>> Nancy Romfel.
[30:10] » Hi.
>> All right. The total is six to nothing.
[30:16] And Nancy, would you read the donation,
please?
[30:21] » Purpose gifts over 10,000 in value shall
be presented to and accepted by the
[30:26] board [clears throat] of education. a
donation of $12,849
[30:31] to Mountain View High School Performing
Arts for aid in program needs from the
[30:36] Mountain View Music and Arts Booster
Club.
[30:40] » All right. Thank you.
Agenda item number five, discussion
[30:46] action items 5.1,
review and approval of the first
[30:50] amendment to the superintendent
contract. And I'm not sure who's going
[30:56] to talk with us about that. Tiffany, is
that you or Bob?
[31:06] [cough and clears throat]
[31:13] » Sir, thank you members of the board and
Dr. Heler. Um we are proposing a first
[31:18] amendment to the superintendent's
contract um for board approval today
[31:22] with um revisions that are stated.
>> All right, I'll open for questions. Uh
[31:29] Lori, starting with you. Any questions
regarding the amendment to the
[31:33] superintendent's contract?
>> I do not have any. Thank you.
[31:37] » Okay, Nancy.
>> I guess I when I first looked at the
[31:41] agenda, I didn't see the link, but I
guess now it's there. Is there any way
[31:44] you could like
recap what the amendment ended up being
[31:48] or
>> Yes. So the amendment um yeah and it was
[31:53] I think available for you guys to
view from a board perspective and then
[31:57] it was released today. So there are four
furlow days that are um being put into
[32:03] the contract um regarding similar to
what we have with our administrative
[32:08] professional and technical. Um there is
also an amendment to the um mileage um
[32:14] component where there is a mileage um
stipen instead of a mileage um
[32:19] reimbursement and that's a practice
that's been in place through business
[32:23] services for many years. Um there's also
revision to um the cell phone stipen to
[32:29] a cell phone being received by the
superintendent as separate cell phone um
[32:34] different from his um personal phone.
And I think I
[32:40] » And there is also another Sorry, there's
one more revision. I had to think. There
[32:43] was one more revision to um being able
to handle the tax annuity that was in
[32:48] the original contract. Some language
needed to be um changed in order for us
[32:53] to submit the funding to the proper
sources. So, there was a language change
[32:57] to be able to accommodate that.
>> Okay. Thank you.
[33:00] » Sure.
>> All right. Alexandra.
[33:03] [clears throat and cough]
Um,
[33:06] » Denise,
>> I do not.
[33:09] » Don.
[33:14] » All right. Um, I had the opportunity to
review the amendment in detail. I also
[33:21] also talked with uh Dr. Heler about it
and he is amanable to uh the language
[33:29] and the content of the amendment. Anyone
have a final comment or question related
[33:38] to that?
At which point then I will entertain a
[33:43] motion to approve the first amendment to
the superintendent contract.
[33:48] » I move.
[33:51] » Okay. Laura, did you get those? All
right. Any further discussion?
[33:58] Would you please call the role? Did you
have discussion? I I was just going to
[34:02] say that we did have a quite an
extensive uh discussion on this at our
[34:07] executive session. So I think that's why
the questions are very minimal.
[34:13] » So thank you.
>> All righty.
[34:17] » Stu Boyd
>> I
[34:19] » Denise Chapman
>> I
[34:20] » Lori Goel
>> I
[34:21] » Don Kirk.
>> Hi.
[34:23] » Alexander Lesum.
>> Hi
[34:24] » Nancy Rumfel.
>> Hi.
[34:27] » All right. So that motion passes six to
nothing. We'll move to agenda item
[34:34] number seven, pardon me, to number six,
discussion items. There are no
[34:39] discussion items for tonight's meeting.
Uh we'll move then to number seven,
[34:44] which is board communication.
I'll read the brief statement that
[34:48] introduces that each member of the board
has the opportunity to report on events
[34:53] or to communicate with other board
members and the community. limit of
[34:58] three minutes per board member. And I'm
gonna start with Nancy.
[35:05] » Um I really I just hope everybody had a
great summer. I know I had a very
[35:10] relaxing July off and um did a lot of
garden stuff. And then also just a
[35:18] little bit of reflection. and I'm
entering the sixth school year since
[35:21] I've been on the board and there's been
a lot of changes along the way and I
[35:28] think it's good that they've been
positive changes. It was, you know, I
[35:32] think some of us acknowledged that it
was a little bumpy at first as we got
[35:36] used to differing viewpoints and ways of
expressing and communicating with each
[35:42] other. But I think what I see now on the
board is a well-rounded board that has
[35:50] lots of different viewpoints and
perspectives and beliefs that really
[35:55] represent the entire community. And I
see that most of us have really learned
[36:01] how to listen to each other. um doesn't
mean we have to agree with we're we
[36:06] agree with each other but I really feel
like we're we're just kind of coming
[36:11] into our own of learning how to accept
listen and
[36:16] work together as a board and sometimes
we vote differently and sometimes we
[36:20] don't but we still seem to me uh unified
that was not the case when I first came
[36:26] on the board but I think that that's
good progress I think it's it says a lot
[36:31] about the members of this board and how
we really reflect the community now. And
[36:37] I know that again change is hard and
it's sometimes difficult for people to
[36:42] accept different views, but everyone has
their own belief and positions and I
[36:47] think I think it's good work that we've
done and I just want to say thank you.
[36:53] » Thank you, Alexander.
[clears throat]
[36:56] » I don't think I have anything.
>> All right, Denise.
[37:01] » I I don't have anything tonight. Right,
Don.
[37:05] Okay, Lori.
[37:16] The preamble to the Colorado State
Constitution. We the people of Colorado
[37:21] with profound reverence for the supreme
ruler of the universe in order to form a
[37:25] more independent and perfect government
[clears throat] establish justice,
[37:28] ensure tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general
[37:32] welfare, and secure the blessings of
liberty to ourselves and our posterity,
[37:37] do ordain and establish this
constitution for the state of Colorado.
[37:42] colleagues and community members. I was
excited to see the 20 250 150 posting on
[37:48] the district website at the beginning of
the month linking to activities
[37:52] celebrating America and Colorado. With
hopeful anticipation, I clicked on it
[37:56] and sadly that website listed nothing in
tsd. In light of that, I want to offer a
[38:02] brief reflection on how our state was
founded. In 1858 to 59, the Pike Pikes
[38:08] Peak gold rush drew thousands to these
mountains. camps sprang up in near
[38:13] Cherry Creek in Denver. Yet, even amid
the scramble for riches, the gospel was
[38:17] proclaimed. In the fall of 1858, the
first recorded Christian sermon was
[38:22] preached under the cotton woods near
Aurora. Rough miners gathered on logs
[38:27] and stumps to hear it. Soon men and
women of faith, Methodists, Catholics,
[38:32] Presbyterians, congregationals,
congregationalists and Baptists, circuit
[38:37] writers, pastors, and priests all
followed, establishing churches and
[38:41] schools in the wilderness. They brought
order, charity, and the word of God to a
[38:46] raw frontier. Among these early settlers
was Aunt Clara Brown, formerly an
[38:52] enslaved woman who arrived in 1859.
She [snorts] opened the first laundry in
[38:57] Central City, recovered gold dust from
minor clothing through hard work and
[39:00] thrift, and became a successful
businesswoman. More importantly, she
[39:05] opened her home for worship, helped
plant a church, taught Sunday school,
[39:08] and became known as the angel of the
Rockies. This was for her char Christian
[39:14] charity. Her life reminds us that God
used both men and women of faith to lay
[39:18] Colorado's foundations.
When the Colorado territory was
[39:22] organized in 1861, its first governor
helped select the territorial seal and
[39:28] motto
nils nume nothing without the deity or
[39:33] nothing without providence. The framers
deliberately pointed beyond human
[39:37] effort. When the people drafted their
constitution, they opened with the
[39:41] solemn words that I opened opened with.
They sought justice, liberty, and good
[39:46] government under God's authority. This
is Colorado history. As a school board,
[39:52] we inherit a public education system
whose original American purpose was that
[39:56] children would learn to read expressly
[clears throat] so they could read the
[40:00] Bible and become virtuous self-governing
citizens. As we celebrate 150 years, may
[40:06] we like those pioneers again declare nil
sin nume. Nothing without the deity,
[40:12] nothing without providence. May God
continue to bless the centennial state
[40:17] and keep her people faithful to him.
Thank you.
[40:21] » All right,
I'll conclude board communication. Um
[40:26] along with several of my board
colleagues, I was pleased to attend the
[40:31] new teacher orientation.
Um several of us uh lined up outside the
[40:38] entrance to Mountain View High School
and applauded and cheered the new
[40:43] teachers as they uh entered the
district. Some of the new teachers are
[40:49] firstear teachers, never having taught
elsewhere, and others are experienced
[40:53] teachers who have come to Thompson
School District um later in their
[40:58] career. I was honored to have been asked
to be part of the program and to share
[41:04] the stage with uh me members of the
superintendent's cabinet and the
[41:09] superintendent who spoke briefly about
what uh they do and what their hopes and
[41:16] dreams are for the Thompson School
District. And I want to conclude by um
[41:23] letting you know of a conversation I had
with a gentleman whose wife uh is a
[41:30] firstear teacher in Thompson
and she's not a firstear teacher. She
[41:37] had taught elsewhere before the family
moved moved here. She told her husband,
[41:42] who then passed this along to me, that
um she was so pleased with the new
[41:48] teacher orientation. She thought it was
very well organized. Um she felt very
[41:54] well prepared and certainly very
welcomed into the Thompson School
[41:58] District. So, hats off to Tiffany Jones
and other members of the cabinet who put
[42:04] together that very important new teacher
orientation program.
[42:09] With that then we'll move to agenda item
number eight which is written reports.
[42:13] This evening there are no written
reports board. Are there any requests
[42:18] for information which is agenda item
number nine.
[42:23] » I would let's see where did it go.
Um
[42:29] oh Danny when she was up here and she
was talking about the number of IEP 504
[42:35] students who leave to homeschool.
if if it's possible if we could the
[42:40] board could be provided that information
as much as you can. I know it may there
[42:44] may be limitations, but I'd be curious.
Um, and the other thing is I realize
[42:51] it'd be confidential, but I have no
knowledge of what the incident is that
[42:56] she was talking about. So, if anyone
does, I'd like that they would share
[43:01] that confidential information with the
board so that we have all this all the
[43:05] facts. So, thank you.
Okay, Sarah, does that give you the
[43:11] information that you need in order to
explore this? Okay, thank you. Anyone
[43:16] else, Lori?
[clears throat]
[43:18] » On the website, we do have listed uh
community engagement sessions for the
[43:23] board and I would like to just propose
that we uh resume that in some fashion.
[43:31] » All right.
Anyone else?
[43:36] » Yes. Um,
we're cam wording. I'd like to
[43:43] see the data around the effectiveness
of middle school grading um, and how the
[43:51] transition to high school goes for kids
going from the
[43:57] meets requirements to letter grading.
>> All right.
[44:02] » Is that enough for you, Sarah? Yes.
[44:12] Just a second. Let me catch up here with
my notes. Anyone else? Any other
[44:16] requests for information? Any other
topics?
[44:23] All right, then we're ready to move to
agenda item number 10, which is
[44:27] adjournment.
Meeting adjourned. Thank you. You're on
[44:31] a roll.