[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.

Board of Education Regular Meeting - Aug 19 2026

Transcript