School district still recovering from 'reform'
The letter, "Extensive reform needed in school district," (Dec. 18) could not be further from the truth.
The community, Thompson Board of Education and school district survived the two-year efforts of the conservative reform majority of four and their leader and Board President Bob Kerrigan. The vote for two years was four to three. We suffered through the agenda of Kerrigan's meetings, bullying of public speakers and minority board members, rudeness and complete lack of respect as if they were his personal meetings not board meetings, with rule by consensus and no voting.
Public comments were eliminated, time reduced arbitrarily, speeches canceled entirely, such as when parents from High Plains School were rudely sent home the night the conservative reform board majority voting block voted to delay High Plains School's design phase six more months. What a disgrace!
Remember when the Larimer County Republican Party announced they had worked hard to get the Reform candidates elected? One board member was actually on the party's board of directors. Many questioned this as a conflict of interest. Two are still on the board and voting "reform."
Community members questioned existence of a secret political agenda to get rid of the executive secretary for preference not performance, getting rid of the TEA/union, ending tenure, ending pay for teachers with advanced degrees, ending the PERA retirement system, ending teacher certification, lack of fair and open negotiations with TEA/union and court cases involving not bargaining in good faith.
We can still find the political agenda hidden in Balsiger's letter. You can even find a political reference to the "deplorables."
We need a nonpolitical solution and BOE that can work together for the common good of the students, schools, teachers, parents and community members.
William J. McBride Sr.
Loveland