Burleigh: Do you believe that our district schools are safe? If not, why? And what would you do to make them safe? If you think they are safe, what current policies do you think are effectively keeping schools safe?
Nimmo: I do think our schools are safe. I mean, I said I've been subbing in them for, you know, over nine years. Thankfully [I] haven't encountered anything dangerous or scary. I know that there is a school resource officer. It's his full-time job to think about the safety of every single one of the schools in our district. I mean, that's all he does.
Although doors are locked in most schools, Nimmo pointed out that Glenwood Springs High School allows students to leave the building and campus during the day. While closing the campus could increase safety, Nimmo doubts that is necessary or helpful to students.
Nimmo: I know that most of the high school kids, including my nephew who goes to Glenwood Springs High, would be very upset about that, and it would probably make him feel, you know, more nervous about, 'Well, why does my campus have to be locked? You know, I feel like I'm safe. I think I'm safe, who thinks I'm not?' So, it's important to me that we, you know, don't convince our kids that they are in a dangerous place when I believe we are lucky to live in a very safe community.
Jodi Barr is less confident about the safety of children in school. She said that current staffing by SROs, or school resource officers, is not adequate.
Barr: So I guess we want to believe that our schools are safe and I, I hope our schools are safe, but they're safe until an armed shooter shows up. I mean, that's just a fact of the matter. And so I think that the school district has taken a lot of that into account. It sounds like there's some great things in place.
But again, I honestly feel like if you can't have, you know, an SRO at least one per campus, which is not affordable, then are the kids really safe? I mean, it takes a long time for a police officer to get to the school.
Jodi Barr suggested a way to increase safety with armed volunteers.
Barr: Community volunteers would be an excellent way to make our school safe. And there are places that, I mentioned it last time, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, where people who've been in the military, they've been police officers, can help make our school safer. And I think that is an excellent option. It's volunteer, it saves us money. We've got armed people that are there protecting our kids. And I think that's the most important thing is that when that emergency comes, we're prepared.
Candidates were asked about the budget, which has suffered recently. First, from an ill-fated employee health insurance plan, and now from ongoing declining enrollment. The district receives funding on a per-pupil basis. Nimmo takes an optimistic tone.
Nimmo: You know, my PTO experience makes me wanna just put together a bake sale and have it be all throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. And, you know, if we could fund the schools that way, I will do it. We're just going to have to look at everything, and we're going to have to do whatever we have to do legally and compassionately to make sure that we have good schools for our kids, and we will. I believe that the board is already doing it, that doing it, the district is already.. [Superintendent] Anna Cole.. Everybody wants this.
Accountability and trust in the schools are problems, according to Jodi Barr. She wants to see a tighter budget and more focus on spending.
Barr: I've not been on the board, so it's something that I will definitely learn, but I know this much: I know that we need to live within our budget. I mean, that's really important. Overspending is not going to fly with the declining enrollment. And we talk about this every single time, and there's a lack of trust in our community with the families. They're not sending their kids to public school. Numerous families that I've talked to they're homeschooling. The homeschooling network has blown up.
Barr said parents who can afford it are sending their kids to private schools, and it's up to the district to earn back trust.
Barr: If you look at just building an excellent school that families can trust, the transparency, the accountability you're going to have to bring the kids into the school, and you're not going to have the budget deficits. And I will say that over and over again. I believe it very strongly.
The District A seat opened when current board member Kenny Teitler, a teacher in the district for 28 years, chose not to run again. Katherine Kuhlenberg and Elizabeth Taylor are running for the District E school board seat with a similar divergence of viewpoints. For a story on that race and more on all the ballot issues, as well as our complete voter guide, visit our website at kdnk.org.
