Lewis Palmer School District 38 Articles

• Lawyer responds to ACLU demand letter.
• Budget adjustments anticipated.
• Carline safety concerns.
• Employee handbook discussed.
• Highlights.

By Jackie Burhans

At its Sept. 14 meeting, the Monument Academy (MA) board heard their lawyer’s response to the ACLU and prepared to amend its budget, review carline safety concerns, and consider revisions to its employee handbook. At a special meeting on Sept. 20, the board continued the discussion of its emergency operations procedure (EOP) and employee handbook.

Lawyer responds to ACLU demand letter.

Board President Ryan Graham noted that MA had received a demand letter from the ACLU with a deadline of Aug. 31 to respond. The demand letter addressed what the ACLU considered unlawful actions by MA and its board, undermining the safety of LGBTQ+ students and flouting state and federal laws. See https://ocn.me/v23n9.htm#ma for more information.

Graham read the letter from the ACLU and then read the response the board sent on Aug. 31 through its legal counsel, Brad Miller of Miller Farmer Carson Law LLC.

The response from Miller confirmed that he represented MA and its board and asserted that the ACLU’s understanding was incorrect. He said that while MA had recently adopted a resolution, the ACLU’s characterization was incorrect. The resolution was simply an expression of parents’ rights and voice in education, he said. Finally, he finished by saying that he did not find any mention in the letter of who the ACLU purported to represent.

Graham indicated there was no current litigation and that the board would stand firm.

Budget adjustments anticipated.

With the absence of MA’s financial consultant Glenn Gustafson, Graham reported on his behalf that the audit was nearly complete, the 2023-24 budget was loaded into the financial system, and the payroll conversion had begun but had some errors that delayed the project to bring purchasing in-house.

The board adopted the FY23-24 budget in June 2023 and will need budget adjustments in the fall and late January. Some expenditure items were under budget, Graham reported. This will mean reductions to an already tight budget and require MA to maintain budget discipline.

In the Finance Committee report, board member Joe Buczkowski emphasized that Gustafson’s report had initially budgeted enrollment at 1,180. He said enrollment was below the budget at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The October count would also impact the budget, and some cost-cutting would have to occur at that point, he said. He noted there may also be additional revenue, including earnings from moving certificates of deposit (CDs) to achieve higher interest rates.

Carline safety concerns.

Officer Maxwelle Ellis, MA’s school resource officer (SRO), addressed concerns about the Highway 105 construction and safety. He noted that, while growing pains would happen, phase 4 would be better. Ellis, who works for the Monument Police Department (MPD), noted that MPD has no jurisdiction over Highway 105, which belongs to the county. The construction project is being done under the Pikes Peak Rural Transit Authority (PPRTA), with others trying to help as much as possible.

Ellis said he sees the frustrations and experiences the hostility but prefers that people bring their concerns to him rather than taking them out on MA staff. Parents coming early are adding to the frustration, he said, but the number of violations has dropped dramatically. He asked for patience and compassion and reiterated that people should come to him and contact him via email at mellis@tomgov.org.

Graham reported that the recirculation road was almost complete, with permanent fencing coming soon. MA would be moving into Phase 2 of carline procedures through December, with Phase 3 incorporating the new Knollwood roundabout. He asked that K-5 families not arrive before 3:15 p.m. for pickup and not block the Vision Center clients from exiting. He said MA would not tolerate families berating others and could and would revoke carline privileges if necessary.

Employee handbook discussed.

At the Sept. 14 meeting, Krista Pelley, director of people operations, led the discussion of changes to the 2023-24 Employee Handbook. She directed the board to focus on the portion of the handbook that impacts pay and time off requests, noting that in previous years it had not differentiated between sick and personal leave. The proposed policy would adjust the cap of leave accrual, differentiate between leave types, use half-hour increments, and implement new work calendars. This area was important to solidify so it could be entered into the financial system so employees could know how much leave they have and begin to request it.

Another area of change in the handbook covers purchase orders and financial information, which was significantly out of date. To update this section, she is looking at D38, D20, and other charter school policies. She will consult with Gustafson and the financial team about changes to purchasing.

In addition, Pelley said she was removing everything that is procedural from the handbook as principals have created procedural guides for staff. She also noted that she was reviewing board policies to see how that would impact the handbook. Board member Karen Hoida noted a section in the handbook regarding conflict resolution that conflicted with policy 1518A. Hoida suggested the handbook should simply refer to the policy. Pelley agreed and asked for clarification of the teacher representative policy. Graham noted that wasn’t mandated in the handbook. Finally, Pelley asked for board input on the teacher-student communication section for language around social media.

Pelley said she would love for the board to further review sections but wanted to segment out staff leave and approve that. Graham said he felt comfortable knowing that legal was involved and had seen it. Buczkowski said he would rather not pass it today. Graham tabled this item to discuss at the upcoming special meeting.

At the Sept. 20 special meeting, the board took up the discussion of the handbook again, starting with a comment from Graham that he had heard that a couple of administrators needed time to review the document and suggested postponing approvals until October. Pelley emphasized that staff was waiting to hear on leave policies and that she and Gustafson had removed much of the finance policy and purchase order information out of the handbook.

Lindsay Clinton, board vice president, suggested that in the future, discussions of the handbook should be penciled in for the June agenda so that it would be available for new hires. Graham said he would oppose any approval of the handbook until all administrators had a chance to review it. Buczkowski said he had reviewed other sections and felt they were fine but that the document could be better organized. The meeting adjourned to executive session without taking a vote on the employee handbook.

Highlights.

Board meeting highlights include:

• Board member Craig Carle spotlighted the work of Kristi Hayes, preschool director, for doing a phenomenal job managing the carline at MA West. She is a guiding light for parents, he said. He appreciated her leadership and said she and her team were “the epitome of resilience.”

• High School Principal David Kennington presented the EOP plan intended to standardize MA’s initial response to expected crises, including coordination and communication through a safe school plan as required by state law CRS 22-32-109.1(2). Although the plan was not reviewed by legal counsel, the board unanimously adopted it with the intent to continue updating the plan.

• At the Sept. 20 special meeting, Buczkowski said he had reviewed the statute regarding the safe school plan and identified some missing items such as a written evaluation after exercises or incidents, annual inventory and testing of safety equipment, having school personnel complete training courses, and including SROs. He also noted that the school is supposed to have a policy on annual inspection of buildings to address the removal of barriers to safety and supervision. Buczkowski offered to share this information with Kennington and to work with the Governance Committee to develop the needed policy.

• Curriculum policies IIAC-MA, IIAC-E1-MA, IIAE-E2-MA, IJ-MA and IJ-E1-MA were passed unanimously with minor changes from what was discussed at the previous meeting. Approved MA board policies can be found at https://bit.ly/ma-bd-policies.

• The board approved a contract for the 2023-24 fiscal year, as recommended by Gustafson, to engage CLOCworks Inc. to install equipment to monitor and optimize energy costs for a $4,800 installation fee and $500 per month management fee. Gustafson felt these fees could be recouped in three or four months, and MA would realize savings in the long term.

• The board unanimously approved changes to the preschool policies and procedures as Hayes and Elementary Principal Kurt Walker requested. Changes included removing language about “Love and Logic” principles, changing the word “rules” to “social contract,” and removing language in the behavior and discipline section referring to mental health personnel since none is available at MA West.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, July 11 – Board resolution related to Title IX (8/3/2024)

• Background and legal counsel
• Public comments
• Resolution

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) board held a special meeting June 27, after the publication deadline for the July issue of Our Community News, on navigating gender issues. The Town Hall was attended by all seated board members except for outgoing board member Michael Geers. Also in attendance were the interim Chief Operating Officer Kim McClelland and MA’s legal counsel Brad Miller.

The community Town Hall was attended by around 200 parents, teachers, administrators, and community members, many of whom spoke on the matter. State Rep. Don Wilson, R-Monument, was in attendance along with former Rep. Tim Geitner. The meeting ended with the unanimous adoption of a resolution regarding the privacy and protection of students.

Background and legal counsel

Board President Ryan Graham began the meeting by providing context and background, noting that the board and administration had been hearing from many of its constituents about the use of sex-specific common bathrooms and locker rooms by students who want to identify with or express a gender that does not correlate with their biological sex. Graham noted that these students are ostensibly protected by Colorado law, specifically SB08-200 and HB21-1108. For more information on these bills, see https://bit.ly/sb08-2008 and https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb21-1108.

He noted that the state mandates that every traditional and charter school must not discriminate and must let students use the bathroom and locker room that aligns with their gender expression or identity. Many schools, he said, have capitulated to the cancel culture mob that seeks to silence and destroy them. MA, he said, proposed this Town Hall so parents could learn what their rights are and understand what MA is doing to protect parental rights and all students. Tonight’s Town Hall, he said, was not about inciting hatred or harm against any student. MA is not here to wage war against children but to push back firmly within legal limits on those who have set their sights on coming after our children, he said.

Miller, MA’s longtime legal counsel, noted that he has been one of MA’s lawyers for 15 years and that his mother-in-law’s name is on the library. He said he shares traits with his heroes Moses and the Apostle Paul but is not a gifted speaker and asked the audience to pray that his message would be better than his weak flesh. He referred to the book 1984 by George Orwell, where the protagonist had to maintain a secret journal. Tonight, the MA board and leadership want to invite you into a little conspiracy, said Miller, and to join them in being thought criminals like the protagonist in 1984.

Some folks are inclined to place their faith in an authoritarian government, Miller said. It’s hard for them to conceive that the parent movement expressed by the attendees is organic, based upon faith, principles, and values.

Miller noted that in 2021, the state Legislature passed House Bill 21-1108 to amend Colorado’s anti-discrimination act to offer protection for those of any gender expression or identity. Expression, he noted, is appearance, dress, or behavior, while identity is the innate sense of one’s own gender, which may or may not accord with the gender assigned at birth. He noted that Moms 4 Liberty has been very engaged on these issues, saying that some schools have taken this to an extreme. Some schools, he said, have directed staff to recognize a student’s gender expression or identity but not to inform parents. MA, he said, has pushed to engage parents in a dialog. On Feb. 22, the board adopted a proclamation to clarify that MA wishes to place the authority for education and well-being of children in the hands of parents. See OCN article www.ocn.me/v22n3.htm#ma, for more information on the February meeting.

Miller went on to outline other concerns on rules around COVID, critical race theory (CRT), and sex ideology in remote learning. He claimed that parents learned that teachers introduced doctrines contrary to those of the parents. Now, he said, there is a coordinated movement to undermine parental access to information and parental authority. One remaining protection, he cited, was a U.S. Supreme Court case, Troxel v. Granville, which recognized parental rights to direct the upbringing of their kids.

Public comments

In the public comments portion of the meeting, a number of people stepped up to speak in support of the board’s actions. Some of the statements made are:

• Kristy Davis, co-chair of the El Paso County chapter of Moms 4 Liberty, read a statement from herself and co-chair Darcy Schoening, who was not in attendance. Davis, who has two children at MA, thanked the board for holding the event and hearing from parents who have been harmed by a vocal minority weaponizing sexuality and gender. She said the movement seeks to weaken parents’ rights and that this is communism. She said there are no transgender children, just confused children, and adults who use them as political chess pieces. Moms 4 Liberty, she said, is standing with MA and fully supports Miller in his efforts.
• A seventh-grader at MA said that she felt safe at MA until last year when “a boy decided to go into a girl’s restroom,” where the girls change. She said in the Bible in Genesis it says that God created mankind, male and female. Her parents said that safety is important, and they love all children and don’t want any to feel bullied, but that the last thing any parent wants to hear is that their children didn’t feel protected and safe.
• Another seventh-grader said she didn’t think it was right for a boy to come into the girl’s restroom and invade their privacy. Some of her friends were there and went home crying to their parents, she said. God made us who we are, and she doesn’t think kids should try to change themselves for no reason. Her mother added that she would like to provide a safe gender-neutral stall bathroom so everyone would feel safe. She asked the board to please not put litter boxes in these bathrooms for the “furries.”
• A parent asked if the board was developing plans to defend itself against pre-emptive legal challenges. Miller responded that MA might need to turn to parents if it becomes costly. He noted that challenges could come from the courts, from MA’s district authorizer, or from the Colorado Department of Education. He felt that the Supreme Court ruling would prevail.
• A parent thanked the board and acknowledged the bravery of the students who spoke and cited a swimming sports competition. He also said there was concern about a “biological girl” using the men’s restroom or locker room or competing on opposite-sex teams and asked that the school not send kids to the nurse’s individual-use bathroom.
• Ivy Liu, a D49 board member, asked to speak on behalf of families who don’t want to speak. Among other charges, she said that 1%-2% of the population was being weaponized for a much greater cause, kids were being groomed, parents manipulated, and language contaminated to push group think which was the foundation of socialism, Marxism, and communism, otherwise known as collectivism. America, she said, is the last wall standing between freedom and worldwide communism. Parents must fight back, she said, on these non-Godly and non-American values.
• Another parent raised concerns about fair and equitable treatment of kids and whether MA should have policies around biological males competing with females. Miller noted that this raised the question about accepting federal funds and competing within the Colorado High Schools Activities Association (CHSAA), which MA has been pursuing.
• A parent noted having to be careful about what pronouns are used and what name is used for a student. She cited an instance when she decided to call her now adult daughter by her middle name in first grade and the school forbade it because it had not been legally changed. Miller said the resolution covered this but there was a gray area where a boy might want to go by a nickname that might be considered feminine.
• Another parent asked if the policies would be in place by Aug. 15 since parents would be making enrollment decisions by that date. Miller said no, but the parents could rely on the clarity of the resolution and its parameters.
• Mark McWilliams, former MA board president, said there were parents going through something difficult that all parents pray is not their kid. The board is thinking of that too, he said, and making sure all children are protected and loved. He said that when he was on the board, they brainstormed how to manage this. He asked that parents vote in the future and keep their checkbooks ready in case the board was sued.
• A parent strongly advocated for policies that would not allow biological males in the private spaces of females and vice versa saying that the school would be liable. Miller said there will be lawsuits that cut in both directions.
• A parent said she was a pediatric dentist and sees many kids with anxiety who take medications. She asked if MA had proactive mental health strategies and felt it would be important to present the policy in written form when it comes out as it would help weed out families that would have a problem with it. Miller said that the board would adopt the related policy in its public meeting after two readings so it would be incredibly transparent. McClelland said she has discussed partnering with parents and providing training opportunities like parenting classes. She has lots of ideas around parent universities to empower parents.
• A parent asked if there was a plan to have conversations with parents on how they might engage in legal issues or circumstances. Miller replied that he didn’t want to give away legal strategies in front of a crowd but that these topics and pathways had been discussed in executive sessions.
• A parent, noting the law is written to prohibit discrimination, asked how someone could voice their opposition without being discriminatory, such as starting a petition. Miller said that SB23-296 was passed concerning protections for students against discriminatory practices at school to prevent bullying and that starting a petition against a student might be considered bullying.
• The parent continued, asking for advice at the statewide level on how to stand unified in agreement on the issue and yet not cross the line, so your student is not made to feel like a discriminator. Miller said the issue must be addressed structurally, and finding the right people to populate the board is crucial.
• A parent asked if there was a permission slip for locker rooms and restrooms where they want their student to be able to go. She said her understanding was that if the school takes government money, it must follow the laws and asked if MA had considered getting an outside channel of funds to bypass this requirement. Miller said MA could not afford to refuse the per pupil revenue—it is the bread and butter of how MA exists.
• Former state Rep. Tim Geitner said that in his past role he had the ability to vote no on laws like HB21-1108. Now, as president of the Liberty Tree Academy charter school, he thanked the MA board for doing this for their community and other charter schools.

Resolution

After the public comments concluded, Graham moved to adopt a resolution regarding the privacy and protection of students as regards to SB08-200 and HB21-1108 that states:

• The above laws expose its students to undue harm, confusion, and dysphoria.
• MA encourages its students to set boundaries protecting their privacy and report to their teachers, staff, or administrators if their boundaries are violated.
• MA will support the privacy and dignity of each student and not discriminate against individuals in violation of state or federal laws regardless of sex, gender expression, or gender identity.
• The board will never promote gender confusion or gender dysphoria in students nor promote transitioning of students that are gender confused, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
• The board will uphold the rights of parents under the Granville Supreme Court ruling and will mandate that any student under the age of 18 choosing to express or identify as a gender that does not correlate with their biological sex must be affirmed by the student’s parents or guardians and that these family units must be in complete agreement with this affirmation.
• The board will mandate that any student under the age of 18 whose family affirms them must further transition with a change of name and change of gender in Infinite Campus and any other school records and must conform to the dress code of the gender that they now identify or express as with no vacillation.
• For any student who chooses to go down this transitioning path that meets the mandated requirements of MA, the board directs the administration to notify the appropriate parent community without violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) or any other law, that there may be a student using gender-specific bathrooms or locker rooms different than the student’s sex so other students may request to use a single-stall bathroom or to have a staff member monitor the vacancy of the single-sex locker room or bathroom to ensure their privacy and protection.
• Parents are strongly encouraged to advise their chosen attorney if they believe their child’s Fourth Amendment right to privacy is being violated and consult with said attorney on taking further legal action against the parent or guardian of the offending students.
• The board affirms that elected state and national leaders have a moral and ethical obligation to challenge and repeal such laws that violate the innocence, vulnerability, well-being, privacy, and safety of children.
• The board appeals to the MA community and constituents to make their voices heard as active and engaged citizens but to contact their state and national representatives and ask them to take a stand for the privacy and protection of students.

Vice President Lindsay Clinton seconded the motion, and other board members and McClelland spoke in favor of it. The board voted unanimously to pass the resolution. The full text of the resolution can be found at https://bit.ly/ma-discrim-resol.

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The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information, see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)

• Board discusses ACLU demand letter
• Quarterly dashboard overview
• Enrollment update
• Carline concerns
• Finances
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) board called a rare Saturday special meeting on Aug. 19 to discuss a demand letter from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on their resolution, proclamation, and policies regarding transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students.

At its regular meeting on Aug. 10, MA’s board heard about a new quarterly dashboard, enrollment updates, carline information, and finances.

Board discusses ACLU demand letter

The MA board met at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, to go into executive session for legal advice on specific legal matters regarding a demand letter received by legal counsel, to discuss security measures, and to discuss personnel matters with prior notice. All board members were present, along with the board’s lawyer, Brad Miller of Miller Farmer Carson Law LLC.

The board returned after an hour to unanimously approve the creation of a Legal Affairs subcommittee to address issues regarding their resolution. Board President Ryan Graham and Director Karen Hoida will serve on the subcommittee. Graham explained that MA had received a demand letter from the ACLU of Colorado addressing its recent resolution regarding transgender students. There was no imminent threat of litigation, he said.

The letter, which is included in MA’s board meeting highlight document, is titled “Unlawful actions of Monument Academy and its school board” and says that MA’s actions undermine the safety and well-being of transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students and flout multiple state and federal laws. ACLU notes that the refusal to provide students access to restrooms consistent with their gender is prohibited by the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) per CRS 24-34-601 and that MA’s dress code impermissibly treats students differently based on gender, which violates CADA as well as students’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression.

Finally, the ACLU characterizes MA’s recent resolution as signaling its open hostility to transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary students, as well as to Colorado and federal nondiscrimination laws. The ACLU requested a substantive response from MA by Aug. 31 and reserves all rights to file necessary legal action to ensure compliance with Colorado and federal law. You can see the demand letter at https://bit.ly/MA-ACLU-Demand.

Quarterly dashboard overview

Interim Chief Operating Officer Kim McClelland introduced consultant Jennifer Strawbridge of Analytical Discoveries, who is helping the school create a dashboard to present a deep dive into academic growth to the community.

Strawbridge presented baseline results from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. She said she loves working with leadership teams and helping people understand how they can best use this information to drive instruction and improve academic achievement. She color-coded the dashboard to show how it is related to MA’s mission statement.

Strawbridge showed the results from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), which breaks achievement data into four categories: above, at, below, and well below for grade level. The dashboard compares one year to the following year, and the goal is to see the “at” and “above” bars increase. The tests done at the beginning of the year can show a “summer slide,” indicating testing challenges more than knowledge loss, she said. Testing is also done mid-year and at the end of the year to capture growth for kindergarten through third grade and the beginning and end of the year only from fourth to eighth grade.

Next, Strawbridge showed the NWEA (formerly Northwest Evaluation Association) MAP data, which goes beyond reading and divides results into quintiles. NWEA was acquired in May 2023 by Houghton Mifflin. Her chart had a dashed line for the grade-level achievement score in each subject area. Again, she noted that this dashboard was a baseline they could use to track improvement. NWEA looks at the median growth percentile (MGP), where MA students are compared against other students nationally who have the same starting score and grade level. MGP helps to adjust for any skewing that might take place with students who show very low or very high growth. Strawbridge said that MGP is one of the most important pieces of data when looking at growth since it tells you if a school is growing kids academically.

Middle and high school students take the PSAT and SAT, respectively, and that data is currently embargoed, so will be presented in the Q1 dashboard.

In addition to academics, the dashboards will track attendance and discipline, both of which are correlated with academic achievement and growth. Strawbridge reviewed specific data, pointing out where scores were good and where they needed work. McClelland said parents will be able to see this information under the strategic plan in the school board section of the website at https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Strawbridge said that the participation level in DIBELS and NWEA MAP is near 100%, unlike the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) tests. She noted that CMAS and NWEA are correlated but that the state won’t use NWEA data unless you qualify for the “request to reconsider” process that the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) uses for schools that disagree with the initial CDE rating of its school performance framework. MA is not eligible for the “request to reconsider” process, which requires that 90% of its students take the state assessment without opting out.

Enrollment update

McClelland updated the board on MA’s current enrollment, saying she wished she had better historical data to track the ebbs and flows to understand what happened between the last day of school and now. She noted that students may move away or make other decisions for many reasons and that MA also sees students come in after school has started up to the Oct. 1 student count deadline.

Elementary enrollment is at 518, which is down from the budget. Middle school is at 399, and high school is at 130 for a total of 1,047, with 529 at the secondary school. Although the budgeted number is lower, the total number has increased from the previous year.

She also noted that there has been discussion about increasing class sizes to 28 students, noting that they are not raising the class size for every class. To be fiscally responsible, she said, schools will oversubscribe some classes at the beginning of the year because there may be some attrition. MA cannot hire a new teacher if there are two kids over the policy ratio of teachers to students.

McClelland said she wanted to be clear about the ratio and the need to boost enrollment, noting that MA would be putting out yard signs to get the word out. The number one reason people are not enrolling in MA is that they are choosing to homeschool, she said, followed by choosing to enroll in district-run schools in D38 or D20, and concerns about construction and carlines.

Carline concerns

McClelland said getting the word out on how carpooling and the carline would work was important. Information, including a video for phase 1 access to the West Campus, is on the website. This information was shared at town halls, meet-and-greet meetings, and using the new ParentSquare platform. Information about the significant changes to the carline and student parking was part of the East Campus Handbook updates reported on by high school Principal David Kennington.

For more information, email carline@monumentacademy.net or see the MA website under the parents section at https://bit.ly/MA-Carline. Information on the Highway 105 construction project can be found at http://EPC-Hwy105AConstruction.com/.

Finances

Financial consultant Glenn Gustafson reported that the pre-audit June 30 financial statements were available, but he was waiting for D38 to finish its audit and reconcile with MA. Preliminary results show that revenues exceed expenses by $88,000, but he expects additional revenue from special education (SPED) funds in September.

Gustafson said the new audit firm, Hoelting & Co., has significant experience in charter school accounting. The firm was in MA for two days with non-stop requests for information. He complimented Business Manager Diane Smith for her recordkeeping and documentation of expenditures and deposits.

The July books are closed, and the financial statements are in the hands of the Finance Committee, which will schedule a meeting to review. All budgets are in the black, unlike last year, Gustafson said. He noted that bringing payroll back in-house would save about $4,000 per month after initial conversion costs. The next conversion this fall will be the purchasing module so administrators and teachers can use its electronic workflow to speed up approvals.

Finally, Gustafson said he did some work over the summer at another charter school that qualified for the employee retention tax credit (ERTC) refund. The ERTC is available for businesses and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not all charter schools qualify, so he engaged a consultant to do a feasibility study for free to see if MA qualified. If MA does qualify, the consultant would receive a 5% fee. To apply for the ERTC takes a lot of work, Gustafson noted, requiring records back to 2020, but could result in a significant refund.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• Board member Craig Carlie spotlighted the work of Kendra Kuhlmann, who works in Marketing, for streamlining the communication and marketing effort. Kuhlmann presented at the meeting on the rollout of the new parent communication platform ParentSquare, detailing the progress and backup plans and noting the challenges.
• McClelland introduced the discussion of new and updated supplementary materials and video resource policies IIAC-MA, IIAC-E1-MA, IIAC-E2-MA, IJ-MA, and IJ-E1-MA. She noted that MA would adopt the standard nomenclature used by D38 for its policies but with MA at the end to differentiate those modified by MA. McClelland said she wanted to have legal review the changes before final adoption. Approved MA board policies can be found at https://bit.ly/ma-bd-policies.
• Kennington and middle school Principal Collin Vinchattle discussed updates to the East Campus Handbook, noting changes around attendance, late submission, phone usage, carline, and student parking. The board asked for updates to board candidate qualifications and the volunteer management system but proposed forgoing curriculum policy changes since those were not yet approved. The board unanimously approved the handbook with these changes.
• McClelland said the portables would not be available on day one as they need additional work on ramps, fencing, and electrical work, followed by a final walkthrough and certificate of occupancy. Kennington said there were alternative plans in place and that it was a matter of weeks, not months, before the portables would be ready.
• The board unanimously approved a motion to move the board meetings from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. This change was made to avoid conflict with sports practices and to allow more time for the board to socialize.

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, July 11 – Board resolution related to Title IX (8/3/2024)

• Board member organization
• Before and after care contract signed
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) board held its July 13 meeting at The Platinum Group offices in Colorado Springs, which is the office of board President Ryan Graham. The board handled several organizational matters, agreed to a contract for before and after care, and heard committee and administrator updates.

The regular meeting was followed by a board retreat that included onboarding of new members, review of the board manual and calendar, continuous improvement and assessment, legal requirements, and strategic planning.

Board member organization

Newly elected board member Matt Ross was sworn in for his three-year term, and all board members took their required annual oath of office and signed affidavits to be forwarded to the county clerk.

Board members then discussed and volunteered for committee assignments as follows:

• Highway 105 – Ryan Graham, president
• Curriculum – Emily Belisle, secretary
• School Accountability and Advisory (West Campus) – Matt Ross, board member
• School Accountability and Advisory (East Campus) – Lindsay Clinton, vice president
• Governance – Joe Buczkowski, treasurer, and Karen Hoida, board member
• Finance – Buczkowski and Craig Carle, board member
• Building and Facilities – Hoida and Graham
• Resource Development – Carle and Clinton
• Human Resources – Clinton and Graham

As part of the discussion, the board agreed to fold the Safety and Security Committee into the Buildings and Facilities Committee and to disband the Volunteer Committee as MA is moving to a new system called ParentSquare.

Before and after care contract signed

Graham noted that the board had approved a revision to a potential contract for before and after care with Leading Edge in November 2022 but that Leading Edge did not agree to the changes. The board considered a new proposal by Monument’s Best that had been vetted by its legal counsel. Tom and Chrystal Lind, founders of Monument’s Best, were present to answer questions. They noted that there is a state-mandated process to vet employees who would be given access to MA that included background checks, courses, and CPR certification.

Operations Manager Jake Dicus met with Monument’s Best when the Leading Edge arrangement didn’t work out. His kids have participated in its program, and he felt it would fulfill a need for MA’s families. Dicus said 15 families must sign up for the before care program to work financially. If MA is closed, Monument’s Best will offer sports camps using MA’s facilities for MA kids and, possibly, other kids from the community. Once approved, Dicus planned to put together a slide show to send out to parents to gain interest and would present it as part of the back-to-school night. Dicus and elementary school Principal Kurt Walker have discussed the facilities to be used at MA’s West Campus.

Monument’s Best has membership software to help parents sign up for its programs. Its contract is for one year with wording for indemnification. It is licensed for up to 60 kids but could amend that if needed.

The board unanimously approved the contract and authorized Graham to execute it.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• Graham reported that work was in progress on the recirculation road around MA West necessitated by the Highway 105 expansion. Some re-engineering was required due to water runoff from heavy rains. He said carline information would be sent out before school starts.
• A parent spoke during the public comment agenda item, expressing concern about showing non-educational movies to kids for indoor recess in general and objecting to the movie Elemental by Disney specifically. She also asked if MA would be required to financially participate in the Capturing Kids Hearts (CKH) program each year, noting it has cost $45,000.
• Interim Chief Executive Officer Kim McClelland provided financial highlights in lieu of financial consultant Officer Glen Gustafson, saying he is in a good place with the audit and is closing out the school year. She had no details to share from the district on the free lunch service but noted that only the elementary school would be participating. She also noted that the CKH expense was for the initial staff training to use the discipline model in the handbook. Principals could sign up for a premium offer with resources, mentoring, and implementation guides for $4,000 annually.
• The board discussed and approved an updated student handbook for its West Campus, making minor updates to carline, board eligibility, and logo use.
• The board unanimously approved the new graduation requirements presented by high school Principal David Kennington, who noted that requirements include a capstone project. He said that parents and students want to have a traditional valedictorian honor for the highest grade point average (GPA), which may have to be determined at the thousandth level. Additional honors for high GPAs would be conferred. Graduation is expected to be on Saturday, May 18, possibly at MA, wearing a black gown with a stole. He said families wanted guidelines for senior photos, suggesting a modest dress code with no pajamas or furry costumes be submitted with a message that aligns with MA.
• The board approved an update to the 1501ES Elementary School Uniform Policy, adding a daily wear sweatshirt with MA’s logo.
• The board unanimously approved the preschool calendar, policies and procedures, and revised tuition contract.
• The board discussed the draft of new curriculum policies to include supplemental curriculum selection and tabled any action to the August board meeting.

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)

• Board member changes
• Legislative updates
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

At its June 8 regular meeting, the Monument Academy board spotlighted a departing board member and filled a vacancy with a former board candidate. The board also heard a legislative update from House Rep. Don Wilson, HD-20. Finally, the board heard about an upcoming meeting on Navigating Gender Issues as well as updates on the East Campus modulars and the West Campus Highway 105 recirculation project.

Board member changes

Board President Ryan Graham started the meeting by spotlighting board member Michael Geers, whose term would end on June 30. Geers had been appointed to fill the vacancy created when former board member Misty McCuen resigned in August 2022. Graham said boards remain strong and productive based on the people who serve and thanked Geers for his service.

With the May 25 resignation of board member Danny O’Brien, the MA board moved to fill this new vacancy. At McCuen’s resignation in August, the board held a community-wide search which resulted in the appointment of Geers. In that closed-ballot vote, candidate Karen Hoida was the runner-up.

Graham moved that the board appoint Hoida to fill the new vacancy, given that it occurred in the same fiscal year as their previous search. Hoida, a Leadership Program of the Rockies graduate, has lived in the area for 30 years, is a lawyer who specializes in litigation and real property, and supports the mission and vision of Monument Academy, which supports her values, she said. The board unanimously approved her appointment.

Above:On June 8, the Monument Academy (MA) school board unanimously appointed Karen Hoida to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Danny O’Brien. Hoida, who is a lawyer, will serve the remainder of his term. Photos by Jackie Burhans.

Hoida was sworn in and took her seat alongside other board members. All current board members, along with newly elected board member Matt Ross, will take their oaths of office in July. The board voted for its officers, retaining Graham as board president, Lindsay Clinton as vice president, Emily Belisle as secretary, and Joe Buczkowski as treasurer. Board committee assignments will be decided in July.

Legislative updates

Rep. Don Wilson HD-20, the former mayor of Monument, briefed the board on relevant bills from the 2023 legislative session. Wilson serves on the Education Committee in the state Legislature.

The bills he thought would be of interest to the MA board included:

• HB-1009 Secondary School Student Substance Use. This puts the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) in charge of how drug use is handled in districts and schools. This bill has been signed into law.
• HB-1291 Procedures for Expulsion Hearing Officers. The state feels there should be uniform guidelines and a set way of handling expulsions. This bill has been signed into law.
• HB-1003 School Mental Health Assessment. This lets the CDE conduct mental health assessments on students in sixth through 12th grade and provide mental health advice. The bill, which exempts home school enrichment students or those who only participate in extracurricular activities, has been signed into law.
• HB-1176 PERA Defined Contribution Plan School Personnel. Wilson was a sponsor of this failed bill which would have allowed teachers to choose a 401K style defined contribution plan in lieu of the standard defined benefit plan.
• HB-1025 Charter School Application Timelines. Although this doesn’t impact MA, it gives new charter schools more time to complete applications. It has been signed into law.
• SB-087 Teacher degree apprenticeship program. Wilson was a sponsor on this bill, which was signed into law, that allows an alternative route to teacher licensure.
• SB-065 Career Development Success Program. This bill, sponsored by Wilson and state Sen. Paul Lundeen SD-9 and signed into law, expands and continues access to trade schools by increasing funding. The bill removes the requirement for the successful completion of apprenticeships and adds the board of cooperative educational services (BOCES) to the program.
• SB-205 Universal High School Scholarship Program. Wilson and Lundeen were sponsors for this bill, which was signed into law, that makes scholarships available to high school students who go into trades rather than a traditional four-year college.

Wilson said he looked forward to the next legislative session, where he would be watchful for bills impacting charter schools, including waivers for requirements for highly qualified teachers.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• Clinton reminded the attendees of the upcoming June 27 meeting on Navigating Gender Issues. It will be held at 6 p.m. on the East Campus and will include board members as well as MA’s lawyer Brad Miller. Topics will include Colorado state laws and the board’s proclamation against discrimination protection for LGBTQ students. There will be a question-and-answer session.
• Graham reported that construction is underway on the recirculation road at MA’s West Campus that was required due to the Highway 105 widening. Overly saturated soil due to recent rains has slowed the project somewhat. He encouraged parents to be careful due to construction traffic.
• Graham reported that modular construction on the East Campus would be completed in July before the school session begins in August.

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, July 13, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)

• MA addresses gender issues again
• Budgets approved
• Updated job descriptions and org chart
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

At its May 11 regular meeting, the Monument Academy board heard from its community about a gender restroom issue and heard committee highlights. At a special meeting on May 25, the board approved budgets, including changes to job descriptions and organizational structures.

MA addresses gender issues again

During citizen comments, mother and daughter Jenn and Avery Brady spoke out on an interaction between the daughter and a transgender girl who used a restroom. Jenn Brady said her daughter had started a petition to secure privacy and safety in the restroom. She said she was proud of MA’s previous proclamation on gender issues but that it must close the loop to protect all students. The current solution for a student who feels unsafe is to use a unisex restroom or one by the nurse, which she felt discriminated against the majority, causing students to lose passing time—the time between classes when students must pass from one room to another. The solution, while costly, she said, was for MA to overhaul its restrooms. She felt confident parents would rally and said the ball was in MA’s court.

Avery reminded the board that its proclamation supported natural law and moral truth and said it would protect the innocence, well-being, privacy, and safety of every one of MA’s students. Recently, she said, a “biological male” [sic] has been seen entering the girls’ restroom. She said she understood that MA had to follow state law and allow “biological males” identifying as females access to the girls’ restroom. However, the board proclamation mentions the overall privacy of every student. She said MA was protecting “his” privacy but what about hers and that of all the other girls? She said that MA proclaimed it would protect every student, which means her as well.

MA’s proclamation against gender identity protection can be found on its website at bit.ly/ma-proclamation. Read more information about that proclamation at www.ocn.me/v22n3.htm#ma.

Later in the agenda, the board discussed a proposed Town Hall meeting with legal counsel on navigating gender issues at MA. President Ryan Graham said that there had been an incident at MA’s East Campus that caused a significant number of parents to reach out to the board regarding gender issues and the use of restrooms. He encouraged parents to familiarize themselves with two bills mentioned in MA’s proclamation: SB08-200, which expands discrimination protection to a person’s sexual orientation, and HB21-1108, which clarifies that protected class includes “gender identity” and “gender expression.” He noted that MA and every charter school must comply or be subject to legal action. The proclamation is an official announcement but does not constitute a violation of the law.

The intent of the Town Hall is to ask questions and hear directly from legal counsel what they can do as parents and what MA can do as a school while still being in accordance with the law. The meeting will be open to the community, and at least three board members will be in attendance. The Town Hall will be held on June 27 at 6 p.m. at MA’s East Campus.

Budgets approved

At the May 11 regular meeting, interim COO Kim McClelland reported on the FY23-24 budget in the absence of interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Gary Gustafson. This met the state requirement that the budget be presented to the board before May 31.

At a special meeting on May 25, Gustafson returned to request approval of a supplemental budget for FY22-23, explaining that, while school districts and charters can amend budgets throughout the year, after Jan. 1 the only mechanism to do so was via a supplemental budget for which an entity must have additional revenues or resources. MA needed to do so to clean up different accounts and accommodate expenditures for the year, he said, noting that it was a violation of state statutes for expenditures to exceed appropriations and that approving the supplemental budget would bring MA back into alignment.

He reminded the board that in the previous year, the auditor had commented that MA had exceeded its total appropriations and it was important not to do so a second time. The revised appropriation showed a total increase of $2.3 million, primarily to the foundation fund, which accommodates the debt service for the East Campus building. He noted that MA’s original forecast was for 1,150 students, but they had only certified 1107.5 students, which resulted in $300,000 less in program funding. The board unanimously approved the FY22-23 supplemental budget.

Gustafson then discussed the proposed FY23-24 budget, starting by thanking the staff and interim COO for their work. He said he welcomed the board adopting the budget documents but that it had until June 30 to approve it. He started with budget assumptions which included increasing enrollment by just over 100 students to a total enrollment of 1219.5, noting that this is a plan and that numbers can be amended later. He noted the budget plans for 676.5 students in elementary and breaks out middle school at 402 from high school at an enrollment of 141. The 2023 school finance act set the per-pupil funding at $10,034, and he expects the per-pupil mill levy override (MLO) funding to be slightly decreased, although due to increased enrollment, the total will be higher. The budget assumptions also include revenues from instructional material fees for the first time and will include MA’s expenses such as contributions to insurance, the Public Employee Retirement Account (PERA), and Medicare.

The board packet included the appropriation resolution, which sets the maximum MA can spend by fund, including $17.4 million in the general fund, $500,000 in the preschool fund, and set amounts in the facilities, foundation, and pupil activity fund. By approving the resolution, the board would be approving the budget. Another required document is the fund balance resolution that would disclose any fund draw-down activity but is set to zero at this time. The inter-fund borrowing resolution is required by the state and applies to MA, which pools its cash into a single account. The statute requires MA to pay back any inter-fund borrowing within 60 days and to balance the accounts by June 30 each year. The preschool fund is kept separately, and MA has no anticipation of a preschool grant this year. The budgeted revenue is based on preschool fees but is very uncertain given the rollout of Colorado’s Universal Preschool program (UPK), in which MA is not participating.

Gustafson also noted that the Facilities Corporation fund and the Foundation fund are used to transfer money to pay principal, interest, and trustee management fees for the West Campus and East Campus buildings, respectively. This is a significant part of the budget, he said, informing the board that preliminary conversations have begun on how to refund the 2019 bonds for the East Campus. He said MA needed to continue to hope that interest rates would come down. Gustafson said that accurate accounting by school was a requirement of MA’s bond covenants.

The middle school is basically subsidizing the high school, he said, which is common until enrollment gets larger and the high school can cover more of the central overhead facility costs. He said he would create a unique accounting system where anything that could be directly charged to the middle or high school would be, but the central common area costs would be allocated on a per-pupil basis. This would transfer $2.3 million of common area costs to the middle school.

Finally, Gustafson noted that he was thrilled to have a balanced budget that cleaned up deficits, included all staff, and was not dependent on fundraising for operational needs. The budget, he said, is resourcing for the board’s strategic plan. It’s a tight budget without much flexibility, he said, and MA will need to continue with budget discipline next year. He explained that MA would pool all its financial resources into its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software so that schools, department heads, and principals could look at their budgets at any time in addition to receiving monthly reports. New processes would be implemented to require a budget transfer request if there was a budget overrun, and a full-time equivalent (FTE) authorization form would need approval before an additional employee could be hired.

McClelland noted that following these procedures would be one of the principals’ goals. Board member Craig Carle suggested that since the budget did not include fundraising, perhaps any fundraising could furnish contingency funds. Gustafson said that since MA did get donations, the budget does have $100,000 total in fundraising for both campuses. He said any money from a fundraising effort such as the gala could be used for specific targeted purposes like an athletic field.

The board voted unanimously to approve the FY23-24 budget.

Updated job descriptions and org chart

As part of the budget discussion, McClelland reviewed changes to the organization chart and updates to job descriptions. The organization chart reflects what is in the budget, she said, and approving the budget would approve the positions but not necessarily the structure. McClelland said she added the students to the top of the organization chart as they are the most important part. To foster the goal of “one MA” she has added the PTO to the chart to show how they support the overall organization. The organization chart is split into Operations and Finance, Academic, and Student Support. Some positions overlap the areas, and each section has categories showing the reporting structure.

She discussed changing the position name from COO to executive director, saying she felt strongly that it reflected that the position covered academics as well as operations. The chart was color coded with dark blue representing the executive director and support systems such as finance, marketing, facilities, athletics, and operations manager, which is the new title for Jake Dicus, whose title of manager of Development and Mission Engagement was incorrect. The position is responsible for day-to-day operations under the executive director and has no one reporting to it. Human Resources is a change in nomenclature from People Operations, and there is an added position of school culture and assessment coordinator that will be posted. This role will cover all grade levels and help support the principals in behavioral matters through discipline, proactive programs, and family engagement, as well as working with contractor Jennifer Strawbridge in data collection and reporting via dashboards.

Gustafson said they had discussed the feasibility of hiring a finance director but that, given the progress made in the past five months, he was reluctant to turn the work back over. In fact, he said the turnover in finance over the past four to five years had hindered the financial integrity of the school. Knowing the budget is tight, he will continue to fill in on a part-time basis as a contract employee, with existing staff picking up the day-to-day activities. He plans to grow the capabilities of the finance staff and turn over things like payroll and bank reconciliation so he can focus on big projects like debt financing for the parking lot, refinancing the 2019 bonds, and preparing for the audit. Gustafson said he could build a more sustainable structure for the long term if he stays another year. He confirmed that, for the next six months, he would still be attending Finance Committee and board meetings while working to bring purchasing and payroll back in-house. MA is paying Netchex $3,600 per month to do payroll, and he hopes to save that money and be in great shape by January 2024.

Board member Emily Belisle asked about the name change to teacher assistant from para; McClelland explained that the term para usually was used for special education. She also clarified that the two women who had shared the registrar position would be full-time employees, each responsible for a separate campus. The position of athletics manager is another nomenclature change as director positions usually have a master’s degree or at least a principal’s license. She said she was working with Michael Svendsen on an alternative administrative degree. She also confirmed that MA’s Director of Academics, Tina Leone, is still part-time and would be assisted by the person they hire in the new instructional coach role.

Finally, Belisle asked to understand the Special Education (SPED) department and why the positions of school psychologist, social worker, and counselor were necessary. McClellan said that she had reviewed MA’s charter contract with the district and was surprised to see it was on a fully insured model where every employee would be approved or provided by the school district. This is not how things work now, she said, and she would be seeking an amendment to the charter contract to better define roles and revenue related to SPED. Once she has that, she will be better able to walk through it with the board, but in the meantime, these roles are placeholders in the organization chart.

Board member Joe Bukowski asked about budgeting for school resource officers (SROs) and the collectability of instructional fees. McClelland explained that a second SRO was in the budget under safety and security as a contracted position from the Monument Police Department, along with additional sensors to detect propped doors. She said that principals recently went through the list of outstanding fees and contacted parents, some of whom had not reviewed their Infinite Campus accounts. There will be a more proactive process going forward, she said, noting that MA could limit privileges such as checking out a library book or walking at graduation for students with outstanding fees.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• 
  Board Vice President Lindsay Clinton spotlighted Amanda Peters, a parent, for bringing her event-planning skills to MA’s Boot, Scoot, and Bid fundraiser. Dicus reported that the event was a great success, raising over $129,000, which would impact salaries, contributions toward benefits, and a second school resource officer.
  
• 
  The board unanimously approved changes to MA’s bylaws specifying that the board may not include MA employees or their immediate family and declaring that a director shall be deemed to have resigned in the event they have two unexcused absences.
  
• 
  The board set its summer retreat date for 9 a.m. July 13 ahead of its regular meeting.
  
• 
  Clinton said that Board Café chats would resume in August.
  
• 
  Graham said the first preconstruction meeting for the recirculation road around the West Campus was held on the morning of May 11 at the Wilson & Co offices. They will be mobilizing equipment on May 22 and breaking ground shortly.
  
• 
  Graham thanked the MA West Campus Parent-Teacher Organization for reaching out about a shade structure. He spoke with contractors at a pre-construction meeting about doing this work at the same time.
  
• 
  Board member Michael Geers reported on the School Accountability and Advisory Committee (SAAC) West end-of-year survey, which recommended the school put out a video on how to use the carline and hopes to see PTO events better promoted.
  
• 
  Board member Emily Belisle reported that the SAAC East end-of-year survey had 39 responses, whose greatest concern was mid-year teacher turnover. The committee recommends that the board remain dedicated to staff pay and retention, aligning curriculum, expanding extracurricular activities, and developing school spirit and meaningful traditions.
  
• 
  After the adjournment of the May 11 board meeting, Calvin Yuen, a student, spoke against the board’s cancelation of an eSport event, saying the club was trying to make money for something students are passionate about.
  
• 
  After the executive session following the special meeting on May 25, the board reported that member Danny O’Brien has resigned from the board.
  

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, June 8, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)

• Board members selected
• Positive financial report
• Handling snow days
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

At its April 13 regular meeting, the Monument Academy board selected the sole two candidates as board members, heard positive updates from its interim finance director, and discussed how to handle snow days for the remainder of the school year. The board also heard committee updates.

Board members selected

Vice President Lindsay Clinton had announced in January that two board seat terms were ending on June 30—that of Graham and of Michael Geers, who had been appointed to fill a vacancy. She said there were only two applicants for the seats—Graham and Michael Ross, so there was no need to proceed to an election. She gave the two candidates a chance to speak.

Ross said he had three children at MA and a 2-year-old at home. He said his family loves MA and is committed to their children’s education. He lives in Palmer Lake, runs a small business, and is deeply invested in the community and the next generation. He is an executive pastor at Pikes Peak Christian Church in Colorado Springs in Security-Widefield, where he deals with staff and budget issues. He said he has been in the ministry for 21 years, and his experience is very applicable to what the school board needs. He holds conservative Christian values and is looking for the opportunity to serve. Ross said in the last couple of years, he began observing what was happening in the country, and his eyes were wide and shocked. He believes that children are under attack both physically and spiritually, and he and his wife have decided that this is the time for parents to speak up.

Graham read from a written statement and said he was honored and grateful to have the opportunity to seek re-election. He felt that MA was one of the last beacons of hope, was at the forefront of radical ideologies, and needed to be willing to protect the innocence of children. He also said he was part of MA’s course correction and believes the school is on the cusp of greatness. He spoke of some of the board’s accomplishments of the past three years, including resolutions against critical race theory, testifying at the capitol against anti-charter legislation, and giving voice to parents. He said his vision over the next three years would be to continually stand firm against culture wars, a perpetual battle. He is also committed to ensuring MA can restructure its bonds before its balloon payment of $29 million comes due in 2026, among other goals.

Clinton made a motion to approve by acclamation that Ross and Graham would begin three-year terms beginning July 1. The board unanimously approved this motion.

Positive financial report

MA’s financial consultant, Glenn Gustafson, reported that the school was in a rhythm where it was closing month-end in a timely manner, getting payroll posted, getting the bank reconciliation done, balancing the books each month, and getting the financial results to the board.

He reported a meeting with Brett Ridgway, District 38’s chief business officer, to review several line items that resulted in additional revenue streams that had not yet been distributed to MA. Those revenues have been received and recorded in the March financial statements and have improved MA’s financial position. One example was a Colorado state check for capital funding for FY2021 that was recently received by Lewis-Palmer School District and was quickly remitted to MA. He called attention to the end of the financial report, which showed the elementary school in positive territory with $100,000 net income year to date, noting that the secondary was lagging with a negative amount of $70,000 but was much improved from previous months. Gustafson said it sets MA up well to get through the remainder of the year to be in a much better position than initially thought.

He also dug into administrative costs with Ridgway, mutually discovering outdated allocations, which will be revised for FY22-23.

Gustafson also reported that MA is earning 4.5% on its market account with Integrity Bank, which he called “fantastic.” He still wants to proceed with opening a ColoTrust account, as approved by the board in its January meeting, with a small balance so it could be used easily. The ColoTrust interest is 5%, so going with Integrity Bank only loses a few basis points while supporting a valued local partner. See the article about ColoTrust at www.ocn.me/v23n2.htm#ma.

Gustafson contacted MA’s audit firm CliftonLarsonAllen CPA (CLA) about working on the tax return and will provide any additional information requested. The representative from CLA mentioned that its fees would increase from $12,000 to $30,000 with a similar increase for the school district, noting that he understood that MA might look at other options.

In his final section, Gustafson said Interim Chief Operating Officer Kim McClelland had pulled together the leadership team to work on the budget. Krista Pelley, director of People Operations, is working on the staff allocation for Gustafson to add to the budget, so they are on track with this process. He explained that traditionally, once the board approves the preliminary budget assumptions, there is a blackout period while staff builds the budget. He asked for additional time but said he was still on track to deliver the budget to the board in May for its approval by June 30, as required by law.

Gustafson explained that the Legislature was delayed in releasing the School Finance Act, which delayed the Colorado Department of Education from releasing the exact funding to each district. One serious concern was that the Legislature was considering diverting money from the cost-of-living factor to rural schools, impacting MA and D38 significantly. Local districts could see up to a $6 million loss, and several factions, including school districts, the Colorado Association of School Executives, and the Rural School Alliance, were lobbying against this change.

Note: The state Legislature dropped these changes from the School Finance Act after this board meeting.

In his Finance Committee report, board member Joe Buczkowski confirmed that, of the additional revenues found, a significant amount was applied to the East Campus, which meant the East Campus could end up in the black compared to the budgeted $376,000 loss and that there was now a very low risk that MA’s cash on hand would fall below its 2019 bond covenant requirements. He also confirmed that both First National Bank and Integrity Bank, each of which holds over $500,000 in certificates of deposit for MA, comply with the Colorado Public Deposit Protection Act, which protects deposits of public funds in excess of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) maximum of $250,000. Finally, Buczkowski said MA intended to post the director of finance position in May.

Handling snow days

High School Principal David Kennington discussed options for handling potential snow days and state instructional contact requirements. He noted that MA East could not accommodate another delay or closure after the most recent snow day and remain in compliance with state requirements. Through a joint effort of principals and the COO, the team considered three options:

1. Extending instructional hours. This could be done by converting the remaining Fridays from half to full days or adding minutes to each school day.
2. Extending the school year. This could be done by leveraging the May 19 teacher workday but is not a popular option as many parents already have made vacation plans.
3. eLearning days. Kennington said this was the preferred method, noting that Palmer Ridge High School was already doing this. eLearning would be the least disruptive and would include the opportunity for virtual meetings and synchronous or asynchronous learning leveraging free 40-minute Zoom sessions.

Kennington said most middle school teachers preferred eLearning, with high school teachers splitting between eLearning and extended days. The School Accountability Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the high school parent advisory group preferred eLearning. McClelland noted that the board did not have to vote on the decision but that she wanted them to know which option was preferred, also recounting that the school calendar has fewer half-day Fridays to avoid this issue next year. Clinton said she appreciated seeing the decision process and understood both the objections and the impacts.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• The board approved a special budget meeting at the East Campus on May 25 at 10 a.m.
• McClelland reported that she was now leading a technology committee and had put together teacher feedback, and had created a parent survey
• Graham reported that the Highway 105 expansion-related project had begun preliminary work with a drone pilot mapping out a parcel for the development of the recirculation.
• Board member Emily Belisle reported that they are in the draft stages of the new curriculum adoption policy, dividing it between main and supplemental curriculums taught to 75% and 25% of students, respectively. The math curriculum subcommittee was continuing to meet because of expected long-term changes and was looking at pros and cons and narrowing down which curricula the school should consider.
• Belisle noted that technology had been moved out of the umbrella of the curriculum committee, whose task was to home in on defining MA’s approach and intention for using technology in education. She encouraged parents to provide feedback.
• Both the East and West Campus SAAC committees reported that end-of-year surveys were being finalized and requested that parents provide feedback.
• The board adjourned to executive session to discuss security arrangements and the performance and evaluation process for administrators, returning to adjourn the meeting without further action, discussion, or public comments not pertaining to agenda items.

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy School Board articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)

Monument Academy School Board, March 9 – MA building corporation executes construction documents; board extends interim COO contract

• Recirculation road contracts executed
• Interim COO contract extended
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

At its March 9 regular meeting, members of the Monument Academy Building Corp. (MABC), which owns Monument Academy’s (MA) West Campus property, signed documents executing contracts for its recirculation construction. Also, the MA board extended the contract of its interim chief operating officer (COO).

Recirculation road contracts executed

President Ryan Graham noted that the project to build a recirculation road around MA’s West Campus had been two years in the making. The road will go around the building and field on the West Campus and recirculate the traffic, so it comes in and goes out on Village Ridge Point instead of using Highway 105. He introduced Eric Norwood of Wilson & Co. as MA’s owners’ representative and construction manager along with David Kunstle of Sparks Wilson PC as MA’s legal counsel who helped to navigate many of the third-party approvals required.

Next, he introduced the MABC board, Chris Dole, Mark McWilliams, and Joe Buczkowski. Dole and McWilliams are former MA board members, and Buczkowski is on both the MA and the MABC boards as per board bylaws. MABC, Graham explained, owns the West Campus land and building.

Each board member had access to a binder containing the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with El Paso County to acquire a small portion of MA’s West Campus land along with a non-exclusive permanent easement and two temporary easements for the county’s Highway 105 Project A widening project. The agreed-upon just compensation for this agreement is around $89,900, which is more than MA’s own appraisal. The MA board unanimously consented for the MABC board to execute the MOA with the county.

The board also considered and unanimously approved a Trade Contractor Agreement with Wildcat Construction. Graham noted that MA had received two bids and that because the project is being funded by Pikes Peak Regional Transit Authority (PPRTA), they selected the lower bid. In concert with the county, MA’s legal counsel and MA’s owners’ representative the board is advocating that this move forward. The MA board unanimously consented for the MABC board to execute this agreement.

The board also unanimously approved an indemnification agreement with Woodmoor Water and Sanitation (WWSD) to allow for the construction of a road over a conservation easement that WWSD controls on MA’s land. WWSD had approved this agreement at its own board meeting. The MA board had also previously approved an owner-engineer agreement with Wilson & Co. and added a resolution for the Board of County Commissioners to authorize MABC to execute the agreements adopted by the MA board.

McWilliams then called to order the MABC board meeting to unanimously approve the MOA with the county for the acquisition of a right of way and easements, the trade contractor agreement, the WWSD indemnification agreement, and the owner-engineer agreement. Graham asked that the MABC resolution be added, which McWilliams agreed to do. MABC recessed its meeting to sign the documents and returned to adjourn its meeting, returning control to the MA board for its meeting to continue.

Graham said that now that the agreements were signed, if all goes well the hope is to start the project by mid-May and conclude in three to four months.

Interim COO contract extended

After a lengthy executive session to discuss details of security arrangements and for negotiations regarding the COO contract, the board resumed and board member Craig Carle moved to approve interim COO Kim McClelland’s contract for the next fiscal school year, subject to contract negotiations. The board unanimously approved the motion.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• Board member Carle spotlighted teacher Debbie Kappel, who was nominated by her peers for her excellent instruction in the classroom, contributions to the curriculum committee, and always being willing to help. Kappel was not present to receive her certificate.
• The board held a budget workshop on March 21 at the West Campus.
• Carle reported that the Lynx Fund was currently at $75,000 of its $500,000 goal with an additional $23,000 if proceeds from the Gala are included. He said MA had started filming for a commercial to show the community where the fundraising is going.
• Financial consultant Glenn Gustafson reported that the FY21-22 financial audit from independent auditors CliftonLarsonAllen LLP was online and received a clean, unmodified opinion. The document includes a long-term view called the statement of net position as well as a short-term statement of activities. He noted recommendations on the segregation of duties and regular reconciliation of accounts between MA and D38.
• The board unanimously approved resolutions authorizing a change of authorized signers for Integrity Bank and First National Bank.
• Board member Emily Belisle reported that the School Accountability Advisory Committee (SAAC) East had seen an in-depth presentation on NWEA (formerly Northwest Evaluation Association) results for middle school math from Principal Collin Vinchattle, which resulted in a decision to stay the course with MA’s math curriculum for the next school year. Moving forward, MA is looking at increasing testing for middle school core subjects at the beginning, middle, and end of the year so it has data to make decisions.
• Vice President Lindsay Clinton noted that the board election applications were due March 31, and there were two applicants at the meeting: Matt Ross and Ryan Graham.

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, April 13, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other El Paso County Board of County Commissioners articles

• El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, April 10 – Two local projects approved by the county (5/3/2025)
• El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, March 13 and 18 – Misfits Crew Estates Final Plat approved (4/5/2025)
• El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, Feb. 11 – $4 million in federal funds approved for North Gate Blvd./Struthers Road stormwater project (3/1/2025)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Jan. 14 – Three commissioners sworn into office; chair and vice chair appointed (2/1/2025)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Dec. 10, 12, and 17 – Two Tri-Lakes developments approved (1/4/2025)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Nov. 5 and 14 – Approval of two Tri-Lakes developments (12/5/2024)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Oct. 8 and 15 – County presents its 2025 preliminary balanced budget (11/2/2024)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Sept. 12, 24, and 26 – Development approvals for Black Forest and Palmer Lake projects (10/5/2024)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, July 9 and 25 – Black Forest property to be divided into two lots (8/3/2024)
• El Paso Board of County Commissioners, June 13, 25, and 27 – Monument glamping expansion approved; short-term rental allowed to continue at Black Forest property (7/6/2024)

• Correction
• Financial update
• Interim COO mid-year update
• Updated calendar
• Middle School uniform policy amended
• Public comment on reasons for withdrawing
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

Correction

In the Feb. 4 edition of OCN, the MA article misstated that Graham was term-limited. In March 2022, the board amended its bylaws to clarify term limits and Graham can run for a second term. OCN regrets the error.

At its Feb. 9 regular meeting, the Monument Academy (MA) board heard an update from its financial consultant and interim chief operating officer (COO), discussed the proposed school calendar, updated the middle school uniform policy, and heard committee updates. After the meeting adjourned, the board heard from a parent about withdrawing her student to home-school.

Financial update

Glenn Gustafson, MA’s financial consultant, reported that he had been working diligently on integrating into MA’s financial systems. He spent time in the past month on the annual bond deadlines for compliance reporting. He said he was working on payroll posting, the general ledger, and bank reconciliation. He noted that the board should have the quarterly statement in its new Colorado Department of Education (CDE)-compliant format. The new format, Gustafson said, is easier to read and shows the balance sheet, bond information, and school information with graphs and charts. This will be more user-friendly for the board and community and will benefit the school in the long run, he said. The report will also be on the school’s financial transparency page at https://www.monumentacademy.net/financial-transparency/.

Interim COO mid-year update

Interim COO Kim McClelland began by acknowledging the work it took to open MA in 1996 with 180 students and grow it into a thriving public charter school. She said her goal for the work that she and Gustafson are doing is to provide hope, sustainability, and cohesiveness.

The last strategic plan was done in 2016, and she wants to take that work and build upon it to provide a living document that will be updated and monitored. One key update she recommends is simplifying the mission and vision statement. Since she started, she has felt the need to bring the two campuses together as one unified community and build trust and collaboration between them.

McClelland highlighted activities in the previous 53 days, including revising financial systems by updating them for compliance, creating efficiencies, and beginning budget development. She also discussed ensuring the secondary campus complies with its bond covenants and reviewing service contracts to see if they are an efficient way to do business.

McClelland provided the following additional updates:

• MA will have its first high school graduating class next year and will continue to focus on character development and partnership with parents. MA will review the special-education process and working with the district. MA needs more assessment data, more often to show results from beginning, middle, and end of the year on a dashboard. This would allow MA to fine-tune the academic program. She will review a draft of curriculum development policy with the curriculum
• She is conducting a survey of staff in elementary and secondary schools to make informed decisions and budget for devices since the Colorado Measures of Success (CMAS) testing is moving to devices only.
• Saxon math is going away, so MA needs to determine a replacement.
• Work on the modulars at East Campus should be complete by spring break. Both campuses need maintenance work. She is looking at staffing a facilities manager to cover both buildings and updating facility rental processes and costs.
• MA needs to improve communication and consistency around discipline. She has started a discipline matrix with level one for classroom disruptions through level three for very serious matters. MA needs to determine how often and when it does in or out-of-school suspensions, follow state law while ensuring conversations with the social worker and counselors but leave room for administration to have decision autonomy.

McClelland also touched on Title 9 training, the mandatory reporting process, enrollment, safety and security, the recirculation project at West Campus, athletics, outreach and communication with parents, outside committees and group alignment, the fundraising campaign, marketing and branding, and partnerships with the community and D38.

Updated calendar

McClelland reported that a survey of teachers showed a preference to stay with the current calendar and stay close to the D38 calendar. For the 2023-24 proposed calendar, some of the professional development days were moved along with the April teacher appreciation day off. She discussed using a new calculator to ensure MA complies with state contact hour requirements. She noted that extra snow days are built into the calendar but that if they were not needed, MA could adjust the last day of school. She also wants to create a draft calendar for the following year to allow people to plan.

The board unanimously approved the 2023-24 calendar for grades K-6 and 6-12 as presented.

Middle School uniform policy amended

President Ryan Graham noted that this was a formality based on the previous month’s decision to allow middle schoolers to wear team athletic wear. Board member Joe Buczkowski said he did his best to draft changes to the policy that were approved but not codified at the last meeting.

Buczkowski added athletic apparel in its own section, saying that athletic polo shirts and fleece jackets may be part of the daily uniform and polos must be tucked in. He also took the opportunity to fix some small typos and font issues.

The board voted 5 to 1 to approve the policy as amended, with board member Emily Belisle voting no after requesting a discussion of some oversight for the potential duplication with fundraising groups in the school.

Public comment on reasons for withdrawing

After the board returned from a nearly two-hour executive session discussing security arrangements, a contract for school administration, and the evaluation of the interim school leader and finance team, it adjourned after taking no action.

The next agenda item allowed for citizen comments not pertaining to an agenda item, and Tanya Santiago explained why she had withdrawn her children to home-school them. She said she originally selected MA due to its stance against critical race theory and gender and identity confusion.

However, she became concerned when the middle school principal explained at an assembly why Capturing Kids Hearts was an amazing social-emotional learning (SEL) program. She said she shouldn’t have to explain to a truly conservative school board why SEL poses such a huge threat. She quoted from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) organization that SEL is anchored in the notion of justice-oriented citizenship and discusses issues of culture, identity, agency, belonging, and engagement. She said that to her, that is socialism.

She also noted that a high school substitute teacher had their class debate the COVID-19 vaccine by physically segregating kids based on their opinion. She felt that no child should be easily identifiable as having been vaccinated or not and felt it was a horrible idea to have a debate class cover such a hot-button issue. When she spoke with Principal David Kennington, he asked her if she understood the classical education model that MA offered.

Finally, she noted that a suicide prevention program like Sources of Strength required student participation, raising the concern that if one student failed to recognize that another was planning to commit suicide, the damage would be irreversible. She also said the program was so secret that parents were required to go to the D38 administration building and leave their cell phone off so they could not photograph it.

She had a lot of hope for MA, she said, but it didn’t work out so her kids would now be home-schooled.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• The board updated its list of authorized signers for its Integrity Bank CDs to replace those no longer at the school.
• Board member Craig Carle spotlighted three staff members: Loura Polen, Krista Pelley, and Lena Gross who dropped everything to help gather bond information that was needed.
• Graham reported for the Highway 105 committee that he would call a special meeting for the MA Building Corp. and the MA Foundation to execute documents with Wilson & Co. to allow the “recirculation project” to get started. The project is designed to have traffic go around the school and stay off Highway 105.
• Carle reported that the Lynx Fund Annual Campaign had raised 15% or $75,000 of its $500,000 goal. He met with a videographer to discuss creating a commercial about the fundraising goal.
• Board member Michael Geers said the West Campus School Accountability and Advisory Committee (SAAC) was working on its end-of-year survey, and the parent-teacher organization was recruiting.
• Belisle reported that the East Campus SAAC had reviewed its survey results, posted them on the website under the school board, and written a letter to the board with its recommendations. The letter noted a high level of satisfaction with academic progress and room to streamline communications between parents and teachers.
• The board set March 21 at 9 a.m. as the time for a 90-minute budget work session. The location is to be determined.

**********

The MA School Board meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, March 9, at 6 p.m. at the East Campus. See more information at see https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, May 8, 9 and 29 – Board adjusts budget for low enrollment, anticipates tax credit revenue (6/7/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, April 10 and 24 – Proposed high school dress code draws concerns (5/3/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 26 and March 13 – Board returns focus to gender ideology, hears concerns about discipline enforcement (4/5/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 13 – Board expresses interest in Grace Best building (3/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 6 and 9 – Board hears bond refinancing, action plan (2/1/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 17 – Board hears academic dashboard report (1/4/2025)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)