[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6136718,"mediaKeyId","5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8","parentId",5615286,"title","Trustees ask to add legal-category to financial monitoring; bond committee says 2016 projects nearly complete, 2024 program under way","audioSeconds",1441,"startMs",3341000,"endMs",4782000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8&start=3341&end=4782","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8/thumbnail_3341000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6136718/Colorado/Trustees-ask-to-add-legal-category-to-financial-monitoring-bond-committee-says-2016-projects-nearly-complete-2024-program-under-way","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136718-8668325182b653bd890fbeef29a0c1a2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199319&Signature=T-YuPfB-M2GzT-~RL3tHOxd07R8zN4H5C6~Mcy5JA8fdJnjHyocvR0dLhpzUoZv6Snx58wUNhwWIlb2eUchZ750tkQoucvu~ltYBfwtS~kOHX5ZLKFmSzfEIjKwVTSpw5AyneUj7SN21cFDHq3gTq7EJvuaRTIRcGj81Yc3aZKOlDGd-0oVYiAZ539omoM9t1yH~beSk9Dl9YH2jZi70ARvwAMb4sAiWpGmq2si2-p6l35Fm8OulUklbSbApD6WJ~--klTukcC1A4VbvNGi60C0hOGLKXfg8Kjkic4b2eudlzqoDS8cYg2Q5Z4w6uSXpF6CTlQEDD9zJCghLcY65jw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Academy School District, CO","date","2025-08-18T00:00:00Z","article","Board members on Aug. 11 asked staff to include a standalone legal category in the executive-limits (EL 2.6) financial monitoring report so trustees can see legal spending alongside other budget lines. Director Shandy (board president) and Director Wilburn raised the item while reviewing the district's financial monitoring packet.

\"All of these categories are included, it's just that one that is not,\" President Shandy said, requesting legal be added as a tracked line item. Deputy Becky Allen and other staff explained that legal fees often post to different departmental budgets (special education, HR, facilities) and that a September report will include a more comprehensive reconciliation.

At the monthly finance review, staff explained a midyear budget projection had expected the district to consume about $13.4 million of unassigned fund balance for fiscal 2024-25; preliminary year-end accounting showed a consumption closer to $5.2 million, a difference largely explained by lower-than-budgeted salary expenditures. District staff said salary underspending accounted for roughly $7.8 million of the difference and cautioned that the numbers were still being finalized as year-end accounting continued.

The Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) reported that projects authorized by the 2016 bond are essentially complete and that the remaining balance is expected to be reconciled and reallocated at midyear. David Brockway, a longtime CBOC member, said the 2016 bond is about 99.8% expended with roughly $2.2 million unencumbered; staff said any remaining funds will be moved per audit and reconciliations. For the 2024 bond program, the first tranche was funded this year and early work and \"soft costs\" (surveys, geotechnical services) are under way. Brockway told trustees about initial work at Rampart High School and other projects and said roughly 7% of the 2024 bond funds had been expended as of the report.

Trustees praised the CBOC and project staff for completing the 2016 work and for promptly starting 2024 projects. Director Wilburn asked a clarifying question about document-scanning costs that remain unspent and was told the scanning scope had been completed and some budget remained unneeded.

Ending: Trustees asked staff to add a legal spending line or tagging method to future EL 2.6 monitoring reports and to provide the September comprehensive reconciliation; the CBOC will meet again in October to report on 2024-bond project progress.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","August 14, 2025 Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Board members asked that legal expenses be added to the executive-limits financial monitoring report; the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee reported the 2016 bond projects are essentially complete and the first tranche of the 2024 bond is being spent on soft costs and school projects.","taxTitle","Academy School District No. 20 in the county of El, School Districts , Colorado","taxId",12900,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6136723,"Parent warns of special-education staffing shortfall; district pledges quarterly updates",161,6678000,6839000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8&start=6678&end=6839","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8/thumbnail_6678000.jpg","/articles/6136723/Colorado/Parent-warns-of-special-education-staffing-shortfall-district-pledges-quarterly-updates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136723-eacf240f63807a4b05eec0eb17427db5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199319&Signature=EqSEy48dHziioU8DUz0DECM~ZCwEa0wSl587rC2cgj9vv9pandYv9um5mty2eG3xGa-J9vq~SlNmd7rmLx2UArMud4u2bSh4w6a3aJ7wF1r82xCelM-U67LBCtMNHp3qz3KDeYpZ6FIhRO-2BOI62oktfnuazTRIwM0vUeGuOIJVNkO0VWOk63axAjNIQATzZy-TVFASQdnZqBZGnvfZZY8aILRJ5lU7sJ0nedbYyX4TB4WF-8~5dSh86KoYL3UT7M8ER2yUofzpnD5wU1BCgiMT~EBMXNPVCAO~5qOgEL11qUVhoneOhur73DbyhW~zMl1w4VK92i2IGv~bFPaong__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A District 20 parent told trustees Aug. 11 that special-education vacancies are widespread and damaging services for students, and she urged the board to convert public concern into concrete action.

\"Out of 162 jobs currently listed on the D20 openings page, 57, over a third are special-education positions. This is not a small gap, it's a crisis,\" said Veronica Baker during public comment. She cited staff departures and a single-school example of losing long-standing special-education personnel to another district.

Superintendent Haber and board members said the district has already planned more transparent reporting on special-education services. Haber described a planned quarterly special-education update that will include both celebrations and challenges and said the district will highlight paraprofessional mentoring and other staffing supports proposed by staff. She specifically referenced work by Dr. Belinda Luhan Lindsey on paraeducator mentoring and said that the board's earlier request for a better narrative on special education will include challenges as well as successes.

Baker urged the district to listen to staff and families and to take concrete actions to retain and recruit special-education personnel. \"If you truly want to build a better narrative, start by listening to the community, understand the problems and take concrete steps to fix them,\" she said. Board members asked staff to report on turnover drivers and where departing staff were going.

Ending: The board did not adopt a new staffing policy at the meeting but directed the superintendent and human-resources staff to include a comprehensive special-education status report in upcoming monitoring cycles and to provide the requested data on vacancies and turnover.","A parent told trustees Wednesday that more than a third of current District 20 job postings are for special-education roles, a condition she called a \"crisis.\" The superintendent said the district will provide regular special-education updates and acknowledged both celebrations and challenges will be reported quarterly.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6136728,"Board weighs holding graduations on base after principals ask that every family be allowed on campus",3393,3103000,6496000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8&start=3103&end=6496","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8/thumbnail_3103000.jpg","/articles/6136728/Colorado/Board-weighs-holding-graduations-on-base-after-principals-ask-that-every-family-be-allowed-on-campus","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136728-dab7b7c2bd8e033451c128af58449a57/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199319&Signature=atW-o-RLj2wXE-dR70l-8k91DYJCuUU0Sz849a702lWe6bqaX-kME01kWGQNNPsFfEjYeAy8IXmr06OSsZq4XeayPEYQOQzl~e7NbLb-XtJLxuztp2Fj7-9lzp6koxAgHnrDQigGn319PnEu29Cvx0TGnNjbCW4gDI31Txf4fLkvMIyf--bcHUkd5AJXMqdKsy-eUMHN99ymCCDi6CEQnk0LR6BQ~v8fI1RitIKwXtDtZ0K8JxYFoTs4cNFX8FLvF7u9sQeGPiPrYW~15dn9PXdYe3edrcwo3EWanBfuXx25ccC5vsaF-3P8f7N4tQYFIeJPyr234u4JvaugX~NKsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Trustees reopened a months-long discussion Aug. 11 over where to hold high-school graduations after principals told the board they want every graduate's family to be able to attend. The question hinges on whether the U.S. Air Force Academy can adopt an \"open base\" posture for graduations to allow off-base family members to enter without being turned away.

Superintendent Haber said principals were \"adamant about every single family being able to access graduation,\" and asked base partners for details about possible access arrangements. \"If there is something we can work out there, we'd love that because Clune is amazing,\" Haber said.

Colonel Herndon, the new U.S. Air Force Academy board liaison, described the open-base posture the Academy sometimes uses for public events: a controlled route and cordon that permits attendees to drive on to the base with identification and assigned parking. He gave FanFest as a recent example of an open posture and said the Academy also offers digital access/QR code options for vetted visitors. \"It doesn't mean gates are open and everyone's driving in without being stopped,\" he told trustees. \"Essentially, we set a route and cordon to allow individuals access to key facilities that they're attending.\"

Trustees and staff asked for specific data before deciding. Superintendent Haber said the district requested numbers of families who had previously been unable to access on-base ceremonies; the board received one data point cited in discussion: at one high school, 11 families out of about 300 reported exclusion from last year's ceremony because they could not get on base. Board members asked staff and base security to follow up immediately; Colonel Herndon said he would meet with his team and provide a fuller description of access options.

Board members debated logistical trade-offs. Director Wilburn said District 20 Stadium can seat roughly 3,500 with room for additional seating and said weather, traffic egress and parking present challenges at on-base outdoor sites. \"If we do move to the outdoor venue, I think there are logistical concerns that need to be considered,\" Wilburn said, citing egress, parking and the difficulty of doing three graduations in a single day at an outdoor stadium. Director Payne and others emphasized principals' priority that \"every family\" have access to their student's milestone.

Superintendent Haber told trustees she and her staff would collect additional data from principals and work with base security; Colonel Herndon said he would confer with his security forces commander and provide details on the open-base posture and QR-code procedures. The board asked staff for those details \"by the end of the day tomorrow\" so trustees could make an informed decision.

Ending: No final venue decision was made. The superintendent and Colonel Herndon agreed to follow up with specific, written information about open-base procedures, historical access data, and any limitations so the board could decide whether graduations can be held on base without excluding families.","District 20 trustees and staff discussed whether to hold 2026 graduations on the U.S. Air Force Academy (Clune Arena) or at District 20 Stadium after principals said some families had been excluded from on-base ceremonies; the board asked base liaison and staff to provide access details by the next day.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6136733,"Public and board clash over proposed governance changes, public commenters warn of legal risk",105,2983000,3088000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8&start=2983&end=3088","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615286-df7e9c52539effd34ab5abe5e49deaa8/thumbnail_2983000.jpg","/articles/6136733/Colorado/Public-and-board-clash-over-proposed-governance-changes-public-commenters-warn-of-legal-risk","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6136733-d03ab6e5efb0ff46e00926bc7562ae54/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199319&Signature=Todpr2rc5MCbxA-r~ge7aU~HyhtB5CQHUVxu-j4MZJzoZtkU6h7K30zoER7b1n3IpiPM5JNGhyFoh0cye7igobC3Dqmk3hZS5M6l~37MIbN0JAsizIKww9tVgbmTo7RoFbuW9wpwj6p6JVfNbnaREdNNajnl5f4t5CNRaWglNkHNMd41qwrvU05gqcBg8p6BtR0HzcJH4iiRcJBMnCoyWAba9BagYdxgbRsWFEoYF~GytG1UXCLL1XOiUyI1b6dexGi7SzLDN5bXZc8MBP9jbGmhG9YpJqaW3U-q9BCK7Ds2ULgg-HZXc9npcYwEEWvt3GXyXLXNkONbYZ6QT4T1Ag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District 20 trustees spent part of their Aug. 11 meeting hearing sharply critical public comment about a proposed set of governance changes identified in meeting materials as resolution 02/4825. The resolution, tabled at a prior meeting, prompted multiple speakers to urge the board not to adopt language that, they said, would reduce public participation and shift authority from administrators to trustees.

Supporters of the existing policy-governance model said the proposed change would concentrate power and undermine professional management of schools. At least one public commenter said the draft changes could conflict with state and federal law. \"Now your changes to the board meeting agenda policy strike at the core of our First Amendment rights and the Colorado Open Meetings Law,\" said Alyssa Furia, a public commenter. \"The new rule that only registered speakers may deliver comments even on behalf of someone else effectively silences the voices of community members who cannot attend in person.\"

The debate matters because the board's governance model defines the boundary between policymaking and day-to-day administration. Under the district's existing policy-governance framework, the board sets ends and high-level limits while the superintendent and administrators manage operations. Supporters of that approach said it preserves professional decision-making by educators and avoids micromanagement.

During public comment, speakers from different perspectives urged the board to slow down. Cindy Feskin, a retired principal, told trustees the current model allows administrators to \"develop and implement the steps to meet\" board goals and asked the board to reject 02/4825 to avoid shifting operational control to trustees. \"Please reject resolution 02/4825 so the board continues to govern, not manage, the education of our students,\" Feskin said.

Other commenters framed the draft changes as a threat to transparency and to constitutional protections. Alyssa Furia alleged the revisions gave the presiding officer broad discretion to curtail or end public comment and warned of potential legal conflicts with the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments.

Board members acknowledged public concern and said they planned additional outreach and education before any final action. Vice President Khan said the board would host a roundtable and additional discussions; Director Payne asked that outside experts be invited to future sessions to explain governance models and legal boundaries.

The board postponed any vote on the resolution during the meeting. No formal action to adopt new governance language was taken; the item remains under study. Trustees repeatedly emphasized they are seeking public input and additional information before changing policy.

Trustees and community members asked for a deliberate review process: targeted briefings for the public, scheduled study sessions, and the involvement of governance experts. Director Payne suggested inviting external advisers including representatives from the Colorado Department of Education and other governance experts to a future roundtable. The board did not set a final date for further action.

Ending: The board did not act on resolution 02/4825 at the Aug. 11 meeting. Trustees and staff said they will schedule additional discussion and public outreach so that the board can consider legal guidance and stakeholder input before any policy change.","District 20 trustees heard sustained public concern Wednesday about proposed changes to the board's governance process, resolution 02/4825, and several speakers said the revisions risk violating state and federal law and would amount to micromanagement of schools.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Trustees ask to add legal-category to financial monitoring; bond committee says 2016 projects nearly complete, 2024 program under way

Parent warns of special-education staffing shortfall; district pledges quarterly updates

Board weighs holding graduations on base after principals ask that every family be allowed on campus

Public and board clash over proposed governance changes, public commenters warn of legal risk