Preston Middle School staff and community question district process after principal selection; worry about 4A funding allocation

Several Preston Middle School teachers and parents used the community comment segment of the Poudre School District Board of Education meeting on April 22 to protest the district's selection process for their next principal and to press for transparency in 4A funding decisions.

"We were told that the district was not looking to make major changes. We thought we would be listened to," said Chandra Byrd, a teacher at Preston who said she has taught in PSD for 21 years and 11 years at Preston. "We were told that the resounding feedback from parents and staff was to please not make big changes at Preston. We were told we would be listened to. Why were we not heard?"

The nut graf: multiple speakers said the community overwhelmingly favored naming Bill Saint, described by staff as the school's strong internal advocate, and that district leaders instead selected another candidate without local buy-in.

Teachers described a period of upheaval for Preston, including a prior year when the school was listed as potentially closed and a recent principal resignation. "Bill has been an amazing leader…His open communication, genuine interest, care and concern for our staff and students has always been heartfelt," teacher Caitlin Corcoran said. Evan Barker, another Preston teacher, said Saint "cares for us. He fights for us, and he listens to us. He's the best leader I know."

Speakers also tied the principal selection concern to larger worries about how the district is implementing the 2024 Debt-Free Mill Levy Override (Measure 4A). Tori Pappas, a member of the 4A oversight committee, said voters were promised funding to support "small neighborhood schools" and expressed concern that the word "neighborhood" has been dropped in some budget materials. "It seems that some of these funds may be allocated to schools that are not considered small and neighborhood based on PSD's own definitions," Pappas said.

Teacher Haley Alexander urged the board to ensure open, collaborative decision-making on 4A allocations and said some staff feel left out of planning teams that recommended centrally funded assistant administrators. She described cases where near-$1 million central allocations were decided by narrowly composed teams and said that erodes trust among educators who supported the levy.

Board members acknowledged the comments and said the district will consider the feedback as budget and staffing details are finalized ahead of the May and June budget deadlines. Several speakers urged the board to keep community engagement and listening sessions active and asked trustees to respond publicly to concerns about process and inclusion.

Ending: Speakers asked for clearer communication from the district and for the board to ensure future decisions affecting school leadership and 4A funding include staff and parental participation.