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Board approves governance change to emergency-superintendent succession plan and confirms committee appointments
Summary
The board approved a policy change allowing building administrators to be named in an emergency-superintendent succession list and voted to approve a specific succession list; the board also approved DAC and SAC committee membership as presented and approved the consent agenda and agenda for the meeting.
The Woodland Park School District Board of Education approved revisions to its governance policy and approved a named emergency succession plan for the superintendent, and the board also approved this year's District Accountability Committee (DAC) and School Accountability Committee (SAC) membership.
Policy change and succession list: By roll call vote the board approved a requested revision to governance policy EE9 to permit building administrators to be named in an emergency superintendent succession plan in addition to executive staff. The board then approved the district's emergency superintendent succession plan naming Karen Hamlow, director of academics, as the first designee to serve as acting superintendent if the superintendent is unable to serve; Dr. Tori Ritchie, principal of the junior-senior high, was listed as the next designee if Hamlow were unable to serve.
Committee appointments: The board approved DAC and SAC committee membership for the 2025–26 school year as recommended by the administration. The approved lists include parents, teachers, community members, student representatives for the junior-senior high, and board member liaisons.
Other routine votes: The board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session and later approved the consent agenda (both carried on roll-call votes). The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that carried unanimously.
Vote details: Roll-call votes on the major items recorded unanimous "Aye" votes from board members present (Barkley, Bates, Kimbrell, Patterson and Westerholtz for the listed votes). Specific motions and seconds were called from the floor but individual mover/second names were not consistently recorded in the transcript for every vote.
Why it matters: The EE9 change expands the pool of administrators eligible to serve in an emergency acting-superintendent role, reflecting current administrative staffing constraints. DAC and SAC appointments set parent and community representation for school-improvement and accountability activities.
What the board will do next: The board directed staff to implement the succession plan and to notify committee members; no additional action was required at the meeting.
