Outgoing Director Kristen Allen recalls withheld June vote, urges stronger governance and transparency

Kristen Allen delivered a farewell address at the Nov. 10 Cherry Creek School District Board of Education meeting and used the occasion to explain why she did not attend the district’s June budget meeting.

"Tonight is my final board meeting," Allen said. She told the board she chose not to attend the June meeting because virtual attendance options were allowed but "not supported" and ‘‘no meaningful effort was made to use a policy that would have allowed broader participation in a meeting of enormous financial and ethical significance." Allen said the June arrangement left "only 3 members voting on decisions of extraordinary scale" and that she would not "confer legitimacy on a process I believed was wrong."

Allen framed her absence as an objection to what she described as a governance failure rather than a political maneuver. She said the board’s responsibilities include adopting an annual budget that aligns values with substantial public resources and cited figures in the meeting record, saying the district manages"1,760,000,000.00 in resources" and "over $100,000,000 in expenditures."

She also called for ongoing board development, recommending continued training "particularly through the Colorado Association of School Boards to strengthen governance, expectations, and collaboration" and urged the board to prioritize transparency, fiscal stewardship and centering students in decisions.

The remarks concluded with Allen telling colleagues, "I fought for students, treated taxpayer dollars with respect and stayed honest with my community even when it was uncomfortable." She signed off by thanking the community for the privilege of serving.

The board took no formal action on Allen’s comments during the meeting; her statement was part of the board communications portion of the agenda. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8, 2025 at Horizon Community Middle School in Aurora.