Dear Board of Education, Diane and Janella,
I really wonder if you stand what you presented tonight? We are all aware there were a lot of questions presented from the voters as was apparent in your need to combine inquiries into paragraph long questions with multiple bullet points for the canidates to answer in just 90 seconds; so it perplexes me why we needed to circle back and allow for a follow up question directed specifically to Dr. Macaulay as to who he raised funds from?
Why did we need a moderator for such tripe? We could have just let the public shout their questions out and let the loudest have the floor. A question I submitted of “As a canidate for BOE what is your thought on the the surplus land the District is holding and would as a member of the board have any thoughts on how those lands might generate money for the district” was seemingly ignored as it was not asked but I am glad each canadate got to have 90 seconds to answer ‘why Brian Macaulay received a campaign donations from known conservatives!’
Could you please practice what you preach and keep politics out of this non-partisan race amongst four persons who have chosen to answer the call to public service? You should be ashamed, I am for you.
The bias in what you allowed your body to present tonight was not only unbecoming of what your district stands for but did not help inform voters of the candidates’ viewpoints on issues that really matter to their constituents. Our district is facing real issues of declining enrollment, school closures, which causes over crowding at all grade levels, teacher burnout cyberbullying and an epidemic of suicide. Not to even mention declining proficiency in all subject matters?
$100.00 from Pete Coors?!!? Dr. Macaulay was right; that question was beyond ridiculous, and the fact your staff allowed it to be asked was more than telling.
I hope the LPS District Accountability Committee takes a hard look at the way you handled this forum and is able give the voters more credit and ask questions of the canidates that really matter to the vast majority of us. Please give Mary a hard pass on the role of moderator, and Diane you might want to take that night off too!
A concerned citizen and parent of LPS student
Christopher Vincenz
A Letter to the Editor
Earlier this week, I attended a meeting and was enlightened on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Taxpayer: that’s you and me! We have to pay taxes in order to live in community where everyone benefits. This is the American Way! I get it! I like it!
Bill of Rights: Passed in 1992 TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights) accomplished two major objectives. It was created as an oversight to balance the budget and keep the control in the voter’s hands and not the Governor. After meeting our commitments, a refund was sent to us. This was an excellent way to keep the control in our hands, the people.
Don’t be fooled when in the fall of 2022, the Governor announced he was sending all of us a check out of “the goodness of his heart.” That $720 check was not because of the Governor but because of the bill that was passed called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Today the Governor is exerting his desire for control and power in attempting to eliminate the Taxpayer Bill of Rights as we know it today. Proposition HH is a tax relief plan on the November Ballot to lower property tax rates for the next ten years. It would eliminate the current six-tier TABOR refund mechanism and establish a flat refund beginning in tax year 2023 for all eligible taxpayers. Sounds good, right? Read the fine print!
Currently, the state of Colorado is in dire straits! Our legislative body is dominated by one party. The Governor is developing a reputation with scare tactics to control his Democratic Legislators. Thank you to those Democratic leaders who defied the recent Land Use Bill and followed their own conscience and voted the Bill down. They did the right thing and they should be commended for that. No legislative body should be dominated by one party. This is very unhealthy! Is there room for discussion, compromise and resolution that benefits everyone? No! I want to live in a society that encourages, supports and respects all interest and viewpoints. Our Legislature is a powerful entity and should represent all aspects of a community. Too much power and control is dangerous in any society.
I encourage you to research Proposition HH and vote this “power play” down. More importantly, if the spirit leads you, I encourage you to get involved. Let’s together, bring balance, integrity and common sense back to our Government.
Kathy Turley
Former Mayor ProTem and City Councilwoman
Centennial