There isn’t a tougher volunteer role in Grand County than serving on a school board. I’m grateful for those who step up to serve in these seats. Everyone should offer them support as well as thoughtful input when they wrestle with important issues. 

Board members are often in awkward spots not of their own making. Hot-button policy issues are frequently forced upon local districts by our state government that has been controlled by one side of aisle since 2018 . In contrast, Grand County has thoughts that are significantly diverse and conservative-leaning if you’re willing to gage by political affiliation which is 18% Democrat, 29% Republican, and 53% unaffiliated/other.

In addition to one-sided state government, the 22-member board guiding the Colorado Association of School Boards is 50% Democrat, 32% unaffiliated/other, and 18% Republican according to voterrecords.com. The association is a key entity that provides districts with model policies that incorporate requirements imposed by state authorities — but sometimes it goes even further. 

The association issued a model policy in response to HB24-1039 which permits students to change their preferred name at school for any reason, including gender identity, but was silent on parental notification. Inexplicably, the association’s policy gave districts the option to inform parents (or not) prior to implementing the student’s request. Why do this in response to legislation so radical that even a handful of Democrat legislators voted no? It’s anybody’s guess because the association’s board discussions, history of policy revisions, and board voting records are not disclosed to the public.

Nonetheless, the East Grand Board of Education passed the model policy without revision with two dissenting votes objecting because they believed parents should absolutely be informed.

Please consider voting for school board candidates who are willing to think independently and who won’t automatically adopt what the association serves up.