Public education has long been under attack from several directions: high stakes testing that drives school closures (1), voucher schemes that benefit private schools, and the channeling of state and federal funds to charter schools (2).
Since the Pandemic Era, however, Billionaire groups and their Christian dominionist allies (3) have added a new strategy. They are taking over school boards directly and attacking public schools from within (4).
Woodland Park has experienced this takeover firsthand. Under a school board connected with Charis Bible College, the Springs Opportunity Fund, and other groups, the district has moved resources to the charter school Merit Academy, closed public schools, reduced mental health services, implemented American Birthright — a set of standards rejected by the Colorado Department of Education (5) — and proselytized in official meetings. The district also ended meet-and-confer talks with the Association, imposed an unconstitutional gag order on staff (6), and took other anti-union actions. Read supportwpschools.com for a deep dive into the recent ugly history and politics of Woodland Park.
Make no mistake: these attacks are anti-democratic. Over sixty percent of the public wants increased public school funding (7), but the billionaire class is financing “multiple crises, only to turn around and cite these same crises as reasons to adopt their free market solutions” (8). They want to “dismantle the public education system entirely and replace it with a privately run education system” (9) — a global education market valued at nearly $8 trillion and expected to grow to $10 trillion by 2030 (10).
School board takeovers are expanding to other districts, including D20, D3, and D11. The 2023 election in Academy District 20 resulted in victory for candidates using Critical Race Theory as a scare tactic and involving organizations with large dark money contributions, like the Springs Opportunity Fund (11).
The new D20 school board has become embroiled in controversies involving anti-LGBTQ agitation (12), book banning (13), and the FASTER program which would arm teachers (14). The Association is trying to engage the administration with dialogue and direct action.
PPEA staff member Chris Idzik believes that the next election cycle for school boards will be critical: “The Association needs pro-public education candidates in Cañon City and Widefield especially, among other threatened districts, and we need people who are willing to knock doors and donate money.”