{"id":1933341,"date":"2023-05-18T11:32:25","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T15:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-unions-swarm-small-town-conservative-school-board-that-dares-to-reform-public-ed\/"},"modified":"2023-05-18T11:35:54","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T15:35:54","slug":"teachers-unions-swarm-small-town-conservative-school-board-that-dares-to-reform-public-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-unions-swarm-small-town-conservative-school-board-that-dares-to-reform-public-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservative school board faces backlash from teachers unions over public education reform in small town."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fteachers-unions-swarm-small-town-conservative-school-board-that-dares-to-reform-public-ed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1933341&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Why Woodland Park, Colorado is in the National Spotlight<\/h2>\n<p>In the small town of Woodland Park, Colorado, only 28.6% of students scored at grade level in math last year, and just 45.3% can read at grade level. The conservative school board took over 18 months ago and immediately sought to recoup the learning loss. However, district leadership is now under siege from teachers unions resisting the board\u2019s reform efforts. As reformers mount similar efforts to win and maintain school boards nationwide, they must watch the teachers union playbook unfolding in the Rocky Mountains.<\/p>\n<h3>National Attention on a Small Mountain Town?<\/h3>\n<p>Woodland Park is home to just 8,000 people, including 2,122 students. So why is a national news behemoth like NBC training its sights there? The answer may lie in reporter Tyler Kingkade\u2019s coverage, replete with factual errors and mischaracterizations that portray the board as nontransparent and hasty in advancing its reforms.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kingkade wrongly implies that in pursuing its school-choice program, the board rushed to approve the district\u2019s first charter school, Merit Academy, under a vague agenda item in January 2022.<\/li>\n<li>Kingkade frequently omits key context, particularly when mischaracterizing the board\u2019s decision to pioneer the American Birthright Standards, a traditional social studies curriculum that contrasts with Colorado\u2019s new state standards.<\/li>\n<li>Kingkade wrongly conflates mental health supports with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-diego-plan-moves-illegal-immigrants-to-the-front-of-the-line-for-in-person-education\/\" title=\"San Diego Plan Moves Illegal Immigrants To The Front Of The Line For In-Person Education\">social-emotional learning<\/a> (SEL), making district leadership seem heartless for not reapplying for $1.2 million in grants purported to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aclu-negotiating-with-biden-administration-to-give-deported-illegal-immigrants-permanent-status-compensation-and-social-services\/\" title=\"ACLU Negotiating With Biden Administration To Give Deported Illegal Immigrants Permanent Status, \u2018Compensation and Social Services\u2019\">provide mental health support<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>NBC News is exploiting controversy over education reforms in small-town America for its own agenda \u2014 misrepresenting and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/daily-mail-releases-new-evidence-of-hunter-bidens-depravity\/\" title=\"Daily Mail releases new evidence of Hunter Biden\u2019s depravity\">omitting key details<\/a> to generate a false narrative of malintent and suspicion.<\/p>\n<h3>Teachers Unions Coordinate Together<\/h3>\n<p>The Woodland Park Education Association (WPEA) organized a secret staff meeting led by Nate Owen, WPEA\u2019s president and longtime Woodland Park High School teacher. Representatives from other unions participated, including Chris Idzik of the Pikes Peak Education Association and Thad Gemski of the Colorado Springs Education Association. Their presence is revealing: As Gemski declared, according to a recording of the meeting, Woodland Park is \u201cone of the epicenters\u201d in a \u201cstatewide battle, regional battle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The teachers unions aren\u2019t converging on Woodland Park because they have extraordinary educational concerns. They\u2019re doing so because their influence and control are imperiled by a school board striving to fulfill the academic-centered agenda they were elected to accomplish.<\/p>\n<h3>What Scares the Teachers Unions<\/h3>\n<p>Union power over Woodland Park Schools has been unjustifiably strong for too long. That influence is diminishing and educational success in conservative Woodland Park jeopardizes their very existence. Teachers unions depend upon educational failures to expand membership, cement political power, and advance ideological agendas.<\/p>\n<p>The CEA resolution isn\u2019t just a political statement. It affirms the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-unions-swarm-small-town-conservative-school-board-that-dares-to-reform-public-ed\/\" title=\"Conservative school board faces backlash from teachers unions over public education reform in small town.\">anti-free-market mindset<\/a> of the teachers unions, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/founder-of-blm-in-st-paul-who-quit-group-theyre-racist-against-black-children-because-they-oppose-school-choice\/\" title=\"Founder Of BLM In St. Paul Who Quit Group: They\u2019re \u2018Racist\u2019 Against Black Children Because They Oppose School Choice\">oppose school choice<\/a> and charters. Their resistance to a successful Merit Academy is a case in point. Why be concerned if you have a superior product?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be real: Any model exposing their failures is a threat. Capitalistic competition is deemed unacceptable to teachers unions because they simply aren\u2019t about the kids. That\u2019s why teachers unions and national media care about Woodland Park, Colorado. If they successfully thwart this school board\u2019s efforts to prioritize academic achievement, cut out ideological agendas, and address learning loss, it will signal that it\u2019s open season on reform-minded school boards everywhere.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jimmy Sengenberger<\/strong> is Denver-based investigative journalist, weekly columnist with The Denver Gazette, and host of The Jimmy Sengenberger Show on Denver\u2019s News\/Talk 710 KNUS. His Twitter is @SengCenter and his website is www.JimmySengenberger.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Woodland Park, Colorado, less than 30% of students scored at grade level in math and only 45% can read at grade level. The conservative school board took action to address the learning loss after taking over 18 months ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2033,"featured_media":1933342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[4265,3664,4914,5152,3799,4353,3924,4605,9167,5038],"class_list":["post-1933341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-backlash","tag-board","tag-conservative","tag-education","tag-public","tag-reform","tag-school","tag-teachers","tag-town","tag-unions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2033"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1933341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1933342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1933341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1933341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1933341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}