Gross salaries and conduct in Cherry Creek Schools
Re: “Growing Cherry Creek Schools scandal is a warning for other districts,” April 19 editorial
Regarding The Denver Post¶¶Ņõap coverage on the Cherry Creek Schools scandal, the superintendent and his wife (who was head of HR for the district), I appreciate the information that was shared regarding the district¶¶Ņõap spending with a consultant and questionable travel spending.
Two additional observations: I believe it is obvious the two administrators were spending district money unethically; I also think the school board should be held accountable. They approved the $3 million spend with the consultant.
Second, Iām a little surprised there are no questions being raised about a superintendent knocking down a $330,000 plus base salary and his wife collecting almost a quarter of a million in annual salary. If you compare those salaries to senior executives in Fortune 500 companies, those salaries would be commensurate with roles with huge responsibilities, both managerial and financial. That would dwarf Cherry Creek Schoolās annual budget and personnel headcount.
All this in an environment where politicians like Jeff Bridges (running for state treasurer who lives in the Cherry Creek school district) whine and snivel about his associates in the teachersā union not having the funds to effectively teach our kids. They want to circumvent the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to add ārevenueā (the word politicians use in place of the word the rest of us use, ātaxesā) to fund initiatives like hiring consultants and paying half a million dollars in salary to two nepotistic bureaucrats. That needs to be called out as well.
James Massey, Englewood
Elitism is on full display in The Denver Post editorial about an issue of expenditures in Cherry Creek Schools. Apparently, those of us who have lived and served in the ālesserā school districts must have boundless corruption and scandal if such a thing can happen in the great and mighty (and rich) Cherry Creek Schools.
John Gudvangen, Denver
Thanks to the editorial board for its call for greater scrutiny of education consulting contracts. Elected school board members sometimes forget their primary responsibility is to hire and evaluate the superintendent. That seems to have been the case at Cherry Creek Schools, and the boardās failure is a costly lesson for taxpayers.
Given the Post editorial boardās concern for state spending, I look forward to the board now turning its attention to a e that has recently come to light. In short, the mechanism used to provide partial state funding for homeschool and private-school students is now paying for those students to attend soccer camps, horseback riding classes, gymnastics and jiu-jitsu classes.
Private companies and individuals contract with districts and education co-ops to offer these programs, apparently with no quality standards and little transparency or accountability. The taxpayer-funded programs are not available to students enrolled in public schools.
Chalkbeat Colorado reports that one program authorizer, Education reEnvisioned Board of Cooperative Educational Services, this year will collect about $45 million from enrichment program students. ERBOCES, not surprisingly, has increased by tenfold its number of homeschool enrollees in just four years.
The education co-op has no elected board to call to account. But Iām sure the editorial board would agree that increased oversight of these costly āenrichment programsā is as sorely needed as oversight of the educational consultant contracts in public school districts.
Karen Francisco,Ā Littleton
Bias isn’t the enemy, fixed thinking is
Re: “Leaning left in the Sunday letters to the editor,” April 19 letters to the editor
The writer bemoans the bias in the selection of letters to be published by the editor of the Perspective section before revealing his own bias, right of center.
The problem with our politics is not that each of us is biased. A lack of bias among a paperās editorial staff would really be news. The problem in our politics is the fixed thinking and stubbornness that ossify our bias.
My father, a very wise man, was never a fan of Chinese food. Yet he always softened his stance by admitting that perhaps 1 billion people couldnāt all be wrong. Two hundred fifty years ago our political forebears softened their biases and brought forth something new and remarkable.
Now we fill a bathtub with the byproduct of fixed thinking, smugness and condescension so that we might drown our birthright. No laughing matter. Better we let our biases become somewhat plastic and consider that although we may dislike X, 10,000 or 10 million people canāt all be wrong.
Len Esparza,Ā Fort Collins
My beloved father, for whom my dachshund Harry is named, listened to Rush Limbaugh the way I listen to classical music. Once, he asked me why most colleges and universities were more liberal than conservative. Without wanting to hurt his feelings, I simply replied, āI think it has something to do with being educated.ā
The letter writer laments that The Denver Post is likewise left-leaning, but he finds entertainment in the op-ed pages. This is similar to the gales of laughter in my household when I watch Karoline Leavitt attempt to explain the unexplainable: namely, the words and behavior of her guru.
Craig Mashall Smith,Ā Highlands Ranch
A water crisis is enveloping Colorado and the West
The number of recent articles in The Denver Post on the water crisis enveloping Colorado and the Southwest is alarming and consequential in many ways.Ā However, Colorado farmers and communities should not be sacrificed to enable the ridiculous growth sprawl of the lower basin states. Why should upper Colorado River basin states like Colorado have to suffer more damaging water restrictions just to allow the lower basin states like Arizona and Utah to continue their unchecked growth and residential sprawl development?
Consider this. Arizona’s rapid low-density residential development sprawl is driven by its rabid encouragement of ever more population growth. This sprawling, unchecked population growth just increases water demand. Arizona’s population has exploded, from 2.9 million in 1982 to over 7.6 million in 2025. The state’s population is projected to balloon further with even more residential sprawl and water demands, while harming its environment and natural lands. But land developers and speculators reap huge profits, the state and local governments gleefully do their bidding.
And Utah? Same story of unchecked population growth and sprawl development. St. George, Utah, is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the United States. St. George has outpaced the nation in water-gobbling population growth since the 1970ās and has grown more than 40% since the 2010 census.
Colorado should not be made to endure more harm while lower basin states do little to stop the sprawling water-eating development mess they continue to make in their states.
Edward Talbot,Ā Grand Junction
I appreciate the April 9th article, āWhat you need to know about Front Range drought restrictions.ā We need to be talking more about water conservation and responsible water use. I canāt help but wonder why Colorado lawmakers aren’t putting necessary focus on large-scale data centers, which would further threaten our water security. They are huge consumers of water for both cooling and energy purposes. Additionally, some lawmakers are entertaining ridiculous tax incentives for companies. We do not have the water or the state funds to support this. Why are lawmakers luring these water guzzlers here when we have had record-low snowpack, and most Colorado communities clearly do not have water to spare? Colorado legislators need to vote no on HB26-1030 and save our water for us.
Kate Seppala, Boulder
As a homeowner, I’m fine with Denver’s watering restrictions, particularly if I can be convinced that large “special customers” are doing their part to conserve. Like the Rockies, Broncos, Rapids, public and private golf courses, and the city parks dept. Having your own well shouldn’t get you off the hook.
Jeffrey Stroh, Denver
Water is a finite resource. TimeĀ is short, our aging MotherĀ Colorado River is simply wearing out. WeĀ needĀ solutions that stretch our creativity and her resources. Innovative, imaginativeĀ solutions that meet growth in population, business and agricultural needs. The Colorado is our mother. We owe her care in her retirement.Ā Time is short.
David L Stevenson, Denver
Colorado Connector rail service
Re: “Front Range rail is nostalgic but will 19th century technology answer 21st century challenges?” April 19 guest commentary
The recent commentary on the Colorado Connector rail service was supportive of moving ahead. It¶¶Ņõap worth pointing out that this isnāt the first time a passenger rail service has been implemented in this general area. From 1904 to 1926, the Denver & Interurban Railroad ran electric trams along the so-called Kite Line route from Denver to Boulder, making intermediate stops in Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, and Superior. This was a time when roads were primitive, and the need was to link cities with rural areas.
One hundred years on, and we are reintroducing that type of service, which makes some sense as a way of creating an alternative transportation backbone from Denver northward. But, for this to be useful (besides creating stations along the proposed route), we need to understand the interconnection of transportation systems with those stations, since development of the cities along the rail route today extends far away from the rail line. Sorting out the plan for how passengers get from a station to where they really want to go in a seamless and efficient way, whether it¶¶Ņõap by driverless taxis, vans or local shuttle bus services, is an important missing piece of the puzzle.
David Feineman,Ā Broomfield
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
