Woodland Park School District

Tony is following the script from Woodland Park and looking to hire the same people into our school district. Woodland Park school board was successfull in passing American Birthright Standards and have taken control over the text books and curriculum from the teachers. 40% of the teacher in Woodland Park resigned. 

 

This story is a rabbit hole and it is hard to believe this chaos is playing out in our schools right now. The Colorado Times Recorder made an in depth series on Woodland Park. Here is that series with summary to help get you up to speed faster. 

Full Article

Summary:

In Woodland Park, near Colorado Springs, a well-funded movement has seized control of the local school district, using it as a testing ground for a new chapter in the right wing’s ongoing war on public education. The saga involves banning books, controversies over “critical race theory,” and the expulsion of teachers who speak out.

Despite extensive media coverage, an ongoing investigation reveals deeper layers and unanswered questions. With connections to politically active right-wing billionaires and a hyper-political religious sect, Woodland Park is becoming a battleground in a larger nationwide strategy.

The movement aims not just to influence parents but to shape the political views of future generations, using taxpayer dollars to establish conservative indoctrination in public schools. An in-depth exploration of the forces behind this effort, the dark money groups, think tank fellows, and their shadowy influence, is the focus of an ongoing investigative series dedicated to shedding light on the Woodland Park takeover and similar threats to democratic institutions across America.

This is the first installment in a series that promises to uncover the sources of money and influence behind the Woodland Park school board takeover.

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Summary:

The central figures are Ken Witt, Woodland Park’ s current superintendent who was recalled from Jefferson County in 2015 and his ally, attorney Brad Miller, who Tony and Britton are hoping to hire in RE-2. 

The objective is not merely to diminish the public schooling system but to seize control and mold it into a tool for shaping a new generation of voters. An ongoing investigation aims to unveil the forces driving and funding this agenda, choosing Woodland Park as a testing ground for a nationwide strategy.

Witt and Miller are not local to Woodland Park and lack personal ties to the school district. Their involvement in similar initiatives elsewhere makes them specialists, project managers executing a plan crafted by larger, more obscure forces. The duo’s history, tactics, and connections to a nationwide movement provide insights into how Woodland Park became a focal point.

Ken Witt, a former engineering and IT professional turned superintendent, and Brad Miller, an attorney specializing in conservative education reform, have a decade-long partnership. They attempted a similar agenda in Jefferson County ten years ago, a saga marked by conflicts with the local teachers’ union, ousting the superintendent, and attempts to influence the curriculum.

Woodland Park reflects a déjà vu scenario, where Witt and Miller, now key figures in the school district, repeat their strategies. The aggressive political agenda includes cutting mental health funding, banning books, and firing staff for dissent. The ideological project extends to opposing the local teachers’ union, altering policies, and overseeing a significant staff exodus.

The story is complex, intentionally designed to thwart opposition. Witt’s simultaneous roles as superintendent and executive director at ERBOCES, where he can authorize new schools, add layers to the narrative. Witt and Miller’s plan now focuses on ensuring a right-wing influence in the district’s curriculum, a crucial step previously derailed in Jefferson County.

Despite Witt and Miller serving as foot soldiers, the full story extends beyond them. They are middle management executing a plan originating from national operatives, organizations, and foundations dedicated to reshaping American education. The next part of the investigation will introduce the singular distinction setting Woodland Park apart from other districts, bringing larger forces into the frame.

 
 
 

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Summary:

The Woodland Park school board’s decision to adopt the American Birthright social studies standards has led to complete educational isolation for the 2,000 students in the district. While the immediate effect is evident, the longer-term impact prompted the Colorado Board of Education to reject the standards, raising concerns about the “damaging and lasting effects” on students’ civic knowledge.

The American Birthright standards, produced by Civics Alliance, present a version of social studies criticized for lacking intellectual curiosity and encouraging rote memorization over inquiry. The curriculum has not been accepted or implemented anywhere else in the country, and its adoption in Woodland Park brings attention to a broader effort to introduce a radical right-wing approach to public schools.

Civics Alliance’s year-long push to implement the standards nationally has seen more failure than success, with Woodland Park being the only successful foothold. Despite this limited success, the American Birthright standards have direct ties to influential right-wing figures and organizations. Civics Alliance is a national coalition with ties to conservative luminaries and influential think tanks, such as the Claremont Institute.

The standards document, spanning 214 pages, outlines an explicit political strategy to influence social studies instruction, textbooks, knowledge assessments, and teacher training requirements. The goal is to change state standards by influencing textbook authors, knowledge assessment companies like the College Board, and teacher training requirements.

The content of the Birthright standards is characterized by bias, debatable claims, and outright falsehoods. Prompts in the curriculum reflect a right-wing perspective, with biased references, controversial figures, and a skewed interpretation of historical events. The document’s political wish list extends to federal, state, and local reforms, advocating for the withdrawal of federal regulation and funding from K-12 education and recommending local school boards to provide leadership and oversight for a “proper” social studies curriculum.

The document opposes the teaching of civic engagement, media literacy, or current events and recommends laws at the state level to increase the power and autonomy of school districts. The most concerning recommendations involve giving state legislatures approval power over standards and curriculum and increasing the power and autonomy of school districts.

Civics Alliance’s interest in Woodland Park is linked to Colorado’s unique autonomy for school districts regarding standards and curriculum. The state’s unusual authority in this regard attracted Civics Alliance, making Woodland Park a model for other districts. While the question of why Colorado has been answered, the question of why Woodland Park specifically remains, leading to a deeper investigation into the groups behind Civics Alliance.

An examination of the funding streams to the dozens of groups affiliated with Civics Alliance reveals a small group of funders. About 78% of the organizations on the executive committee and nearly 90% of the steering committee are linked to the same two major donors, indicating a hidden framework within the American conservative movement supporting the American Birthright standards and the broader right-wing approach to public schools.

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The fourth article delves into the ideological forces shaping the Woodland Park School District’s transformation, revealing connections to long-dead conservative industrialists. The Civics Alliance coalition, responsible for the American Birthright program, is scrutinized for its affiliations with organizations ranging from think tanks to controversial parent rights groups. A closer examination reveals that a significant portion of the coalition’s membership is linked to the National Association of Scholars (NAS) and the State Policy Network (SPN). The article exposes the extensive funding networks, highlighting the influence of private family foundations, particularly the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation. These foundations, tied to major conservative families, are unveiled as key players in financing the Civics Alliance and its agenda. The investigation underscores the profound impact of these influential entities on the Woodland Park School District and their broader ambitions in reshaping public education.

Full Article with Audio

Summary: 

The fifth article presents revealing audio from a Freedom Foundation-sponsored event, featuring Brad Miller, the controversial attorney for the Woodland Park school board. Miller openly discusses topics related to education, parents’ rights, and the influence of State Policy Network think tanks in Woodland Park. The panel discussion, recorded at a conference in Denver, provides confirmation of claims made in previous investigations, exposing connections between SPN and personnel decisions in Woodland Park. Miller’s ties to a national network of conservative operatives and media outlets, including The Federalist and Fox News, are underscored. The attorney acknowledges a strategic plan to seize ideological control of district administration, emphasizing the importance of swift action at the local level. Miller’s admissions shed light on the parents’ rights movement’s strategy to circumvent democracy and influence education policy at the grassroots level. Additionally, the detour into Miller’s religious beliefs provides insight into the role of Christian nationalism in shaping his career and motivations.

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Article 6 delves into the influence of faith healer Andrew Wommack on the Woodland Park School District, exploring the intersection of Christian nationalism, politics, and education. Wommack, a proponent of the Seven Mountains Mandate, seeks to merge Christian principles with public institutions. The article exposes Wommack’s extensive ministry empire, his political aspirations in Woodland Park, and his efforts to influence local government and education through endorsements, conferences, and curriculum initiatives. The investigation sheds light on the connections between Wommack, the school board, and the controversial American Birthright curriculum, emphasizing the potential impact on the district’s future.

Full Article

Summary: 

The Woodland Park School District in Colorado has faced significant turmoil, marked by controversial decisions and leadership changes within the school board. Superintendent Mathew Neal resigned before the 2022-23 school year, leading to the appointment of interim co-superintendents Del Garrick and Tina Cassens, favored by the community. Despite overwhelming support for them, the board hired Ken Witt as interim superintendent, sparking discontent. The board’s decisions included adopting controversial social studies standards and removing a book by Ta-Nehisi Coates from the curriculum.

Under Witt’s leadership, the board altered district policies, making it seemingly easier to terminate teachers, and canceled the automatic deduction of union dues from teachers’ paychecks. Legal expenses soared, with a 1000% increase, attributed to several lawsuits against the board. The district also experienced high staff attrition rates, significantly surpassing the statewide average.

The article highlights the community’s resistance to the board’s actions, with protests from teachers, students, and community members. The upcoming elections are seen as a crucial moment for the community to voice its concerns and potentially bring about change. Despite the controversies, conservative board members may still have a chance of winning, reflecting broader issues in the national “parents’ rights” movement, which seeks to influence school policies.

The story underscores the significance of community engagement and resistance in addressing challenges within school boards and emphasizes the enduring strength of community bonds, even in the face of adversity.