By Lindsey Harrison
The El Paso County School District 49 Board of Education held its monthly meeting on Feb. 12. All board members were present. David Nancarrow, director of communications, started the Fantastic 49 celebration and recognized two parents from Odyssey Elementary School who have provided continued support to the school, including helping a wounded raccoon that was stuck in a trash can outside the school.
Open forum
Several individuals, including parents, staff and students, voiced their opinions and concerns about the Statement of Fiscal Exigency issued by the district and adopted by the Board of Education on Jan. 16, which outlined proposed reductions to programs and staffing for the 2026-2027 school year.
Superintendent’s update
Peter Hilts, superintendent, said he attended the Sand Creek phlebotomy certification event on Feb. 5 and was impressed with the number of people who volunteered to have their blood drawn by the phlebotomy students to help them earn their certification.
Student Board of Representatives’ update
Nikkos Clift and Angie Essex, members of the Student Board of Representatives, provided updates on activities occurring across the district in the coming months, including an open mic night hosted by Pikes Peak Early College’s student council and Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy’s first musical production, “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Marie LaVere-Wright, president, recognized students who participated in D 49’s Reflections program and qualified for county and state-level competitions. She acknowledged the frustration and anger expressed regarding the potential program and staff reductions but said the board did what it could to inform constituents ahead of time, allowing for the opportunity to provide feedback to the board before they voted.
Lori Thompson, secretary, said she attended the Student Board of Representatives’ meeting during which the board reviewed its own bylaws and discussed how student representatives are chosen from the array of D 49-operated schools and charter schools. Thompson also mentioned attending the Pikes Peak Board of Coordinated Educational Services meeting, where she was unexpectedly sworn in as a new director.
Holly Withers, vice president, said she spent time at Horizon Middle School and saw student artwork made with recycled materials. She thought it was an interesting concept and noted that some of the pieces were really impressive. Withers stated that she has been hearing from parents who have concerns about program reductions and courses that may be eliminated due to budget constraints, assuring those individuals that she took their concerns seriously.
Mike Heil, treasurer, said he also attended the Sand Creek phlebotomy event and echoed Hilts’s sentiments about the students in the program and those who helped their peers by getting their blood drawn. Heil said he attended the District Accountability Advisory Committee and the Special Education Advisory Committee meetings as the board representative.
Debra Schmidt, director, said she attended the annual BOE planning summit, where the board had a robust discussion about the superintendent evaluation process.
Action items
The BOE unanimously approved the following:
– Revisions to policy ICA regarding the school year/school calendar/instruction time
– School family calendars for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years
- Proposed BOE meeting dates for the 2026-2027 school year and preliminary meeting dates for the 2027-2028 school year
The recommendation to suspend policy GBAC-Job description passed in a 4-1 vote, with Schmidt opposed. After considerable discussion, the notice of proposed cancellation of teacher employment contracts passed in a 3-2 vote, with Schmidt and Withers opposed.
Discussion items
The BOE discussed several policies and procedures as part of an ongoing effort to ensure the district maintains compliance with current laws and regulations and that they meet the district’s needs. Among those policies and procedures reviewed, LaVere-Wright said an update needs to be made to reflect a new policy regarding cell phone and AI glasses use. The board also discussed the district’s non-discrimination policy, with Schmidt expressing that it is missing a relevant and comprehensive definition associated with each protected class of individuals. This item was unanimously approved to be an action item at the next regular BOE meeting.
The board also discussed updates on initiated or anticipated activities to reduce expenses and increase revenues for the 2026-2027 budget. During that discussion, Heil explained that the district is unable to raise the revenue at the scale needed to avoid making the identified cuts and reductions. Hilts said the initial overall reduction number has been significantly reduced by shrinking some departments, reassigning staff to related departments, and creating shortened contract days to avoid cutting positions. He emphasized that the district started making cuts to the central administration staffing before considering any other departments, and all staffing and program cuts were extremely difficult to make.
The next regular meeting of the BOE is March 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Peakview Hall at the Creekside Success Center in Colorado Springs.
