Author: Sue Mcmillin
-
D-11 chief declares allegations against board member are unfounded
A Colorado Springs School District 11 board member has not violated any law or committed any unethical acts in connection to contracts between the district and her husband’s pizza business, the superintendent’s office said today in a news release. The alleged conflict of interest involving Jan Tanner was the subject of a secret board meeting…
-
D-11 board meets in secret about conflict of interest
The Colorado Springs School District 11 board went into a secret session Wednesday night to discuss a conflict of interest issue involving one of its members. The board voted 6-0 to convene in secret, and declined to hear an objection from The Gazette for the closed-door session. Board member Sandra Mann was absent. Board President…
-
Incumbents prevail in area school board races
All incumbents running for re-election in Pikes Peak area won re-election late Tuesday — except for James Tyler of Hanover School District 28. But Tyler said he was glad for the competition in a district that has often had trouble finding candidates. “I’m excited that we actually had an election in this district,” said James…
-
Space Foundation program finally flies over to Swigert school
With one classroom up and running, the U.S. Space Foundation on Monday officially moved its teacher training courses onto the campus of a Colorado Springs School District 11 middle school. Space Discovery Institute banners were slung on the outside of the foundation’s two buildings adjacent to the Swigert Aerospace Academy, a new D-11 school with…
-
Q & A: James Dodd’s efforts to prevent teen drug use
When you’re in the drug-testing business, you get a pretty good look at the personal and family problems that come with drug use and addiction. That view led Conspire to seek ways to reach out to teens in the Pikes Peak region in an effort to prevent them “from ever trying drugs once,” said James…
-
State crafts plan to win slice of $4.3 billion for education reform
The federal government plans to dish out $4.3 billion for education reform, but not every state will get its hand on the money. The money is likely to be divided among just 12 to 15 states because officials want the winners to have enough cash to “implement bold reform,” Colorado Education Commissioner Dwight Jones said…
-
D-11 bookkeeping makes the grade with auditors
Auditors gave Colorado Springs School District 11 top marks on its books for the fiscal year that ended June 30, but noted that checks and balances in student activity accounts and the human resources department need to tighten up. The 182-page report was presented to the D-11 board at Wednesday’s meeting, and during a presentation…
-
Vocational, gifted charter schools proposed for D-11
Two new charter schools — a vocational high school and a K-8 for gifted learners — are being proposed to open next fall in Colorado Springs School District 11. D-11 is evaluating the proposals, which are scheduled to be discussed by the Board of Education at a November work session and voted on in December.…
-
D-11 board member’s name ‘smeared in the mud’ over pizza contract
If a conflict of interest statement signed nearly three years ago by a Colorado Springs School District 11 board member had been made public, a recent Internet smear campaign might have been averted, two board members said this week. The controversy surfaced a few weeks ago after an anonymous blogger and a blog by former…
-
Internet plugs parents into kids’ education
Army Lt. Col. Michele Thompson-Shoats logs into StoryTown about 9 a.m. daily for a dose of such children’s classics as the fairy tale “Stone Soup.” This is no surreptitious guilty pleasure during her morning coffee break in Okinawa, Japan, where she’s stationed. This is her being mom. As it turns out, it’s also her serving…