EXODUS

Nearly 40% of Staff Leave Colorado School After Right-Wing Takeover

A new slate of school board candidates implemented a fringe social studies program and hired a controversial superintendent.

A conservative takeover of a Colorado school board has led to an exodus of staff, with nearly 40 percent of the high school’s workers quitting, according to an NBC News investigation. After a slate of conservative candidates swept the Woodland Park school district, the district has implemented a fringe social studies curriculum, given away part of the public middle school to a charter school, and hired a superintendent who was recently recalled from a nearby district. The district also indicated that it would not apply for grants that pay the salaries of counseling staff and social workers. At least two staffers who voiced objections were ousted from their jobs, NBC reported, while nearly 40 percent of remaining high school staff have indicated that they will not return next school year. Neighboring districts have also reported Woodland Park students transferring schools. The nearby Manitou Springs district told NBC that 47 Woodland Park students have transferred to their schools for the upcoming school year.