Courtesy photo
Candidates for the Thompson School District Board of Education answered questions on Oct. 5 at a forum held in Berthoud. Left to right: Ryan Wilcken, Nancy Rumfelt, Denise Chapman, Yzamin Navarro, Stu Boyd and Elizabeth Kearney.

By Brendan Henry
The Surveyor

The Berthoud Weekly Surveyor invited all school board candidates to a forum in the wake of the Thompson School District’s (TSD) election season. Candidates in attendance included

Ryan Wilcken for District A, incumbent Nancy Rumfelt for District C, both Yazmin Navarro and Denise Chapman for District D, and Stu Boyd and Elizabeth Kearney for District G. The forum was held on Oct. 5 at the New Freedom Outreach Center at 250 Mountain Ave.

Candidates were asked questions from anonymous community members and were given three minutes to respond. Key topics included the district’s financial situation including teacher and paraprofessional pay, changes in curriculum and transgender individuals in the district.

Wilcken has two children in the district with special needs, so his focus is on ensuring that paraprofessionals are properly paid. He also wishes to see that every student has their individual academic needs met whether they are behind or ahead of the average.

Rumfelt believes that the district’s dealings with poverty, hunger, mental illness and drug abuse should be by way of community assistance and resources, where the school district itself should be focused on high classroom standards. On the topic of curriculum change, Rumfelt believes that a new curriculum is not always necessary, saying, “Two plus two has always been four. It’s always been four there will always be four,” regarding the math curriculum.

Navarro wants to see incentivization for paraprofessionals in the district to ensure that there are minimal distractions for other students and that children with special needs are cared for. Seeing her daughter struggle with the new math curriculum after previously having success, Navarro disagrees with what she deems an unnecessary change in curriculum. She believes teachers should be paid a competitive wage when compared to other districts and claims that the district is not currently where it should be.

Experiencing the special education system and its positives with her own adopted children, Chapman wants every school in the district to have the same experience she and her children were able to. Noticing that some schools are in great condition while others can use some updating, Chapman would like to see a more evenly distributed budget to have the older buildings made safer and inhabitable. Raising the salaries of teachers is another issue that she would like to address if she were elected to the board.

Boyd addressed the question of mental health services being provided in schools for children 12 years and older without parental consent by citing Colorado House Bill 19-1120, a bill that allows for this to occur if deemed clinically necessary. Boyd says that the district must follow state law, and claimed the same when it came to budget allocation regarding the increase of resources in the classroom. Stating that the state law only allows for a small portion of funds to be allocated from one area to another, Boyd still sees a need for more resources.

Asked the same questions as Boyd, Kearney addressed the mental health services by expressing the need for caution. Kearney believes that the student and parent should have the ability to collaborate and that school counselors are not licensed mental health professionals. One of Kearney’s biggest points of the night was that resources should be taken from school district projects that will not contribute to achievement and allocated to classroom resources.

The most recurring theme within the questions was the situation revolving around pronoun usage and transgender students in the district. Each candidate brought their own perspectives to the forum on the topic.

Questioned on his stance on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and “radical gender ideologies” being taught in schools, Wilcken believes that the district should focus on academic success and respect the rights of students. Wilcken says these topics should be left up to parents or guardians.

Rumfelt was asked if she believes parents have the right to know if their child has changed their pronouns, to which Rumfelt believes they do. Worried that gender dysphoria poses a potential threat to students at a young age, Rumfelt believes that the topic should involve the family.

Both Navarro and Chapman were asked how they would protect children from having to share lockers and bathrooms with people from a different biological sex. Navarro thinks that students identifying as the opposite gender could get their own bathroom but would not want her daughter to share a bathroom with someone who has male anatomy. Chapman questioned the likelihood of the issue and promoted an accepting culture for children who may not have support at home.

This time, Boyd cited Title IX to support the district’s current policy for transgender students. According to Boyd, in order for a public school to gain federal funding, they must follow laws such as Title IX.

The general election will take place on Nov. 7, 2023.