Weld RE-8 voters rejected both a mill levy override and bond measure in 2023 and again in 2024. The district faces challenges with teacher retention due to starting salaries that lag behind neighboring districts, and there are ongoing facility maintenance needs. How would you approach rebuilding community trust and support for future funding measures while addressing these critical financial needs?

Building support for future funding measures is tied to being strategic, transparent with the community, and continuing to highlight the successes of Ft. Lupton. With the superintendent and school board working closely together, we will identify the needs of the community as well as the needs of staff and students. While we are still in the process of listening to the community to see where we will go, we will align funding measures to what the community has shared with us once the superintendent provides his findings. As a team, we will create opportunities for the community to know what is happening in regards to funding measures put on the ballot. We want to establish committees that will be in charge of accountability when it comes to using specific money for specific reasons. We will continue to have committee reports to keep everyone informed, as well as the community about changes and possible concerns. Lastly, funding measures will be dependent on how well we communicate the meaningful work being done in our Weld RE-8 classrooms every day. Showing the community what administrators, teachers, and students are doing, will be critical when trying to pass funding measures. The funding measures will go directly to funding their continued growth, and it needs to be something we as a school board can do in terms of showing off those successes. Weld RE-8 will be most successful when everyone works together, when we all see that we are on the same side trying to help our students, and when we listen to one another and not attack each other.