Douglas County School Board Interviews Superintendent Finalists – CBS Denver

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colorado (CBS4)– Controversy has plagued the Douglas County School Board since a Conservative majority took over. The board fired Superintendent Corey Wise last month.

Prior to Wise’s resignation, several conservative school board members were accused of secretly meeting to force him out.

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That controversy entered a new phase Thursday when two finalist candidates for the position of superintendent were interviewed by all board members before an audience that appeared both in person and online.

One person was summoned before the meeting had even started. Then first contestant Erin Kane.

After all the turmoil that has hit the district, one question seemed obvious.

It was asked by one of the minority board members, David Ray, “How will you manage this polarization?”

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Kane responded to the topic more than once, “There’s so much discord right now that I think we need to attack the discord head-on and see what everyone’s afraid of.”

She said she would make herself available to answer difficult questions from and about the teachers.

She volunteered her stance on one issue: “I want to be so clear, I’m not in favor of arming teachers in Douglas County.”

Kane was a charter public school superintendent in Douglas County and calls herself a “centrist Republican” opposed to school vouchers.

“I don’t think it’s our job to run Douglas County Schools to pay people to go to other schools.”

RELATED: 3 Douglas County school board members accuse the rest of the board of breaking Colorado law by privately plotting to coerce the superintendent

The choice is between Kane and Danny Winsor.

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“We can’t wait for people to come over here and give us comments. There has to be a direct connection with the students and their families.”

He is the executive director of Douglas County Schools for Parker and spoke to the divided board about healing.

“And I think too often we forget the love that is in the work and focus on the hate, and we can’t find solutions when hate is at the center of everything.”

Comments from the public will be pouring in before a decision on the election is due to be made later this month.