Education has always been of particular interest to our team at the Colorado Times Recorder. With more than 170 school districts in the state, much of the activism, advocacy, and political machinations to reshape education in the state fly under the radar, completely unreported. Each year, we do our best to find important education stories — stories which might otherwise be overlooked — and shine what light we can.
This year, our team paid close attention to a series of efforts by Colorado conservatives to remake the public education system in their image. With the help of dark money, national right-wing organizations, and friends in the Trump administration, a handful of conservative activists and consultants have made Colorado ground zero for the battle for the future of public education. Here’s where we found them pursuing that agenda in 2025.
Servant Leaders: A Closer Look at John Adams Academy, a Proposed DougCo Charter School Championed by Conservatives
In March, reporter Amber Carlson took a deep dive into a controversial proposal for a charter school in Douglas County, John Adams Academy, and the strangeness surrounding the DougCo school board’s choice to surrender its exclusive chartering authority and punt the decision on John Adams Academy to the state Charter School Institute.
DAVIS: ‘Bleed it Dry, Then Get the Hell Out’ – The Fight for Tax Dollars in Woodland Park Schools
Also in March, I covered a rapid-fire series of events in Woodland Park when the local school board and the city council went head-to-head over a local sales tax, a valuable school district building, and the future of education in the small mountain town.
ACLU Takes Action Against School District’s Book Ban
In the spring, Chloe Ragsdale reported on the legal wrangling between the ACLU and the Elizabeth School District over a book ban. “The ban was spearheaded by Superintendent Dan Snowberger, an enthusiastically conservative administrator hired by the board after two far-right Republicans won seats in the Nov. 2021 election,” Chloe wrote. “Their subsequent politicization of the ostensibly non-partisan board over their first year in power resulted in the resignation of the three other board members, who were soon replaced with like-minded religious right appointees.”
State Board of Ed Members Skeptical of Trump Demand To Purge DEI Materials From CO Schools
In April, reporter Jamie O’Rourke looked at the interplay between Colorado’s highest educational body, the state board of education, and the Trump administration. Wrangling between the state and federal bodies surrounded the administration’s demand to purge all diversity, equity, and inclusion materials, and the state board’s pushback against that agenda.
Invisible Hand: The Man Behind Colorado Schools’ Efforts to Ban Trans Athletes
The same month as Jamie’s reporting on the state board of education, Chloe and I published an investigation into a letter sent by conservative school board members to CHSAA, the body which regulates high school athletics in Colorado. In their letter, the school board members asked the organization to ban transgender athletes from competition. My investigation revealed who organized the letter, and who is still behind the effort, which has since evolved into a lawsuit.
The Closure of Colorado Skies Academy Shows Why the Colorado Charter School Institute Must Go
In August, opinion contributor Manuel Solano wrote about the closure of the Colorado Skies Academy charter school, and argued that the school’s failure is an example of why the state’s often controversial Charter School Institute “must go.”
The Bipartisan March Toward Gutting Public Schools, in Denver and Beyond
Opinion contributor Mike DeGuire also wrote about the assault on public education this year, turning his focus to what he called “the bipartisan march towards gutting public schools.” In his piece, Mike posed the important question at the heart of so many debates over public schools: is public education a public or private good?
Bully: The Crisis of Leadership in Montezuma-Cortez Schools
In October, I published a large investigation into the dramatic happenings in the Montezuma-Cortez school district down in the state’s Four Corners area. Hundreds of miles from the nearest Colorado interstate, the district found itself in the sights of attorneys, education reformers, and a bombastic superintendent, all of whom seemed intent on remaking the district to their liking.
A Tax-Funded Religious School in Colorado Would Undermine Reality-Based Education
Last month, contributor Ari Armstrong wrote about what he calls the “shocking” emergence of Riverstone Academy: an attempt to open Colorado’s “first public Christian school.” A plot cooked up between conservative attorneys and the Alliance Defending Freedom, Ari argues that opening the school would “undermine reality-based education.”
Douglas County Commissioners Strip School District Authority Over Sterling Ranch Schools
On the heels of last month’s school board elections, the Douglas County Commission took the unusual step of stripping the DougCo school district’s authority over Sterling Ranch Schools. Reporter Suzie Glassman covered the ins and outs of the strange decision.
