Public Denied Access to D51 School Board Meeting

By Nancy Blain

District 51 teachers started to show up on Tuesday, May 20th, as early as 4:00pm outside the Harry Butler Board Room at R-5 High School where public school board meetings are traditionally held. The meeting didn’t start until 5:00, but folks in red t-shirts with MVEA logos got there ahead of time to hand out packets of budget information to everyone who arrived, and to stand on the corner of Grand and N. 22nd Street holding supportive signs. 

Secondary teachers’ classes end at 3:30, so that means these teachers came straight from a full day of teaching; anyone who teaches elementary is done at 4:00 and likely couldn’t make it to R-5 until 4:30 or so. Yet there they were, many with written statements to read during the time allotted for public comment, almost all in “Red for Ed” shirts, skipping dinner and spending more time away from their families to make their voices heard. The subject: the impasse the school board forced MVEA (Mesa Valley Educators Association, the local teacher’s union) into after weeks of “negotiations” that went nowhere. 

For the second year in a row, the board sent their lawyer, Tammy Eret, to negotiations to say, “No,” to everything the MVEA negotiations team talked about, not even deigning to sit at the table themselves with teachers and union leaders to listen and discuss—you know, the whole point of negotiating. Not many people realize that teachers’ contracts must be negotiated every year, with both sides agreeing on any changes, additions, or subtractions from existing language. Negotiations always take place in April and May, the time when teachers are most exhausted and burned out, and are usually the most busy as well with graduations, end-of-year celebrations, and tons of grading to do. The timing may be intentional to decrease teacher involvement.

Flyers provided to teachers by MVEA earlier that week state, “The D51 Negotiations Team initiated the impasse process… [as] a result of D51’s failure to support our colleagues on issues such as staff salaries, staff safety, class sizes, and student behavior.” These flyers were provided to all teachers, counselors, and school psychologists, not just union members, because MVEA works for, fights for, and protects all teachers, counselors, and psychs, not just those who pay union dues. 

The flyer goes on to summarize D51’s response to some of MVEA’s proposed contract language. The board—excuse me, the board’s lawyer—said that “money is a hindrance to the request” for class size guidelines (which would provide official guidance on a reasonable number of children per classroom, something that doesn’t exist in the current contract), but the board has “failed to adequately explain why and provide financial compromises.” They just had their lawyer say, “No.” 

The board “proposed the formation of a committee” to address staff safety after they disregarded MVEA’s proposed language, which is “a tactic they have used to create the illusion of collaboration.” I am reminded of a comic where a man in slacks and a tie is told by someone sitting behind a desk in a suit, “We want to include you in this decision without letting you affect it.” Par for the course for D51 “leadership.” These are just two of the issues Mesa County’s teachers have said they are most concerned about, but unsurprisingly, the school board has dismissed their concerns and lied through their teeth about the reasons they are unwilling to talk about solutions.

Anyway, there they were at 4:00, 4:30, 4:45, the sea of red shirts growing as coworkers greeted each other and encouraged one another to “Hang in there!” It was two days before the last day of school, and instead of grading finals or winding down at home after a crazy day, they were standing outside at R-5. The doors remained locked with two uniformed D51 security officers, R. Barker and M. Huston according to their name tags, guarding them. MVEA leadership made sure that the sign-up sheet for public comment was brought outside so people with statements to give could put their names on the list. 

At about a quarter to 5:00, students getting special recognitions began to arrive with their beaming family members. The crowd was informed that only students and their guests would be allowed inside, then once recognitions were finished, the remainder of the crowd would be permitted in. This was disappointing since not only was it sunny and hot outside with little shade on the south side of the building, but educators and community members were eager to share their thoughts with the school board—and maybe get a seat inside instead of standing at the back and sides as has happened many times at board meetings around negotiations time.

Students and families were checked off on a list at the door, and no one else was allowed inside. How did they know whether the group with a student was actually their family member or the teacher who nominated or taught them? Unclear. What was very clear was that no one wearing a red MVEA shirt was allowed inside. Several teachers were allowed in to see their students receive an award, but none of them were in red shirts.

By this time, the crowd was pretty upset that the public meeting, open to the public, was blocking the public from entering and attending the meeting. This is in violation of the Colorado Open Meetings Law, also known as the Sunshine Law, that mandates any meeting “at which any public business is discussed or at which any formal action may be taken must be open to the public” (Section 24-6-401 of the Colorado Revised Statutes). But teachers always put kids first, and no one wanted to ruin the students’ special night by making a fuss, so everyone kept their cool… and started to post what was happening on social media. 

The community outrage was instant. Public posts were shared over and over again, and comments blew up. Photos of the security guards were shared, and when Tim Couch, former MVEA President and current staunch supporter of teachers and their union, tried to enter the building while filming on his phone, Officer Huston put his hands on Couch. This resulted in an uproar for a time, as Couch said he would be pressing charges. The status of the assault charge is currently unknown.

Around 5:30, students, awards in hand, and their supporters exited the building. The crowd outside clapped and cheered for them as they filed out. The energy rose as it was now time to go inside. Then Officer Barker announced that they would only be letting 52 people in. Calls of “Bullshit!” and booing resounded from the crowd. “Come on, now, work with us,” said Barker. “Work with us!” a few teachers yelled back. A couple dozen people started to crowd up to the door, eagerly yet calmly. Officer Huston had a clicker-counter in his hand and was ushering folks inside with a wave of his arm (but thankfully not touching anyone else). In the boardroom, eight people remained in a total of sixty seats that had been set up. 

The sign posted over the door to the Harry Butler Board Room read “Max OCC 335.” 

Accounting for the members of the board, the superintendent, Brian Hill, and various D51 staff there to present at the meeting who were already inside at tables at the front and side of the room, this would have allowed for, let’s say, 255 MORE people to occupy the room and still adhere to fire code. Once Huston’s clicker stopped at 52, around 125 people were left outside and denied entry to the public meeting for the remainder of the evening. 

A blank sign-up sheet had been placed on a table near the front of the room and an announcement was made that those wishing to speak during public comment needed to add their names. MVEA members and leadership quickly made sure the sign-up sheet with 46 names on it was brought in from outside. It was unclear whether this mistake was made out of habit… or intentionally. 

Outside, a member of the MVEA negotiations team started to address the crowd on an electric bullhorn. The security guards, who were still posted outside the locked doors, told her there could be no bullhorns used on school property. A member of the crowd asked to see that rule, which was met with silence from security and laughter from those in red shirts. The negotiations team member politely moved to the corner of the building to address folks without the bullhorn. Those inside the boardroom could hear occasional chanting, yelling, and laughter from outside. The crowd was positive, even jovial, bolstering the spirits of the 52 additions to the room. 

When a laptop, projector, and speaker were brought to display the live stream of the meeting outside, teachers were told by security that they could not do that, but unsurprisingly, teachers persisted in the face of adversity to meet the needs of everyone present. Soon, a crowd sat, crouched, and stood in front of the little laptop (no projector) as the lengthy presentation on budget information finally wrapped up and the public comments began.

Each speaker was given 3 minutes after being announced by Vice President Will Jones. After three teachers spoke passionately into the microphone, telling personal stories from their years of experience in classrooms from elementary, middle, and high schools, director Barbara Evanson used her microphone to address the room, reminding everyone to be respectful and ending by asking them to “Just chill out.” The board tried to block teachers from sharing their thoughts at this public meeting by limiting the numbers allowed in, but when that didn’t work and the board was forced to listen to the people they are supposed to work for and support, they apparently didn’t like what they were hearing. The sea of red was in fact very “chill” out of respect for the important subjects being discussed. There was no cheering or booing during the time allotted to speakers, and only polite applause in between them. The anger, frustration, and fear that teachers had was apparent time after time as folks sat down at the microphone and spoke eloquently for three minutes. As each speaker was announced by Jones, the crowd of over 100 outside screamed and cheered, then they cheered again when they finished, bolstering the morale of those inside. Throughout the night, those who had already spoken went back outside to free up chairs that were eventually, begrudgingly, allowed to be filled a few at a time by the security guards. 

It is clear that D51 School Board members who enroll their own children in private and charter schools do not care about the hardships D51 educators face. They sat, stone-faced, through public comments, then lied to the Daily Sentinel about it a few days later. Board President Andrea Haitz claimed in an article published May 23, “We have heard our teachers’ concerns about class size and safety, and these are significant, complex conversations that we would have liked to have had months ago in our committee meetings to hash out.” If President Andrea Haitz felt so strongly about having those complex conversations, why did she not come to the table herself and work with D51 teachers on finding a compromise? Why did Will Jones, Secretary Angela Lema, and directors Jośe Luis Chávez and Barbara Evanson refuse to be present at meetings they should, in good faith, attend? I urge you to ask them these questions and any others you may have by emailing them. Their email addresses can be found, but only if you know where to look. On the Board of Education page on the D51 website, click on (strangely enough) the link labeled “Members Boundary Maps” and click again on each board member’s name under their smiling photos.

By the way, Will Jones in District D, Angela Lema in District E, and Andrea Haitz in District C are all up for re-election this fall. Let’s make sure we never have to see them hiding behind a big square of tables at the front of Harry Butler Board Room again. VOTE THEM OUT!