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[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Good evening everyone. I would like to call this meeting of June 18th, 2026 to order. On behalf of the Board of Education, welcome to this special
virtual session. We welcome all participants and express our appreciation to the live simultaneous Spanish interpreters for facilitating access this evening. Roll call, please. Miss Nichols. >> Miss Applegate. >> Yes, here. >> Dr. Echevarria.
>> Here. >> Mr. Gibbons. >> Here. >> Ms. Kenworthy. >> Here. >> Ms. Moen and Ennenman. Sorry. >> [clears throat] >> Moen and here. >> Moen and sorry.
>> It's okay. Is there a motion to approve today's meeting agenda as provided in BoardDocs? >> I move to approve today's meeting agenda as provided as presented in BoardDocs. >> Is there a second? >> I second.
>> Is there any discussion? Hearing none, it has been moved and seconded. Roll call, please. Miss Nichols. >> Miss Applegate. >> Yes. >> Dr. Echevarria. >> Yes. >> Mr. Gibbons. >> Yes.
>> Ms. Kenworthy. >> Yes. >> Ms. Moen and >> Yes. >> Thank you. We have two action items this evening for discussion and approval. We will begin with our first action item, the approval of the interim superintendent contract. On May 8th,
2026, Superintendent Dorland announced her departure from Jeffco Public Schools effective July 5th, 2026, resulting in the need for an interim superintendent. The Board of Education has contracted with Ed Partners to assist with the interim superintendent
search. During the executive session on May 27th, 2026, the Board of Education reviewed applications and selected candidates to interview. On Monday, June 1st, 2026, the board convened into executive session to interview selected candidates. The law requires that the finalists be
made public 14 days prior to appointment or employing. On June 3rd, 2026, the board announced that Dr. Robert Stein was selected as the sole finalist to serve as the interim superintendent effective July 2026. This evening, the Board of Education
will vote to appoint Dr. Robert Stein as the interim superintendent to serve through the term of 1 year beginning July 6th, 2026. To approve this contract, is there a motion to appoint Dr. Robert Stein to the interim superintendent
of Jeffco Public Schools effective July 6th, 2026 and to approve the interim superintendent contract as presented in BoardDocs? >> I move to appoint Dr. Robert Stein as the interim superintendent of schools effective July 6th, 2026 and to approve the interim superintendent contract as
presented in BoardDocs. >> Is there a second? >> I second. >> Is there any discussion? I would just like to add that we had a really wonderful slate of high-quality candidates and I think that is a that is
a wonderful outcome for a very quick superintendent search. I'm really pleased that we have been able to work with Dr. Stein. He brings a wealth of experience and background that is a reflection of a lot of the kind of you
know, different and unique aspects of Jeffco. And I am excited to have him serve with us in this interim role. If there's no other discussion, it has been moved and seconded to appoint Dr. Robert Stein as the interim superintendent of Jeffco Public Schools
effective July 6, 2026. Oh, yes. >> Uh, Director Kenworthy had her hand up. Perhaps she had something to say. >> That's okay. I understand. >> It's okay. It's not necessary. I just wanted to extend my gratitude to all the folks who expressed interest and I'm excited to work with Dr. Stein to keep our district headed in the direction
that we are headed in um and to engage our community as we move towards a national search for our long-term superintendent. Thank you, President Applegate. >> Thank you, Director Kenworthy. I appreciate that and I'm sorry I didn't see your hand. So, it has been moved and seconded um to approve and appoint Dr. Robert Stein as
our interim superintendent for Jeffco Public Schools effective July 6, 2026 and to approve the interim superintendent contract as presented in BoardDocs. Roll call, please, Ms. Mickens. >> Ms. Applegate. >> Yes. >> Dr. Xochitl Tovar ya.
>> Yes. >> Mr. Gibbons. >> Yes. [clears throat] >> Ms. Kenworthy. >> Yes. >> Ms. Mounsey and >> Yes. >> Thank you and welcome, Dr. Stein. We're very happy to have you.
Dr. Stein, would you >> much. Yeah. >> like to say anything? >> I just want to extend gratitude and let you all know how excited I am to to work with you and I'm looking forward very much starting on Monday to meet with all the leadership team
members and get to know more about the Jeffco schools and from all I know from my years of watching from very close by, there's a lot to admire and still a lot to learn. Thank you. I'm honored to have this opportunity.
>> Welcome. We're very happy to have you. For our final action this evening, the board will vote on the District Accountability Committee recommendations for the 26-27 school year. The The committee structure for the Board of Education, we have several committees including the District
Accountability Committee. Its membership is structured and um essentially provided to the board for approval. From March to May 2026, online application forms were available for individuals interested in serving in the
DAC. Through a committee review process, each application was considered and reviewed with guiding parameters. Applicants were then reviewed by a district liaison. The board received 16 applications to serve on the DAC, which were discussed in an earlier study session.
Of the 16 received, 15 were recommended to the Board of Education to serve on the DAC. Recommended applicants are presented in BoardDocs. Is there a motion to approve the DAC recommendation applicants as presented in BoardDocs for the 26-27 school year?
>> I move to approve the DAC recommended applicants as presented in BoardDocs for the 2026-2027 school year. Um although I state as I make that motion, I do have some discussion and and questions about that. Um so I'm not necessarily decided on how I will vote in so moving.
>> Perfect. Thank you. Is there a second? >> I second. >> Director Gibbons, as you indicated you have discussion, would you like to start us off? >> Uh yes. I am admittedly at a disadvantage at the um study session earlier in June. I was uh traveling at a
conference for business, so was unable to attend that study session. Um but as I have reviewed emails, had conversations with community members, um I have concerns about how the DAC has handled um this process of considering nominations and making recommendations
for membership. Um I do want to say, um, I am very, very appreciative of all our committee members across all advisory committees. It is a difficult job. It takes a lot of time. It is thankless. And as somebody who, um, is also serves on a board without pay, um, I understand
the difficulties of doing so and taking time for the family without your remuneration. At the same time, I am concerned that the committee whose job it is to hold the district accountable and to help us ensure that the district
is operating with with the best interests of all stakeholders at heart, um, as I understand it, did not follow its its bylaws and processes to the level that that we would hope. And I also have very serious concerns that it appears from looking at
these names and from all of the communications I've had that one individual in particular was singled out and not recommended for membership. Um, and while I can understand and appreciate personality differences and that, um, as somebody who may not be dealing with everybody on that committee
to the frequency that they deal with each other, I sit here in a position where I have some distance, um, and that is, um, both an advantage and a disadvantage. Um, I find that concerning as well. And would certainly welcome, uh, other
comments or or viewpoints from other other board members, but I I am concerned I'm not inclined to bless this process at this time. >> Director Kenworthy, would you mind perhaps speaking to the process that was followed?
>> Yeah, I can definitely do that. Um, yeah. Yes. Uh, every year we solicit applications for the DAC. Um, we also ask that our people who are serving on the DAC currently reapply if they would like to serve another term. Um, and the DAC has
engaged conversations about term limits. Um, in fact, I think the board members received an email earlier today from the newly elected DAC chair that included language about term limits um, for you to take a look at before our meeting tonight. Um,
and so that this has been an ongoing process of revising bylaws, working on um, codes codes of conduct. And in this process, um, the executive committee convened to review applications and
re-applications. However, um, they struggled to maintain a quorum, um, during that meeting. And so when the applications were first brought to us, um, I believe that along with the recommendation from the DAC and some
concerns that we had from community members, we asked that the DAC executive team from the 2025-2026 school year reconvene and redo their process to maintain a quorum as they evaluated applications, which they did do and they
did comply with. Um, at that I think that covers some of the process concerns. And I have a little bit more that I want to say that I've prepared, um, because I knew we were going to have this conversation that will address, I think, more of
of what the community may be curious about. So, um, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude to all of the community members who had considered the opportunity and to those who ultimately stepped forward to volunteer for the District Accountability Committee. The time and effort requested to serve our community in this capacity
is not a small or insignificant ask as Director Gibbons pointed out. And I want to add here, educating our students requires a village. We are all of us together, team Jeffco. However, I also have concerns regarding the recommendation by the 2025-2026 DAC executive team to deny the
re-application of one long-serving and willing volunteer for the following three reasons. First is accessibility and alignment to our bylaws. The Jeffco DAC is large, is a vital advisory body with nearly 60 positions, and even if we accept every single applicant and re-applicant for
the upcoming school year, the committee positions will not all be fully filled, and the DAC still will have open positions. Furthermore, according to Jeffco Schools DAC bylaws, and given the current membership of non-parent members, and
the prospective non-parent applicants combined, there is no existing concern that we would exceed any explicit limit of non-parent members that would legally or procedurally preclude this solitary rejected re-applicant from serving.
Which leads me to my second concern. The standard for respect of our volunteers and the value of experience. When community members respectfully commit significant time and energy to our schools, they deserve the utmost respect in return. No volunteer should be politically targeted by fellow volunteer committee
members. We expect our community to have different experience viewpoints, um which is why our advisory committees exist. Our district ultimately benefits from having a variety of diverse perspectives engaged in respectful discourse and centered on the education of all of our students. The DAC has an
existing member code of conduct, and this recent situation leads me to believe that there's more work to do to develop meaningful processes that allow for respectful resolution of conflict if and when it occurs. There's a vital balance we should aim to reach between maintaining institutional knowledge and welcoming fresh
perspectives. Striking that balance rather than forcing out experienced voices is what truly serves the best interest of our district students. And third, a reminder of governance and authority. While we do value the hard work of our advisory committees and their ability to make recommendations, I want to remind
everybody that the board is under no obligation to accept or adhere to that advice. Advisory committee members serve at the pleasure of this elected board. We are the final authority on these appointments. Following the initial submission of the slate for next year and in response to some concerns from
committee members, the board asked that the 25-26 DAC executive team complete a reevaluation of all DAC applications and re-applications to ensure the maintenance of an operational quorum as part of their process. The executive committee of the DAC did comply with
that request. I had originally planned to request that we reject the recommendation to exclude this one individual re-applicant and was prepared to request that we vote to approve all qualified applicants and re-applicants who wish to serve our students and community as volunteers on
the DAC. However, following a conversation with the one re-applicant in question and in consideration of their wisdom, dignity, and as well as in service or in honor of their service, this evening, I will vote to accept the
most current version of the recommended DAC slate of applicants as presented by the DAC executive committee after re-doing their vetting process to maintain a quorum of executive member participation. Thank you, President Applegate. >> Thank you, Director Kenworthy.
Director Moynihan and Director Etcheverria, do either of you have any comments you'd like to add? >> I just have a point of clarification with Director Kenworthy. I want to confirm from what you're sharing, it sounds like the DAC had gone back, redone their process, and now the the
current list that was presented to us in board docs is a result of that process, correct? >> That is correct. >> And they had a quorum present throughout that process, correct? >> They did maintain an executive quorum throughout that process rather than
asking the three re-applicants who were also serving on the executive committee to leave the meeting, which reduced the quorum effectively. Um they were able to only ask one individual to not be included in the vetting for their
own selves. That was the ask. >> Thank you for that clarification. I have no further questions or comments, President Applegate. >> Thank you. Dr. Etcheverry, did you have anything you wanted to add? >> No, not at this time. >> Thank you.
Um I appreciate everyone's focus on this and I I really want to reflect that our committees um are often the lifeblood of what we do and so we very much appreciate and have gratitude towards those who volunteered to help
make our district better. Um I also appreciate that the executive committee did go back and follow their process and procedure and held the quorum as well as Dr. Or as well as Director uh Kenworthy your point of we still have
work to do. And um I think that is a that's a great sentiment for all of us, right? We're all We're all kind of a wonderful work in progress. Um I do plan to vote yes on this. I do think it is important that while things will never be perfect, it is
important to support what the leadership of the committee has requested and also I want to extend a sincere appreciation and gratitude to the applicant for her who does not going to be considered for her many years of service. Okay, with that it has been moved and
seconded to approve the DAC recommendation of applicants as presented in board docs for the 2026-2027 school year. Roll call, please, Ms. Mickels. >> Ms. Applegate. >> Yes. >> Dr. Etcheverry. >> Yes.
>> Mr. Gibbons. >> Yes. >> Ms. Kenworthy. >> Yes. >> Ms. My Annam. >> Yes. >> [clears throat] >> Thank you. >> This brings us to the end of today's
agenda. Thank you to everyone who participated in this evening. The board wishes to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Stein, and we look forward to working together. With the close of this meeting, the Board of Education will officially be on summer break and will return for our first study session for the 2026-2027
school year on August 20th. With that, we stand adjourned. I wish everyone a safe and happy summer, and have a great evening. Thank you. >> [music]