September 23, 2024 • 9 mins
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION RACE Because they are the people who can make life miserable for charter schools and force outrageous lessons on our little kids about sex work and drag queens. This race matters so much. Here is an article that asks all the candidates about parental rights and any of the candidates who downplay the efforts of school districts to insert themselves between parents and students should be immediately disqualified in my opinion. I've got Kristi Burton Brown at 12:30 to discuss the races and why you should vote for her. Find our more about Kristi's campaign here.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the Board of Education in Colorado has done some
(00:03):
stuff as of late that I am super unhappy about.
And there are some races happening right now that could
be significant and actually have the potential to significantly shift
the tone and tenor of the Board of Education. And
joining me now is Christy Burton Brown. She's running in
the fourth district for the Board of Education. Christy, it's
(00:23):
good to talk to you again. Welcome back.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Thank you so much. Mandy, great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I want to start with why you are running for
the Board of Education and a deeper question on that,
why is it critical that we get people like you
on the Board of Education.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Sure? The main reason I'm running to the Board of
Education is I am extremely passionate about education. I think
children's lives matter. Anyone who knows me and knows I've
done a lot of pro life work. I think what
happens to kids after their board also matters. Education is
a key to success, having different educational opportunities that meet
the unique needs of our children. You just simply can't
(01:01):
have generations of success if you don't get that right.
So I think that one of the reasons people like
me need to be on the board. For one thing,
I'm a parent of current school age children, and I'm
a constitutional attorney, so I'm going to really focused on
defending parental rights on that board. And I'm also extremely
committed to school choice both as a right for people
(01:23):
here in Colorado and is an idea that transforms our
education system when we lean into it heavily.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
So let me ask about the power of the Board
of Education, because this is another thing that people don't understand.
We all have our local boards of education, right each county,
age district, whatever has their own boards. What exactly is
the Board of Education in Colorado responsible for?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Sure a lesson, some people might think, and I actually
think that's which should be. I believe in a lot
of local control. I know there's a lot of school
districts in CD four, which is where I'd represent that
don't want to stay coming in and telling them how
to run their rural school or their school in Douglas
County that serves a lot of conservative parents. What the
state Board of Education does do if it oversees some
(02:05):
basic standards when you look at social studies, science, other subjects,
it hears charter school appeals. I think that's one of
the key parts of what it does. It also has
some accountability work that it has to do, approving licenses
and a few other accountability things that it does over
the stake.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
They also have been instrumental in approving some curriculums that
I am not happy about.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
How does that process work?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Sure? And so every so many years they evaluate like
social study standards, science standards, and there are certain kinds
of curriculum that fulfill those standards or not. But the
Stateboard Education actually cannot require the different local districts to
use particular curriculum. Curriculum is decided on a local level.
The big question is does a particular curriculum registrict light
(02:54):
want to use? Does it fit within the standards the
state board has set. I think sometimes those standard are
something that parents need to speak into more conservatives need
to speak into, because when those standards go awry, then
you can see really good, solid curriculum not meeting those standards,
and that would be the way that a local board
might not be able to choose it.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So, when you want to be a part of the
Board of Education, what are the parts of those responsibilities?
Are you the most focused on, passionate about What would
you describe your area of concentration.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I think two things I'd like to focus on the
most are parental rights and school choice. We see a
recent law in Colorado allowing teachers and school officials counselors
to work with kids to let them change their pronouns
at school, but not tell the parents. And that's just
like one issue that I think gets a lot of
attention because the subject matter. Let's go behind the actual
(03:49):
topic and say, this is an example of how government
tried to insert itself in between parents and children. And
we see that constantly in the education system. So I
think people on boards that supervise the edge location system
need to be on the side of parents and children
and bringing parents and kids together, not inserting government in
the middle of that. Secondly, school choice, we will be
(04:11):
hearing appeals from districts that reject charter schools. I think
too often, good solid charter schools that have waiting lists
of parents hundreds of kids who want to go to
the school are denied at the local and state level
many times because the overseeing charter network is accused of
being conservative, like R. Bollesdale Network, and that's really wrong.
(04:32):
And if we can't change it because we will be
in the minority on the state Board of Education. As conservatives,
we absolutely should draw attention to it and highlight that
kind of discrimination, and it is.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
It's very discriminatory, and it's upsetting to me because Colorado
was a leader in the nation in charter school development.
And I mean maybe people who live here don't realize that,
but Colorado was looked to as a beacon of how
to do charter schools, right, right, I mean, you had
opportunities for kids who were thriving in their neighborhood schools
to stay there. You have opportunities for kids who want
(05:04):
a different learning experience to go to charter schools. And
everybody was happy and it was working really well. But
I think part of the problem is Kelly. When you look,
especially at our recent test scores statewide, charter schools are
outperforming traditional public schools and this has the teachers unions
up in arms because the last thing they want to
do is have to compete. But competing has actually been
(05:26):
proven to elevate all the schools.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Not just charter schools. So I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
That is incredibly concerning to me. So there's an art oh,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, I'm just going to agree with you and say
seven of the ten highest ranked high schools in Colorado
are charter schools. Yeah, And I mean the evidence is
in the numbers and what's actually working for kids. And
I think the teachers' union comes in and they're concerned
with their own salaries, their own goals, their own control, honestly, yeah,
over students and parents a lot of times instead of
saying which types of schools are actually working for kids.
(06:00):
The average neighborhood public school the rate of kids who
are able to read and write and do math a
great level. Only forty percent of them can do it. Statewide,
that's a huge.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Problem, and in some urban areas like Denver, it's way lower,
especially for kids of color.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
So, I mean there is a great article in Colorado
Politics that sort of lays out a lot of the
different candidates and it gives a really good sort of
feel for what each candidate says, especially about things like
parental rights. And I want to direct people to please
read this because Christie's running in District four, but there
are other races that are happening right now. And as
(06:35):
Christy said, even if all the Conservatives win, which in
some districts is a really long long shot. They're still
not going to have control of the Board of Education,
but they will be able to slow the role or
make the argument cogently to protect our charter schools and
to protect you know, students and their relationships with their parents.
That for me, those two things alone are all that
(06:56):
matters out of this race for me. And I appreciate
that you have to say to step in and make
your voice heard on this, Christy, and I'm glad that
you are one of the people running for this What
would you say if people are in District four and
the district's mirror the congressional districts?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Correct?
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Correct?
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Okay, I wanted to make sure I knew what I
was talking about before I said that. But what would
you say, Why should people vote for you in District four.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
If people want an advocate for their rights as parents
and advocate for the best educational opportunities for their children,
and we don't believe that one size fits all, We
don't want the teachers union to control everything we do
in Colorado. That is the kind of voice I will
be for people on the state Board of Education. And
I also think the point that my kids right now,
they're eleven and thirteen years old, I am going to
(07:43):
think of it right now, making sure my kids get educated.
There's not a single person currently on the state Board
of Education who has school aged children. That's another problem
I think we need to fix on that board.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Oh wow, I had no idea. I mean, don't get
me wrong.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I think people who don't have kids in the schools
now more time.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
To do this stuff. But there's so many things.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
We were actually just talking about this on the show,
like what's happening for kids today is so dramatically different
then even what happened for my producer. And god, I mean,
I haven't been in school since nineteen eighty seven, so
it's been a lot since then. So yeah, I do
think being in the classrooms and seeing what's going on
is probably.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Very, very helpful.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
And Christy Burton Brown and recommending, I'm not endorsing you,
because my endorsement is a kiss of death, but I
will be recommending if you care what I'm going to do.
I'm going to be voting for Christy Burton Brown on
the fourth, so I appreciate you. I put a link
to her website if you want to find out more,
you can do that there. If you would like to
donate money, you could do that there. Whatever you want
to do is fine with me. But Christy, I appreciate
(08:42):
you making time for me today so much. All Right,
have a great day. That is Christy Burton Brown. She
is rock solid. And I am, you know, as the
parent of a former charter school kid who recognizes that
my daughter's been in both public schools and charter schools.
She got to go to a very small elementary school
(09:06):
that we initially loved, and then the principal left and
it just did not go the way we wanted to
go with the new leadership, and so we moved over
to American Academy and it was a really strong education,
really strong, so much so that when she got to
her freshman year, she was like, Mom, I'm relearning things
that I learned in sixth grade, not even seventh grade,
(09:28):
like sixth grade. So I know the power of a
great charter school, and I want parents to.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Have all the options on the table.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
If your kid is thriving at a neighborhood school, then
that is fantastic. I want them to continue to thrive.
But if your kid is not. I want you to
have options, and I think every parent should want their
kid to have the best option that works for them
and their family.
It's the Board of Education in Colorado has done some
(00:03):
stuff as of late that I am super unhappy about.
And there are some races happening right now that could
be significant and actually have the potential to significantly shift
the tone and tenor of the Board of Education. And
joining me now is Christy Burton Brown. She's running in
the fourth district for the Board of Education. Christy, it's
(00:23):
good to talk to you again. Welcome back.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Thank you so much. Mandy, great to be here.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I want to start with why you are running for
the Board of Education and a deeper question on that,
why is it critical that we get people like you
on the Board of Education.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Sure? The main reason I'm running to the Board of
Education is I am extremely passionate about education. I think
children's lives matter. Anyone who knows me and knows I've
done a lot of pro life work. I think what
happens to kids after their board also matters. Education is
a key to success, having different educational opportunities that meet
the unique needs of our children. You just simply can't
(01:01):
have generations of success if you don't get that right.
So I think that one of the reasons people like
me need to be on the board. For one thing,
I'm a parent of current school age children, and I'm
a constitutional attorney, so I'm going to really focused on
defending parental rights on that board. And I'm also extremely
committed to school choice both as a right for people
(01:23):
here in Colorado and is an idea that transforms our
education system when we lean into it heavily.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
So let me ask about the power of the Board
of Education, because this is another thing that people don't understand.
We all have our local boards of education, right each county,
age district, whatever has their own boards. What exactly is
the Board of Education in Colorado responsible for?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Sure a lesson, some people might think, and I actually
think that's which should be. I believe in a lot
of local control. I know there's a lot of school
districts in CD four, which is where I'd represent that
don't want to stay coming in and telling them how
to run their rural school or their school in Douglas
County that serves a lot of conservative parents. What the
state Board of Education does do if it oversees some
(02:05):
basic standards when you look at social studies, science, other subjects,
it hears charter school appeals. I think that's one of
the key parts of what it does. It also has
some accountability work that it has to do, approving licenses
and a few other accountability things that it does over
the stake.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
They also have been instrumental in approving some curriculums that
I am not happy about.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
How does that process work?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Sure? And so every so many years they evaluate like
social study standards, science standards, and there are certain kinds
of curriculum that fulfill those standards or not. But the
Stateboard Education actually cannot require the different local districts to
use particular curriculum. Curriculum is decided on a local level.
The big question is does a particular curriculum registrict light
(02:54):
want to use? Does it fit within the standards the
state board has set. I think sometimes those standard are
something that parents need to speak into more conservatives need
to speak into, because when those standards go awry, then
you can see really good, solid curriculum not meeting those standards,
and that would be the way that a local board
might not be able to choose it.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
So, when you want to be a part of the
Board of Education, what are the parts of those responsibilities?
Are you the most focused on, passionate about What would
you describe your area of concentration.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
I think two things I'd like to focus on the
most are parental rights and school choice. We see a
recent law in Colorado allowing teachers and school officials counselors
to work with kids to let them change their pronouns
at school, but not tell the parents. And that's just
like one issue that I think gets a lot of
attention because the subject matter. Let's go behind the actual
(03:49):
topic and say, this is an example of how government
tried to insert itself in between parents and children. And
we see that constantly in the education system. So I
think people on boards that supervise the edge location system
need to be on the side of parents and children
and bringing parents and kids together, not inserting government in
the middle of that. Secondly, school choice, we will be
(04:11):
hearing appeals from districts that reject charter schools. I think
too often, good solid charter schools that have waiting lists
of parents hundreds of kids who want to go to
the school are denied at the local and state level
many times because the overseeing charter network is accused of
being conservative, like R. Bollesdale Network, and that's really wrong.
(04:32):
And if we can't change it because we will be
in the minority on the state Board of Education. As conservatives,
we absolutely should draw attention to it and highlight that
kind of discrimination, and it is.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
It's very discriminatory, and it's upsetting to me because Colorado
was a leader in the nation in charter school development.
And I mean maybe people who live here don't realize that,
but Colorado was looked to as a beacon of how
to do charter schools, right, right, I mean, you had
opportunities for kids who were thriving in their neighborhood schools
to stay there. You have opportunities for kids who want
(05:04):
a different learning experience to go to charter schools. And
everybody was happy and it was working really well. But
I think part of the problem is Kelly. When you look,
especially at our recent test scores statewide, charter schools are
outperforming traditional public schools and this has the teachers unions
up in arms because the last thing they want to
do is have to compete. But competing has actually been
(05:26):
proven to elevate all the schools.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Not just charter schools. So I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
That is incredibly concerning to me. So there's an art oh,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
No, I'm just going to agree with you and say
seven of the ten highest ranked high schools in Colorado
are charter schools. Yeah, And I mean the evidence is
in the numbers and what's actually working for kids. And
I think the teachers' union comes in and they're concerned
with their own salaries, their own goals, their own control, honestly, yeah,
over students and parents a lot of times instead of
saying which types of schools are actually working for kids.
(06:00):
The average neighborhood public school the rate of kids who
are able to read and write and do math a
great level. Only forty percent of them can do it. Statewide,
that's a huge.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Problem, and in some urban areas like Denver, it's way lower,
especially for kids of color.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
So, I mean there is a great article in Colorado
Politics that sort of lays out a lot of the
different candidates and it gives a really good sort of
feel for what each candidate says, especially about things like
parental rights. And I want to direct people to please
read this because Christie's running in District four, but there
are other races that are happening right now. And as
(06:35):
Christy said, even if all the Conservatives win, which in
some districts is a really long long shot. They're still
not going to have control of the Board of Education,
but they will be able to slow the role or
make the argument cogently to protect our charter schools and
to protect you know, students and their relationships with their parents.
That for me, those two things alone are all that
(06:56):
matters out of this race for me. And I appreciate
that you have to say to step in and make
your voice heard on this, Christy, and I'm glad that
you are one of the people running for this What
would you say if people are in District four and
the district's mirror the congressional districts?
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Correct?
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Correct?
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Okay, I wanted to make sure I knew what I
was talking about before I said that. But what would
you say, Why should people vote for you in District four.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
If people want an advocate for their rights as parents
and advocate for the best educational opportunities for their children,
and we don't believe that one size fits all, We
don't want the teachers union to control everything we do
in Colorado. That is the kind of voice I will
be for people on the state Board of Education. And
I also think the point that my kids right now,
they're eleven and thirteen years old, I am going to
(07:43):
think of it right now, making sure my kids get educated.
There's not a single person currently on the state Board
of Education who has school aged children. That's another problem
I think we need to fix on that board.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Oh wow, I had no idea. I mean, don't get
me wrong.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I think people who don't have kids in the schools
now more time.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
To do this stuff. But there's so many things.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
We were actually just talking about this on the show,
like what's happening for kids today is so dramatically different
then even what happened for my producer. And god, I mean,
I haven't been in school since nineteen eighty seven, so
it's been a lot since then. So yeah, I do
think being in the classrooms and seeing what's going on
is probably.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Very, very helpful.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
And Christy Burton Brown and recommending, I'm not endorsing you,
because my endorsement is a kiss of death, but I
will be recommending if you care what I'm going to do.
I'm going to be voting for Christy Burton Brown on
the fourth, so I appreciate you. I put a link
to her website if you want to find out more,
you can do that there. If you would like to
donate money, you could do that there. Whatever you want
to do is fine with me. But Christy, I appreciate
(08:42):
you making time for me today so much. All Right,
have a great day. That is Christy Burton Brown. She
is rock solid. And I am, you know, as the
parent of a former charter school kid who recognizes that
my daughter's been in both public schools and charter schools.
She got to go to a very small elementary school
(09:06):
that we initially loved, and then the principal left and
it just did not go the way we wanted to
go with the new leadership, and so we moved over
to American Academy and it was a really strong education,
really strong, so much so that when she got to
her freshman year, she was like, Mom, I'm relearning things
that I learned in sixth grade, not even seventh grade,
(09:28):
like sixth grade. So I know the power of a
great charter school, and I want parents to.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Have all the options on the table.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
If your kid is thriving at a neighborhood school, then
that is fantastic. I want them to continue to thrive.
But if your kid is not. I want you to
have options, and I think every parent should want their
kid to have the best option that works for them
and their family.
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