By Roger Holmes

As the WPSD board navigates what may be the most dire financial crisis in its history, one would expect laser focus on fixing its own house. Instead, the board’s energy remains fixated on “controlling” its only charter school, Merit Academy. The latest example is WPSD Board President Keegan Barkley’s use of the term “fiduciary controller” to describe the district’s role “over” Merit. That phrase appears nowhere in the Charter Renewal Contract, the Colorado Charter Schools Act (CRS §22-30.5-101 et seq.), or State Board of Education rules (1 CCR 301-
88). It is not a legal duty. It is hostile rhetoric designed to imply unchecked domination rather than the limited oversight role of an authorizer.

Colorado law could not be clearer. Authorizers must “maintain high standards” while “minimizing administrative burdens and respecting autonomy” (1 CCR 301-88 §3.05). They are not controllers. The Colorado Supreme Court warned districts against abusing their “vastly superior bargaining position” as a funding conduit (Ridgeview Classical Schools v. Poudre, 2009). Yet here we are.

The contrast in financial stewardship is stark. WPSD’s own audit carries a disclaimed opinion—the most severe red flag possible—while Merit Academy has delivered clean audits that spark great confidence from the auditors year after year. Remarkably, district leaders have never once
expressed relief that their charter school is operationally strong. They are more interested in exerting control than in celebrating success.
The pattern is clear: intimidation, not partnership.

WPSD’s financial distress is real. Auditors told the district it needs technical accountants who are trained in and understand school finance. Merit Academy’s finance team is loaded with government and school finance experts, but instead of assurances, WPSD’s board and administration continue to focus on dominating them. Now the district is preparing to ask taxpayers for more money while simultaneously flexing their hostile muscle with the very charter school that serves over six hundred local children.

Enough. The community will not reward division and mismanagement with higher taxes. Stop begging to steal our hard earned tax dollars. Sell Merit Academy and the building it occupies and use that capital to support your other three school facilities. These buildings were gifted to our public schools to provide education to our local children, which now includes one of the top performing charter schools in the state. You are not in a position to express the resentment you do, so make the tough but right choices. Cut administrative bloat. Enforce a discipline policy that actually works. Get grants. Live within your means.

Merit Academy is not your enemy. It is a thriving public community school that families love. Your body language, tone, and word choice in board meetings drip with disdain. Stop. Focus on the schools that need real leadership; respect charter autonomy, and act like the stand-up district the law requires you to be. The district is imploding and its leadership fuels division.

Don’t think about asking for our hard-earned dollars. Taxpayers are watching. Wake up. Please.