Thompson School District Board of Education Special Meeting and Study Session 9/3/25

A recording of this meeting is available below.

Note on Video Links: You may notice that the video links included in this report are labeled with the date 8/31/25. Please know that this is an error; all of the videos are in reference to the 9/3/25 meeting.

Before the study session, the TSD board held a special meeting to consider policies related to interactions with law enforcement and immigration authorities.

The passage of Colorado’s SB25-276, Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status, requires that school districts adopt such policies to guide their actions if asked to share information relating to a person’s immigration status.

Todd Piccone, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, presented two policies, drafted with input from the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB) and law firm Caplan & Earnest. One policy covers general plans, and the other adds procedural details.

Legal counsel advised approving these policies on a temporary emergency basis in order to meet state deadlines, but the board will have a second reading and final decision during the Sept. 17 regular meeting. Superintendent Bret Heller agreed with board comments about the importance of communicating with the public once the final policies are in place.

The board unanimously approved both policies on a temporary basis.

The temporary versions of these policies are available from the agenda packet. (The dates on the policies are incorrect, and Laura Lee Ehlers, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and Board of Education, noted that she would make corrections.)

• Policy KLG – Relations with State and Federal Agencies
• Policy KLG-R – Relations with State and Federal Agencies Records Procedures

A recording of this meeting is available here:

Loveland High School hosted the board’s study session.

Principal Shawn Collins, along with students Marely Jaquez Ruiz and Layla Johnson, started the meeting with a presentation about the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School at LHS. Their slideshow is available in the agenda packet.

Marely commented that the IB program has helped her become a better time manager and communicator, and she’s excited about the opportunities to earn college credit. She has a new understanding of what it means to be a global thinker, with an increased awareness of the perspectives of others.

Layla spoke about her appreciation of the opportunity to be self-driven and to explore subjects she’s passionate about. She noted that the classes feel like an immersive conversation rather than a traditional lecture, and that she has learned how to advocate for herself and to express herself, as well as how to work with others in a classroom.

All students at LHS are part of the IB program, taking standard level classes, and they have the option to participate in higher level Diploma Programme classes.

Collins added that starting this year, every LHS student will have the opportunity to earn college credit by opting to take an exam at the end of their standard level 11^th grade English classes.

Board members considered changes to the BEDB Policy.

The BEDB policy concerns preparation of board meeting agendas. Board members, along with Superintendent Heller, discussed changes to simplify and clarify the monthly agendas during their recent board retreat.

Heller reviewed the suggested changes:

• moving the approval of minutes to the consent agenda
• moving the superintendent’s report and board committee reports from the Public Participation section to a new Reports section
• removing the Board of Education Operational Meeting Norms Check-In agenda item

The board will have a second reading and opportunity for final approval during the Sept. 17 regular meeting. If approved, the new agenda format will be in place for October.

Board Vice-President Stu Boyd presented information about the upcoming CASB Fall Conference and Delegate Assembly.

Boyd serves as a delegate to the CASB Legislative Resolutions Committee, and in preparation for attending the 2025 Fall Conference and Delegate Assembly, he presented the Proposed Resolution Booklet and led a discussion about the proposed resolutions that are relevant to TSD.

Delegates will debate and vote on proposed changes to the CASB Legislative Agenda, and will then debate and take action on the proposed legislative resolutions. These resolutions are part of the foundation for CASB efforts at the State Capitol in Denver and in Washington, D.C.

Boyd also talked about his efforts, with TSD Chief Financial Officer Bob Ebersol, to improve communication with state legislators. He shared a recent experience with Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, who asked for further information about TSD’s use of Medicaid funds.

Superintendent Heller proposed future board discussion items, based on discussions with his cabinet members.

• Heller will need input soon about the district’s strategic planning process, as he and his cabinet consider whether to refresh the current plan, or create a completely new plan.
• He plans to set up small group sessions to discuss student achievement data, with a goal of bringing information to the next board study session.
• Two organizations, Classified Staff Advisory Council (CSAC) and Thompson Education Support Professionals Association (TESPA), hope to have official recognition as the group representing district classified staff members. Heller has met with both groups, and will hold further discussions to learn more about legal and other ramifications. He emphasized that the important thing is that TSD employees feel that they have a voice and a seat at the table.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be a Regular Meeting on Sept. 17, 2025, 6 p.m. in the boardroom at the Thompson School District Administration Building, 800 S. Taft Ave., Loveland.

The meeting will be broadcast live on (Loveland) Channel 14, and also livestreamed, linked from the Board Meetings web page.

Board Members

Present: Vice-President Stu Boyd, Denise Chapman, Amy Doran, Dawn Kirk, President Barb Kruse, Alexandra Lessem, Nancy Rumfelt

Links

• Agenda and Packet, Special Meeting
• Agenda and Packet, Study Session
• View live-streamed meeting, Special Meeting (note that, at this time, the meeting date indicated on this video is incorrect)
• View live-streamed meeting, Study Session (note that, at this time, the meeting date indicated on this video is incorrect)
• Thompson School District Board of Education website

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