Thompson School District Board of Education Regular Meeting 9/17/25
by Lisa Love Blankenship
A recording of this meeting is available here:
Superintendent Dr. Bret Heller reported on recent TSD events, and introduced several new district administrators.
- Thompson Education Foundation (TEF) hosted a homecoming dress giveaway, distributing 63 dresses.
- The Thompson Career Campus is hosting an open house on Sept. 24 for the launch of the new Emergency Medical Technician pathway.
- In addition to Namaqua Elementary’s All-Star Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for achieving excellence in all nine areas of school health, the Alliance also recognized three more TSD schools as America’s Healthiest Schools. The Alliance is a national nonprofit based in Portland, OR. These schools were awarded:
- Big Thompson Elementary for supporting school health services and implementing a local school wellness policy
- Centennial Elementary for supporting school health services, strengthening social emotional health and learning, and cultivating staff well-being, and
- Truscott Elementary for supporting school health services.
- TSD Board President Barb Kruse received the McGuffey Award at the recent Colorado Association of School Board’s (CASB) regional meeting. CASB recognizes these recipients for outstanding service.
- Dr. Heller visited two community partner groups, praising these groups for identifying community needs and finding ways to address them. He visited the after-school program in the Lago Vista community, where 30 elementary-through-highschool students receive after school academic support with tutors, and the KidsPak facility, where volunteers pack and distribute weekend food bags for food-insecure TSD students.
New district administrators include:
- Brandy Grieves, Executive Director of Secondary Schools
- Justin Blick, Principal, Ivy Stockwell Elementary
- Shannon Brennan, Principal, Centennial Elementary
- Vivian Pankow, Principal, Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball
- Becky Roussin, Principal, Berthoud Elementary
Namaqua Elementary School staff members gave a presentation about their school initiatives.
Teachers spoke about their Depth and Complexity instructional framework. This model uses 11 thinking strategies, helping students understand content while improving critical thinking and analytical skills.
Namaqua also emphasizes school climate and culture for their diverse student body, with programs aimed at teaching conflict resolution, teaching skills related to social and emotional learning, and fostering a sense of belonging. The school has a sensory room where students can take time to regulate themselves before returning to the classroom.
Goals for 2025 include:
- Implementing a new Benchmark literacy program and continuing work to implement their enVision math curriculum (see Namaqua’s website for information about these two academic programs)
- Continuing to implement the Depth and Complexity program
- Continuing Restorative Practices as part of their climate and culture focus
The presenters responded with further information to board questions about the Depth and Complexity program, the sensory room and other self-regulation techniques, as well as changes that they have seen in students as they have implemented their climate and culture plans.
Board members shared individual comments and updates about their participation in recent district events and committee meetings.
- Barb Kruse helped with the homecoming dress giveaway, and noted that TEF will hold a prom dress giveaway in April.
- Dawn Kirk attended the first District Accountability Committee meeting of the school year.
- Stu Boyd attended the recent CASB fall conference, and reported an instance in which the TSD board’s advance discussion about the proposed CASB resolutions ended up being instrumental in the ultimate assembly vote on that resolution.
- Nancy Rumfelt read a statement that she wrote about the First Amendment for Constitution Day. She spoke about witnessing an erosion of respect for differing beliefs, noting the recent assassination of public figure Charlie Kirk. She then asked that the TSD board commit to talking, listening, and respecting each other.
- Alexandra Fuller attended meetings of the Joint Insurance Committee meeting and the Calendar Committee. The Calendar Committee will soon create the 2026-27 and 2027-28 district calendars.
- Denise Chapman attended the recent Head Start Family Partnering in Education (PIE) meeting. This is an opportunity for families and early childhood educators to connect at the start of the school year.
Parents, community members, and staff members offered comments about various topics during the Public Comment period.
- Two parents spoke in support of LGBTQ inclusivity policies. One noted the importance of having unified policies for all schools in the district.
- A TSD counselor spoke in support of simplifying the process that senior students must complete to demonstrate that they have met competencies for graduation.
- A TSD staff member speaking as a member of the public voiced appreciation for the time the board took to review the CASB resolutions.
- A community member and grandparent of TSD students called in to note the dangers of releasing test scores and making assumptions about them before data analysis.
- Public comments appear at minute 50:12 in the videotape.
The board unanimously approved several previously discussed items.
The agenda links to details about each item.
- Approval of Personnel/Extra Duty/Coaching recommendations
- Approval of Expenditures over $50,000
- Approval of Gifts/Donations
- Approval of these policies:
- BEDB, relating to the board agenda
- KLG, Relations with State and Federal Agencies
- KLG-R, Relations with State and Federal Agencies Records Procedures
Note that the National School Boards Association provides the policy acronyms (BEDB, KLG, KLG-R) in their National Education Policy Network classification system.
Board Vice-Chair Stu Boyd proposed a meeting with state legislators.
Boyd noted that many school boards throughout the state hold meetings with their state senators and representatives. He proposed inviting the four state legislators who represent the TSD area at the state level to a dinner, prior to the Dec. 17 board meeting, for an opportunity to share thoughts about upcoming legislation. Boyd will explore this idea further.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be a Study Session on October 6, 2025, 5 p.m. at Carrie Martin Elementary School, 4129 Joni Lane, 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, Dawn Kirk, President Barb Kruse, Alexandra Lessem, Nancy Rumfelt
Absent: Amy Doran
Links
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