By Kevin Stearns in Thompson — Jun 22, 2025

Thompson School District Board of Education Regular Meeting 6/18/25

by Lisa Love Blankenship

Meeting Highlights

This marked the last meeting for Superintendent Marc Shaffer, who is taking a new job near his hometown in Illinois.

The board approved the 2025-2026 budget, and also approved expenditures for the proceeds of the sale of the Monroe Elementary building.

Staff members are making plans to place a $10M bond issue on the November ballot.

Superintendent Marc Shaffer congratulates seniors and highlights year-end activities

Seniors participated in “graduation walks”, an opportunity to walk through the halls of their former elementary schools, giving the seniors a chance to reflect on their school years, and inspiring the elementary students.
Five senior students, Kayla Chapman, Jack Harkenrider, Void LaGro, Kam Otteson, and Presley Stevenson, were highlighted in Senior Snapshots on the Thompson School District (TSD) website.
Cottonwood Elementary School’s Destination Imagination (DI) team participated in the DI global finals in Kansas City. They delivered their entire presentation in Spanish, and they placed 24^th out of 36 teams in their division.
TSD teachers participated in Technanigans, a conference exploring the latest innovative trends in educational technology and learning, including AI integration.
The building that will house the new EMT Pathway program is almost ready to open. This new program, starting in the fall, will train students to be certified emergency medical technicians by the time they graduate high school.
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) offered TSD the opportunity to use the CDE social media accounts for a day to showcase district activities.
The Summer Scholars program for K-8 students is underway. Students in grades 4-8 participate in career exploration through hands-on classes.

Dr. Shaffer Introduced four new TSD administrators:

Nicole Jones, Assistant Principal at High Plains School
Jacob McCollum, Assistant Principal at Walt Clark Middle School
Valerie Lara-Black, Director of Human Resources for TSD
Sara Rasmussen, Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services for TSD

Board members individually expressed their appreciation to Dr. Shaffer for his service as his 7-year tenure comes to a close at the district. It was his last meeting.

Several community members offer input about Intensive Learning Center (ILC) programs, the school calendar, and more

Teachers, parents, and concerned citizens spoke both in person and in recorded call-in messages about the TSD superintendent salary and benefits, the effect of potential U.S. Department of Education cuts on ILC programs, the impact of classified staff turnover on ILC classrooms, and the school calendar. In addition, callers offered positive and negative comments about board members’ performance throughout the year. The call-in comments are available at minute 46:50 in the meeting video.

No community members offered comments during the time set aside for public input about the 2025-2026 budget.

Personnel/Extra Duty/Coaching recommendations
Head Start Grant renewal
Adoption of Edmentum platform for online learning
Designation of the Election Official for the 2025 Coordinated Election

For more detailed information about items related to the unanimously approved budget (Resolution of Budget Adoption for 2025-2026, Resolution of Appropriation 2025-2026 Budget, and Resolution of Use of Beginning Fund Balance for 2025-2026 Budget) see the supporting documents linked in the agenda under Discussion/Action Items.
Board member Nancy Rumfelt requested moving the agenda item “Approval of Project Budgets and Contracts for Use of Monroe Elementary School Sale Proceeds” from the consent agenda for further discussion. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Todd Piccone responded to her questions about using the funds for the shot clocks for sporting events and the mercury abatement in flooring. The motion to approve the use of Monroe Elementary sale proceeds passed in a six-to-one vote.
Board member Nancy Rumfelt requested moving the agenda item “Approval of Expenditures over $50,000” from the consent agenda for further discussion. Chief Operations Officer Todd Piccone responded to her questions about the Loveland High School ADA settlement, clarifying details about the scope of the ADA accessibility issues, including work on sidewalks, the parking lot, and inside the auditorium. The motion to approve expenditures over $50,000 passed in a six-to-one vote.
Chief Financial Officer Bob Ebersole clarified details about the State of Colorado Interest Free Cash Flow Loan Program for school districts. The board unanimously approved the resolution to participate in the program, which is repaid by property tax within the fiscal year.
Human Resources Director Tom Texeira presented information about a proposed amendment to the 2025-2026 school calendar. The resolution amending the school calendar to accommodate a planning day for K-5 staff passed unanimously.

Master Plan Committee (MPC) presents information about plan update

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Todd Piccone, Director of Operations Kristen Battige, MPC Chair Tom Pitts, and MPC Vice Chair Brett Grimditch presented the new Master Plan, last updated in 2020. Kristin Battige discussed specifics about the update, which identifies needs over the next seven years. The new plan updates information about building capacity and modernization, capital maintenance, and security.

The Long-Range Master Plan, approved by the MPC on June 2, 2025, is available on the TSD website.

Board hears a presentation about bond initiative issues

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Todd Piccone and Chief Communications Officer Mike Hausmann presented information about progress on planning for a bond issue for the November 2025 ballot. The plan calls for raising $100 million while not raising taxes for residents, and instead, extending existing tax rates beyond their original expiration point.

Mike Hausmann began by summarizing progress with community outreach, working with Mile High Public Affairs for polling and developing an ad campaign. He described planned efforts this summer for developing informational web pages and social media advertising, and developing a “State of the District” presentation for community meetings.

Todd Piccone noted the importance of involving the community, as well as paying careful attention to details such as crafting the ballot language. He covered a timeline that involves finalizing ballot language and a resolution for a board vote in August, and offered a general overview of financial implications for the bond given assessed value (AV) growth assumption.

Mike Hausmann returned to discuss Leadership Thompson, a nine-month program starting in September, with participants including business and community leaders, partners in higher education, and parents/community members interested in leadership. Topics will include school funding in Colorado, along with district structure, processes, programs, needs, and more. This is envisioned as an ongoing program, with a new group each fall.

Board members asked questions about Leadership Thompson class size, plans for inclusive recruitment, and the reasoning for the name of the program. In general, the board is excited about plans for Leadership Thompson. Board members also asked about how the effectiveness of online advertising is measured, about plans for advertising specific needs of schools, and about ADA-related expenditures if the bond issue passes.

Next Meeting

There are no board meetings scheduled during July. Meetings will resume in August, and the dates and times will be posted on the Board website. Meetings are held in the boardroom at the Thompson School District Administration Building, 800 S. Taft Ave., Loveland.

Meetings are 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

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