Wise hopes settlement puts students before politics

Districts settles lawsuit for $800K

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Douglas County School District will pay former superintendent Corey Wise more than $800,000 to settle claims that Wise’s ring amounted to discrimination.

Wise led a complaint with the Colorado O ce of Civil Rights against the school district and four school board members — Becky Myers, Mike Peterson, Christy Williams and Kaylee Winegar — in April 2022 after he was red without cause, claiming he was dismissed for advocating for marginalized students by favoring a mask policy in schools and working to implement an equity policy.

ing annual re occurrence coupled with warmer and drier than average climate forecasts for 2023.”

Douglas County’s commissioners at their April 11 meeting voted to approve $1.1 million for this year’s helicopter use contract, lasting from June 1 to Oct. 31 to cover what are historically the months of highest re frequency and severity in the county, according to the memo.

“We know the biggest natural hazard threat to Douglas County is a wild re,” Commissioner Abe Laydon said in a news release.

Helicopter use goes back years e county started contracting for helicopter use for wild re suppression in 2011, according to Mike Alexander, the deputy director of emergency management for the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce.

At that point, county o cials contracted for helicopter use on a “call when needed” basis.

“In March 2011, we utilized our CWN contract with Rampart Helicopter to suppress the Burning Tree re near Franktown, to great success,” Alexander said.

Under the settlement, the school district will pay Wise $270,733 for the remainder of his superintendent contract, as well as $562,000 to resolve the lawsuit. According to a news release from Wise’s attorneys, the money will come from the district’s insurance policies, so no money will be diverted from students.

Wise told Colorado Community Media the settlement is vindicating for him, adding that he hopes it will deter politicization and discrimination in Douglas County moving forward.

SEE SETTLEMENT, P7