SCHOOLS

the members of the community.

Snowberger has spent 37 years in the sector of public education and has two strong beliefs that drive his role as superintendent. First, he believes in the need for education transformation. Second, he believes in the need for choice in education.

“I’ve been in education for a long time, and I’ve seen lots of things that have happened over the years in public education. I’m a true believer in public education but I’m also a believer that we’ve got to transform education. We’re in a new day. We’re preparing kids for very di erent careers and very di erent futures than all of us were prepared for in our school time,” explained Snowberger. “I’m also a true believer in school choice. I want to make sure our families come to our schools because they are the right choice. I want to make sure that we’re making our schools the very best that they can be and that we’re supporting families in the choices that they make with education.”

He tackled several subjects in his presentation, the biggest being district challenges and his plans to alleviate them as superintendent.

District challenges and Snowberger’s comments:

Funding

“Our funding is much lower than our neighboring districts. Teachers in some districts make 50k or more. Teachers in our district make 40k.”

Infrastructure

“With funding comes infrastructure challenges. We have schools that have a lot of deferred maintenance. We have things that are aging in our district, and we don’t have money sitting in an account waiting. For every challenge that we face infrastructure-wise, it’s a matter of a decision: Do we fund this for our kids, or do we x that?

Staffing

“We’ve had a number of open sta ng positions. We have been to some degree a training ground for some. ey’ll come here, they’ll get their experience, and then they become very attractive to a neighboring district who’s paying sometimes $20,000 more a year. How can you begrudge a young teacher who can go next door and make $20,000 more in our society and the economy we’re in today?”

Growth

“Right now the school is growing drastically. We’re anticipating 92 new students next year. at is multiple classes across the district. We have to be prepared to know where we’re putting these kids. We don’t want class sizes of 36, 38, and

40 kids. at is unacceptable. We’re going to have to address some of those growth issues in our community.”

Exodus of children from public education

“We also have children choosing to leave public education. As a school district, I happen to feel very strongly that it is our job to advocate for education for our kids, whether they choose our traditional public schools, whether they choose a charter school, or whether they choose to homeschool, we the district have some responsibility to support families and education.”

Community divisiveness

“We have to quit focusing on what divides our community and start agreeing on what unites us. We need to make sure that when our kids walk across the stage at Elizabeth High School that they are prepared for success. at has got to be what we focus on.”

Snowberger’s plan to combat the challenges:

1. Deeply analyze the budget to ensure e ciency and e ectiveness with the district budget.

2. Transform compensation and bene ts for teachers and sta . Recruit teachers who truly want to teach and stay away from controversial topics.

3. Create a long-range plan to address facility needs, plan for growth, and ensure the safety of our students.

4. Closely review the curriculum, adopted standards, and establish systems to track student growth and achievement.

5. Ensure that the district operates with transparency and builds trust across all stakeholders in the community.

6. Ensure that the district provides choice and options for families, including those who choose to homeschool or take greater control over their children’s education.

“ e information he presented outlined successes within the Elizabeth School District as well as areas for growth,” Aviles said. “He appears to be very interested in partnering with the community to better our schools for the success of all of our students. I believe parents should be actively engaged in their children’s education and meeting with school personnel is a great rst step in demonstrating parental rights as well as responsibilities. I look forward to holding Superintendent Snowberger accountable along his path to uniting the Elizabeth School District and our community so that all of our students thrive and ESD becomes a place where students and sta are proud to call home.” acres generally south of Highway 86 and east of Legacy Ridge Street, allowing development of up to 623 residential units and 39 commercial units, with requirements for 130 acres of open space and a 300-year water supply. e May 16 balloting came after many years of contention regarding the development of the Town of Elizabeth and the surrounding areas.

For more information on Superintendent Dan Snowberger, visit elizabethschooldistrict.org/ Page/244.

In a statement after the uno cial vote tally was released, Elizabeth Mayor Nick Snively, who had supported the PUD zoning, said: “ e residents have spoken and have chosen to stop the development of Elizabeth West. Clearly, that was the method chosen by the Colorado Legislature as a means of expressing the will of the citizens. It is important to note that the future of the development is now left to the developer, and likely the county, to determine how to proceed.”

Snively continued: “Contrary to the statements made by many, the developer has several means to withdraw his land from the town boundaries. e course of action will be decided by the developer; not by the Town Board of Trustees or the citizens they represent.”

Larry Gable, a resident of unincorporated Elbert County who opposed the town’s zoning plan, commented: “Today we are victorious. But if you think there is pushback with the town, you haven’t seen anything yet. If it goes to the county there will be a ght.”

Snively’s statement said the Eliza- beth Town Board “will work hard to maintain the current level of service to the community. As the Elizabeth West project will likely proceed outside of the town limits, the town will need to prioritize needs within the community with a xed tax base.”

Snively added: “I want to encourage members of the community to continue to be involved in the governmental process. Attend meetings, join the various methods that the town uses for communication (mailing list, social media, etc.), or even watch the live meetings from your own computer with our new live video feeds. We look forward to moving forward as a community together.”

Informational meeting e May 16 vote came on the heels of a May 11 informational meeting that developer Jim Marshall held at Legacy Academy, focusing on the proposed Elizabeth West development and the upcoming vote. At the meeting, which lasted over an hour, Marshall gave a brief presentation, but most time was dedicated to elding questions from the crowd.

Several times during the meeting Marshall suggested that concerned citizens should come up one-by-one so he could personally answer their questions. e crowd refused and wanted the meeting to remain in the open format. Not only was there heated debate between Marshall and those in attendance, but also between members of the crowd who shared di erent perspectives on development in the area.

One commenter at the meeting stated: “We have a water problem here in Colorado. We have a shortage. We’re over-developing. When you say `300 years of water,’ that formula is a snapshot for today, it does not include other developers and other developments that are already on the books. We are concerned about the water, we are concerned about tra c, we are concerned about the overpacked schools, we are concerned about changing. We want to welcome you into our community. We are not against — no growth, just don’t take over our community. Be a part of it. Be a good neighbor.”

Mayor explains board actions

In an statement before the election, Snively defended the actions of the Elizabeth Town Board, saying: “ e process of development in and around the Town of Elizabeth has been a contentious item for years.

“It is important for the residents of the town to understand that the decisions are not taken lightly. Considerable thought and study go into each and every step of the process. In the case of Elizabeth West, the process has literally been ongoing for several years. is was not a project that was simply thrown together or forced upon the town by the developer.

“ ere are many who are of the opinion that the board could simply decide to stop development because others in and around the community did not like the idea of additional homes in the town. To those who advanced that belief, or relied on those who advanced that belief, that is erroneous. It was never an option.

“Like the developer, the board is required to follow the laws in place at the time of application.

“As all requirements were met, the only available option for the Planning Commission and the Board of Trustees was to proceed with development.

“ e process is not subject to the whims of the loudest proponents or opponents - it is to follow the law. If the residents want a di erent outcome, then their role is to assist in changing the laws to re ect their desires, not to be swayed by those with the loudest voices.

“We invite the public, the voters, to become more involved in the workings of the Town of Elizabeth. Citizen involvement should not only occur when there are topics discussed on social media. At every single meeting of the Town Board of Trustees, decisions are made which a ect the citizens and the community. Plan to attend meetings, learn about the community, and what happens within the community.

“As the mayor, I am concerned about the unkind, disingenuous, and malicious tone some of the debate on this topic has become. e Town of Elizabeth should set higher standards for itself in this regard. We are all neighbors who have found this town to be our special place. We have friendships, children, relatives, and relationships with others in the community. at needs to hold us together, even if we disagree about certain things for our community.”

Text of ballot question e ballot text read as follows:

Shall Ordinance 22-10, adopted by the Elizabeth Board of Trustees on November 15, 2022, establishing Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zoning including standards for the design and development of a residential and commercial development called Elizabeth West, which is comprised of approximately 425 acres and located generally south of Highway 86 and east of Legacy Ridge Street, be given e ect in order to:

— Allow residential development of up to 623 residential units on 235.6 acres;

— Allow mixed use commercial development of up to 39 units on 34.1 acres;

— Require over 130 acres of open space; and

— Require such development to provide a 300-year supply of water?