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Ewert himself was the subject of a death threat in late January when a 48-year-old Thornton man left a voice message on Ewert’s phone threatening to kill him using anthrax. The man, Byron Clayton, was issued a protection order later in court.

Board members also recieved similar threats from Clayton according to Reichardt.

The incident was the culmination of outrage drummed up by two minors, one a Littleton High School student and the other who is homeschooled, who lied their way into getting approved for a COVID vaccine at a clinic at Heritage High School.

The two took videos of themselves being approved for a vaccine by Jogan Health staff that then went viral on a far-right Twitter account. Their parents accused Ewert and the district of pushing vaccines on minors without parental consent, though neither minor went through with vaccination.

Ewert called the act “deceitful to prove a point,” and, after his death threat, said the incident “put some things into perspective about how exposed public offi cials are.”

Enrollment, funding issues

COVID-19 was far from the only rollercoaster Ewert and the district faced.

For years several of LPS’ schools have seen declining enrollment rates which the district’s education board has attributed to families being unable to live in the city due to its high housing costs.

It’s been one of the factors behind a growing fi nancial crisis for the district. But despite the challenges, Ewert said LPS has met the moment

“This community and this board have really stuck with me,” Ewert said. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done. Has it been easy, no … but I would not go back and undo any of those hard decisions that we’ve made.”

In November 2018, voters approved a bond allowing the district to raise $298 million to pay for a slew of future projects. In November 2020, voters approved a $12 million mill levy override to help the district shore up gaps created from a lack of suffi cient state funding.

The district, under Ewert, also worked to consolidate schools with dwindling student bodies in a bid to maximize its resources and shore up quality. The most recent is the forthcoming Little Raven Elementary School, which broke ground May 9 and will consolidate the students and staff of Ralph Moody and East Elementary School.

“Small schools are relatively ineffi cient, and (Brian) pushed us to consolidate those smaller schools,” Reichardt said.

A focus on mental health

The district has also faced its share of tragedy, with a 2013 shooting and a several students who have died by suicide that have formed palpable trauma among the community.

Ewert said that while much more work needs to be done, the district’s focus on mental health support has made major strides.

“We are doing our work quietly behind the scenes, engaging with parents and students and teachers,” Ewert said

In 2019 and 2020, sociologist and

Littleton Public Schools Superintendent Brian Ewert listens in during a 2019 school board meeting.

FILE PHOTO BY DAVID GILBERT

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