Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Resident generated news about Lakewood, Colorado
Jeffco School Board Does Not Add Trust Accountability Measures
The Jeffco School Board can’t evaluate the Superintendent on “trust” if they can’t figure out how to add it to her evaluation metrics. Even though such metrics have been repeatedly suggested, the board is unable or unwilling to figure out how to increase accountability, shown by this year’s 4 to 1 vote to pass the evaluation without more accountability.
During the 2025 evaluation approval, School Board Member Danielle Varda asked how to implement the new evaluation metrics the school board agreed to add in previous sessions. The rest of the school board refused to take the time.
Two new evaluation metrics were suggested in 2025, the main one being a new measure for trust, the other being for test scores.
In what sounded like a demand, Superintendent Dorland asked for co-accountability if a new evaluation measure based on trust was going to be implemented.
Some would say that sounded a lot like the statement, “if I go down, you go down.”
Watch this summary of comments from the school board discussion on November 13, 2025.
There were so many problems under Superintendent Dorland that the Jefferson County Education Association issued a vote of no confidence in Dorland. Despite this, Dorland asked for a raise.
“Amid Jeffco’s ongoing financial strain, justifying a six-figure salary—let alone a raise—for its superintendent becomes increasingly difficult,” says The Westwind, the student news site of Arvada West High. The article continues, “Essential programs like journalism, music, and career-technical education, which are frequently operating on minimal budgets, are often the first to face cuts when funding falls short.”
At the time of her raise, Board President Mary Parker defended raise discussions, according to Arvada Press reporting.
In contrast, when one Board Member asked the Board to be accountable for their decision to hold the Superintendent more accountable, there was little support. The strongest statements came from Board Member Erin Kenworthy and her statements reflected that the evaluation was fine as is. She said that she would re-examine this issue in future, “if it was necessary.”
It appears accountability is not necessary in Jeffco.
Outgoing Board Member Danielle Varda was the only vote for increasing accountability.