For its final meeting on Tuesday, the lame-duck majority on the Douglas County school board added two controversial items to the agenda late last week: a discussion on transgender athletes participating in school sports teams and a resolution granting some charter schools the option to operate under 10-year contracts.
The items were placed on the agenda last Friday, allowing just five days for public review before the meeting. The outgoing board members—Tim Moore, Becky Meyers, Kaylee Winegar, and board president Christy Williams—did not seek re-election. A slate of like-minded candidates who were to replace them ultimately did not win the election.
### Public Backlash Over Transgender Athletes Discussion
Parent Kelly Mayr, who leads the group Douglas County Parents, expressed strong frustration with the board’s decision.
“I’m incredibly frustrated that just one week after the election, where voters were really clear that they did not fall for the extreme agenda that the other side was trying to sell, that this board would then try to push a trans athlete issue onto the agenda with their last public meeting,” she said.
During Tuesday night’s meeting, the Douglas County School District board voted 4-2 to change students’ participation policy in a state teen health survey. While the board majority argued that the change empowers parents, opponents warned that it would cripple a valuable tool for gathering student information.
Some of the remaining board members—Brad Geiger, Susan Meek, and Valerie Thompson—who will soon be joined by four new members pledging a return to pragmatism, accountability, and removing politics from school policies, expressed their dissatisfaction with the outgoing majority’s actions.
“It’s despicable,” said Brad Geiger.
“Director Williams chose not to run. She didn’t choose to put herself out there for the voters. She doesn’t care about what the public wants. She chooses to ignore elections that she doesn’t like.”
Attempts to reach Christy Williams for comment were unsuccessful.
### Charter School Contract Extension
Currently, charter schools—which are publicly funded but independently run—must renew their contracts with the district every five years. The outgoing board majority proposed allowing high-performing, long-standing charter schools the ability to renew their contracts every 10 years.
The resolution would make this 10-year renewal option available to all 18 charter schools in the district. According to the resolution, “It is appropriate to acknowledge the longevity and consistent successful performance of each such eligible charter school.”
Importantly, the resolution states that charter schools’ responsibilities, reporting, and performance requirements would remain unchanged, and the board would maintain existing oversight rights. Charter schools would still be required to appear before the board for a mid-term review, though specific details on this review are not defined.
Brad Geiger criticized the proposal, saying he could support longer contracts on a case-by-case basis but opposed a blanket extension.
“They don’t have to tell us anything about how effective they’re being for an entire decade. Remember, these are public schools spending public money. To take them completely out of the hands of the elected officials because you don’t like the elected officials on the school board is deeply concerning to me,” he said.
Geiger also voiced concerns about the mid-term review’s lack of consequences and noted that to get an automatic renewal, charter schools only need to be “slightly above average.” He compared this with district-run schools, which undergo continual review through standardized tests and supervision by executive principals. In contrast, charter schools have a director and an unelected board focused on protecting their school.
If the resolution passes, eligible charter schools would have to notify the district in writing by November 24 if they elect to extend their contract term—a deadline set before the next school board meeting.
“The goal here is to make this a contractual right of the charter school before the next board gets sworn in,” said Geiger.
### Transgender Athletes in Sports Debate
The second controversial agenda item is a discussion on a resolution titled “Preserving Fairness and Safety in Sports.” The proposal appears nearly identical to a resolution passed by Colorado Springs’ District 49 and would require participation in sports to be based on a child’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.
This policy would effectively ban transgender athletes from competing on teams that align with their gender identities. Additionally, it would bar transgender students from using locker rooms or hotel rooms that correspond with their gender identity. For example, a transgender girl would be required to use the boys’ locker room.
The resolution argues that boys are born with “significant inherent advantages” that provide a “substantial competitive advantage” over most girls in sports. It asserts that allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls.”
The resolution further states that classifying sports teams by biological sex is necessary to “preserve and promote equal opportunity” for female athletes to compete, demonstrate skills, and earn scholarships.
Parent Kelly Mayr voiced anger over the addition of this discussion to the agenda. She questioned whether the resolution implies that someone would be assigned to verify a student’s biological sex.
“I spoke with my 14-year-old daughter about this, and she said, ‘We have real issues in the high schools here.’ And she goes, ‘And you know what they’re not about? Trans students, trans athletes.’ She’s like, ‘We have bullying, we have racism. We have different things that they have to deal with in high school.’”
Attempts to contact board member Becky Meyers for comment were unsuccessful.
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The controversial agenda items and actions taken by the outgoing Douglas County school board majority have ignited strong responses from parents, remaining board members, and the broader community as the district prepares to welcome new leadership.
https://www.cpr.org/2025/11/10/outgoing-douglas-county-school-board-trans-athletes-charter-schools/