School board votes to censure Boggs

Jeffco school board member Laura Boggs was censured by the board Dec. 16, the first time such an action has been taken in district history.

The censure, on a unanimous vote, came after board members characterized Boggs’ behavior as erratic, disrespectful and inconsistent. District Superintendent Cindy Stevenson accused Boggs of “attacking the school district that she was elected to protect” during a conversation between the two.

Under board rules, Boggs was not allowed to vote on the censure. The censure doesn’t limit Boggs’ participation on the board or in performing her duties as a board member. It simply stands as formal public disapproval of a board member's conduct by other members.

However, Boggs, who represents District 2 (the Jefferson County foothills), may lose her ability to participate on board committees. A motion to remove Boggs from all committees she currently serves on will be considered at the Jan. 6 meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Jeffco Public Schools building, 1829 Denver West Drive.

“If we don’t do something now (about Boggs’ behavior), we’re looking at three more years of this, and I think that’s not acceptable,” board member Paula Noonan said.

Board President Dave Thomas said the relationship between Boggs and Stevenson had become acrimonious and prevented the board from moving forward during a critical period.

Boggs was elected to the board in November 2009, ousting incumbent Sue Marinelli of Evergreen with 51.4 percent of the vote. The board discussed censuring Boggs in June 2010 but did not take action at that time.

Reasons for censure

The incident that apparently prompted the censure stemmed from a recent discussion between Boggs and Stevenson.

In a letter sent to board members dated Dec. 13 and provided to the High Timber Times last week, Stevenson informed the board of comments made by Boggs during a 25-minute meeting Dec. 10.

Stevenson said in the letter that Boggs:

• Threatened to expose (Stevenson’s) “lies” and show how she had undermined board relationships.

• Planned to call Washington, D.C., to endanger the Jeffco Teacher Incentive Fund Grant, a five-year, $32.8 million grant awarded in September.

• Said she would “tear this county apart.” Stevenson said she took that comment as a threat against the school district. The letter did not provide any context for Boggs’ statement.

Boggs’ response

Boggs listened quietly during the censure discussion, then responded by saying she didn’t realize Thomas was waiting for a response from her to Stevenson’s letter to board members.

“The characterizations in the letter are grossly misstated,” Boggs said. “I don’t think getting into a ‘he said, she said’ … serves any purpose. I vehemently deny the accusations.”

Thomas said he believed Stevenson’s descriptions of Boggs’ statements were accurate.

“I was hoping to have some kind of response (from Boggs), and there was none,” Thomas said. “If you don’t dispute statements, then they stand as proven.”

Thomas said he was concerned that a board member would try to interfere with the largest grant the district ever received. He said he had many conversations with Boggs about her behavior and recently met with her regarding her communication style.

Jefferson County Education Association President Kerrie Dallman spoke at Thursday’s meeting and detailed what she called Boggs’ unethical behavior over the last year. Dallman asked the board to request Boggs’ resignation.

Other reasons for the proposed censure included what board member Robin Johnson called Boggs’ open support of Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101, despite the board’s statement of non-support of the three controversial ballot measures.

However, Boggs denied supporting the ballot measures at a budget forum on Nov. 13 in Evergreen.

Noonan said Boggs had met with each board member at Boggs’ request for “guidance and context.”

“It pains me that we are at this situation … but there have been repeated issues we have discussed with her,” Noonan said.

This story ran in the High Timber Times, Columbine Courier and Canyon Courier on December 22, 2010. A few other media outlets had a story on the censure, but since no other media, besides Linda from the Golden Transcript was actually at the meeting, they missed the part about the motion to remove Boggs from her committees.

Boggs Censure