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Adams County School District 14 sues the state over reorganization vote

Adams County School District 14 on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the state Board of Education alleging that the board abused its power when it ordered the district to reorganize last month. 

The suit, filed in Denver District Court, also challenges how the board applied the Accountability and Reorganization acts. 

The district was joined by the Classroom Teachers Association in the lawsuit because “the State Board’s order adversely impacts CTA members and their rights through a collective bargaining agreement between Adams 14 and CTA,” according to a news release. 

Colorado revokes Adams 14's accreditation, orders reorganization

“This complaint is a line in the sand against an extremely abusive state agency that thumbs its nose at local control,” Joe Salazar, the district’s legal counsel, said in the release. “A local school district’s constitutional right to local control has been a mainstay of Colorado law for decades. In all my years serving the public and litigating cases, I have never seen a state agency openly and flagrantly ignore Colorado’s constitution in the manner we are seeing from this State Board.”

In May, the board ordered Adams 14 to begin a reorganization process that could lead to dissolution, annexation or consolidation. 

The 4-3 vote also removed the district’s accreditation for the second time in seven months. Adams 14 is the only district in the state to have its accreditation removed. 

The suit challenges how the board has applied the Accountability Act against Adams 14 and similar school districts with a high number of low-income, non-English speaking students of color. 

State BOE to consider restoring some authority to Adams 14, but insist there needs to be some oversight

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Featured Local Savings

Colorado’s school accountability system was created in 2009 and rates schools based on student performance on standardized tests. Ratings include other criteria such as graduation rates and college enrollment, according to the Colorado Department of Education. 

If a district continuously scores low, the state will intervene, potentially leading to dissolution or outside management. 

“The State Board of Education has followed their obligations to intervene in a struggling district as (statute) dictates,” Erica Grasmick, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Education, said in an email. “We look forward to exploring the district’s concerns with the court.”

Adams 14’s low scores led to the appointment of an outside manager, MGT Consulting, by the state in 2018.

The two parties had a contentious relationship that ended in February when MGT withdrew from its oversight role. 

Adams 14 releases findings of forensic audit

The suit also challenges the constitutionality of the state’s use of the Reorganization Act and claims it has abused its power by engaging in “arbitrary and capricious conduct.”

“Every school district in Colorado should be watching this lawsuit as we are fighting for them and their local control,” Salazar said. 

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